The Social Stair is the continuation of the Dawson’s Heights estate, establishing a new design agenda in response to and influenced by its architect, Kate Macintosh’s original intent with a 2022 perspective.

The project redefines the use of a stair core as a symbolic space to emphasise the interactions which naturally occur within. In many post-war social housing estates, stairs and access areas are underdeveloped, dark, narrow and not an overall pleasant experience for residents. The proposal combines social ambitions to form a centralised social core which provides a new point of access, with a set of new amenities for residents of the estate and for the wider community across its 12 levels. This also includes the redesign of the smaller stairwells while activating the roof spaces and pushing the amenities further.

As a retrofit design, this project has the potential to challenge the negative stereotypes which often isolate social housing from its neighbourhoods. The social stair opens a new chapter for existing council estates allowing for relationships with the wider community to develop and setting a design strategy which could be implemented elsewhere.