The Henry Project

The Henry Project is a small practice, specialising in residential projects that are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. We have a 'human-centered' design approach, meaning we listen deeply to understand the needs of our clients, and then use design expertise to provide solutions that improve quality of life for individual owners and residents. The Henry Project was founded by Meriam Salama. Meriam is a registered and practicing architect and entrepreneur with over 20 years in the architecture and design industry. In recent years, Meriam has become concerned about the increasing isolation experienced by many households in the community. She has seen the decline in affordable housing in Australia and the growth of house sizes throughout the country. She has become increasingly aware of the cost of underutilised residential spaces, not just financially, but also socially and environmentally. Meriam founded The Henry Project with a conviction to address these problems. The Henry Project is named after Henry David Thoreau, an American author and philosopher living in the 19th century. His belief in simplicity, living within ones means and self-reliance compelled him to leave his hometown of Concord and spend several solitary years in the woods adjacent to Lake Walden. There, he lived in a hut he built himself with materials he could readily afford. He subsisted off produce he either planted himself or hunted in the adjacent woods and lake. Through these simple means, he freed himself from the financial burdens of shelter and food, and was able to spend his time pursuing what he believed a more meaningful and fulfilling way of life. Thoreau has said: "The cost of a thing is what I will call life that is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run." Australia has one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the world: we are locked into home loans for a 30 year period, making life decisions based on what can sustain those mortgage repayments. And lets be clear here; the currency that we as Australians exchange for home ownership is not just money -- it is quality of life. At The Henry Project, we ask: "Is that really an acceptable exchange?" Our answer is a resounding "No!". And we use our design expertise to address these social, economic and environmental imbalances in the housing market.