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China's slowing growth has many wondering whether there will be a knock-on effect on Australia's property markets.
Last week, China reported 7.3% year-on-year growth in gross domestic product (GDP) for quarter three, its lowest economic growth rate posted since the first quarter of 2009.
China's domestic property market, including construction and development, is big business, making up an estimated 20% of its GDP. But now, a combination of misplaced property development and unregulated lending have lead to oversupply and so-called "ghost cities", where new developments sit empty, despite a strong demand for housing.
In the minutes of the Reserve Bank's October Monetary Policy Meeting, board members noted that "conditions had continued to soften" in China's property markets.
Many are blaming the poor performance of the Chinese property for its slowing economy. Others are asking how China's slowing economy will affect Australian property.
According to AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver, the state of China's economy will impact Australian national income. However, he believes China's recent slow down has been somewhat overstated.
"So far it's been relatively modest," says Oliver. "The sharp slow down really occurred earlier this decade."
Oliver notes the average 10% annual growth that China enjoyed in the 30 years to 2010 wasn't sustainable in the long-term.
He says the affect of China's slowing economy is "probably already having some impact on Australia, with softer commodity prices".
"That's most obviously reflected in the weakness in iron ore prices."
<blockquote>
"If we went back to 10% plus growth out of China, we could kiss low interest rates goodbye."
</blockquote>
Iron ore is now priced at about US$80 per tonne, after peaking at US$187 per tonne in February 2011. Oliver explains that slower demand from China can also lead to slower export volumes, saying the resulting downturn in national income will have an impact on our property market.
However, he notes that China's long term economic performance should be taken into account.
"Even though the economy has slowed down, it's still twice the size it was 10 years ago," says Oliver.
"The real risk would be is if China's growth slows down a lot."
If Chinese economic growth takes a sharp downturn, Australia's national income would take a hit, and we would see higher rates of unemployment, he explains.
"The Chinese government probably don't want the economy to slow down dramatically," says Oliver, in part due to the huge urban migration movement as people seek employment in the major cities.
"If it doesn't maintain decent growth, they could end up with social unrest."
There is also an argument, Oliver says, that when commodity prices were peaking, "we had too much of a good thing".
"It was very good for the Australian economy initially, but actually had a dampening effect on property.
"The mining boom meant the non-mining part of the economy had to make room, and we saw high interest rates."
Now, the downturn in China-related growth, particularly in the mining sector, has resulted in lower interest rates, fuelling demand in domestic property.
"If we went back to 10% plus growth out of China, we could kiss low interest rates goodbye," says Oliver.
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jrichardson-uRX5hFdKfN

How will a slowing Chinese economy impact our property markets?

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While the national median house price was up by 1.2% for the September quarter, it was largely due to Sydney's price growth, according to Australian Property Monitors PriceFinder data.
Domain Group senior economist Andrew Wilson said the national result, the lowest since March 2013, was bolstered by Sydney's performance.
House prices were down in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart (click to open in new window).
<a href="/images/2014/10/23/apm-oct-23-one.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2014/10/23/apm-oct-23-one.jpg" alt=""></a>
<a href="/images/2014/10/23/apm-oct-23-two.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2014/10/23/apm-oct-23-two.jpg" alt=""></a>
Source: Australian Property Monitors.
"Surprisingly, the Brisbane house price stalled over the September quarter with the median down by 1.3% which is the first negative quarterly result for more than two years," Wilson said. Brisbane's median house price now sits at $473,924.
"Adelaide and Hobart also reversed recent trends of house price growth, recording their first falls in a year."
Perth's median house price decreased by 1.5% in the quarter to $604,882.
"Subdued prices growth in Perth was no real surprise as that market has consistently reported waning buyer activity over the past year," said Wilson.
Canberra's dropped by 1.7%, from $583,473 to $573,326.
The results were mixed for the three cities where house prices increased for the quarter: Melbourne, Sydney and Darwin. While Darwin's house prices were up by 2.9%, Melbourne saw softer growth of just 1%, the weakest growth result recorded by APM Pricefinder for two years.
<a href="/images/2014/10/23/apm-oct-23-three.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2014/10/23/apm-oct-23-three.jpg" alt=""></a>
Source: Australian Property Monitors.
"Price growth in Melbourne is clearly trending downwards with declining market energy also confirmed recently by falling auction clearance rates and home loans," explained Wilson.
"An underperforming local economy is increasingly providing an impediment to housing market activity and unemployment is tracking at 12-year highs."
Sydney's median house price increased by 3.8% for the quarter to $843,994. The September quarter price is up 16.6% on a yearly basis.
"Although house prices in Sydney are not accelerating at the exceptional levels recorded last year, the growth rate has been consistent over 2014.
"The Sydney market will continue to lead the pack, however, the clock is now ticking for that market as further signs of moderation are emerging," he said.
"The still solid local economy is a key factor behind Sydney's price growth, however, recent signs of continuing moderation in the market are emerging as affordability barriers and low incomes growth constrain buyer activity," Wilson noted.
"Auction clearance rates have fallen and ABS home loan data indicates that although activity remains solid to strong, growth rates are diminishing - particularly from investors who nonetheless remain significant contributors to market activity."
Unit prices fell in every capital city but Sydney and Adelaide, where a 1.6% price increase and a 0.3% rise were recorded respectively.
"Without a sustained revival in economic activity, housing markets will continue to soften, ending the debate about macro-prudential tools or changes to property taxation policy designed to offset local and foreign investor activity," said Wilson.
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Sydney strength drags along slowing house prices: APM

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The Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) is urging the New South Wales state government to reconsider land taxes on Sydney's Oxford Street.
According to REINSW president Malcolm Gunning, businesses on the retail and hospitality strip are struggling after a clearway was put into place.
"In recent years there has been a significant decline in this important commercial area," said Gunning.
"Sydney and Woollahra Councils are pouring money into revitalising the strip. It is now time for the state government to recognise the problems.
"REINSW is going to ask the Valuer General to take a look at disproportionate land taxes, which need to be reduced in order to revitalise Oxford Street," he said.
"Land taxes haven't fallen like the rents have because they are based on raw land value and building potential and do not take into account the heritage conditions associated with Oxford Street."
Gunning asserts that some tenants pay land tax which is 50% of the value of their rent.
The REINSW also claims traffic pollution has increased since the clearway was implemented.
"It is essential that Oxford Street rises again," said Gunning.
Photo courtesy of J Bar/<a class="mw-mmv-license cc-license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>.
 
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REINSW calls for land tax cuts on Oxford Street

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In at least one area, Australians are doing things bigger and better than Americans.
 <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/politico/status/524631756310577153" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2014/10/22/Picture%2046.png" alt=""></a>
While Australians aren't the only ones seeing an uptick in inner city shoebox living, we aren't quite squeezing residents into single dwellings this small.
According to <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/politico/status/524631756310577153" target="_blank">Politico</a>, Seattle is seeing a boom in micro-apartments. The one pictured in its tweeted infographic is 192 square feet  – around 17.83 square metres.
The linked article, '<a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/seattle-micro-housing-boom-111874" target="_blank">Scrunched in Seattle</a>', notes the city allows residences as small as 90 square feet – 8.36 square metres.
A far cry from the proposed 37 square metre minimum <a href="/expert-insights/buying/no-more-shoebox-apartments-37-square-metre-minimum-size-under-victorian-government-consideration">under consideration</a> by the Victorian government.
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Tweet of the day: Politico on the Seattle microhousing market

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Marketing is underway for one and two bedroom apartments in Lakemba's Avant development.
Located about 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD, Avant Apartments is at 2 Haldon Street in Lakemba.
The one bedroom apartments on offer start at $460,000, while the two bedroom apartments are priced from $540,000. Marketing materials from Colliers International describe the apartments as "oversized", with "spacious" balconies (pictured below). Some of the apartments, which come with secure basement parking, offer city views.
<img src="/images/2014/10/22/main.jpg" alt="">
The residences were designed by DesignInc and developed by Buildform. A Woolworths supermarket will be located on the ground floor.
According to SQM Research, the implied gross rental yield for two bedroom units in Lakemba sits just shy of 5%, with an asking rent of $350.60.
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Registration open for Avant Apartments in Lakemba, Sydney

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Guest observation
Although Australia’s tax-to-GDP ratio is <a href="https://www.treasury.gov.au/Policy-Topics/Taxation/Pocket-Guide-to-the-Australian-Tax-System/Pocket-Guide-to-the-Australian-Tax-System/Part-1">low by international standards</a>, no-one wants to discuss how we might pay for the improvements needed to public transport, and even less the need for taxation to support better infrastructure and services.
Louis XIV’s Finance Minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, had a good feel for taxation:
<blockquote>
“The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing.”
</blockquote>
In Australia we hear lots of hissing but don’t see many feathers when it comes to increased taxation to support better infrastructure and services.
There are three main sources of potential funding for improved transport services - government (on behalf of the community), users, and other beneficiaries (such as landowners).
The second and third of these funding sources are so-called “beneficiary pays” funding, and we could use such funding to improve transport in our cities, especially public transport.
The important issues to consider are revenue raising potential, predictability and stability of the revenue stream, the extent to which the measure affects travel behaviour, ease and flexibility of implementation, accountability and transparency.
The public also needs to accept the measures as equitable for different socio-economic groups. Alignment with strategic planning and development objectives, such as encouraging the scale, type and location of development conducive to achievement of more compact growth patterns and a strong CBD, should set the context.
Using these criteria, and following Colbert’s advice, the best result is likely to involve multiple measures. Looking at what is done in cities similar to our own in North America, I see considerable revenue raising potential in a number of areas - if our political leaders are prepared to put up with some hissing.
Fuel excise indexation
First, the federal government should push on with fuel excise indexation and give the additional revenue to the states, for transport spending. If we had not removed indexation over a decade ago, there would now be an additional A$5 billion available annually from this source.
The Productivity Commission found that current revenue from road users barely pays road infrastructure and maintenance costs, let alone covering the many other costs of road use, such as air pollution, congestion, accidents and carbon emissions. There is a strong case for increasing the fuel excise by more than indexation.
Road users benefit from better public transport. Many jurisdictions internationally – for example, Toronto - therefore spend some fuel tax revenue on public transport. Increasing fuel tax and giving the revenue to the states, with part to be spent on public transport, is economically defensible and would help to reduce the vertical fiscal imbalance between the federal government and states.
Car parking levies
Second, state governments should increase and extend their car parking levies. This charge sees road users pay for a small part of the congestion costs they cause in inner areas. The levy raises over A$100 million annually in Melbourne and Sydney, for example, and revenue could be substantially increased, by lifting the charge rate and extending the area that is included.
Payroll tax
Third, the states should marginally increase payroll tax levied on businesses located within 800 metres of high frequency tram, train or bus services. In Paris and Portland (Oregon) governments recognise the benefits employers get from access to high quality public transport services and levy them through payroll tax to help fund these services. NSW collects about A$7 billion and Victoria A$5 billion annually from payroll tax, so a small rate increase on beneficiaries would generate a significant sum towards better public transport.
Council levies
Fourth, the states should also impose a low rate metropolitan improvement levy on residential properties within 400 metres of a frequent public transport service. Councils could collect this with rate payments. New Halifax (Nova Scotia) has a very effective scheme of this sort. In turn, councils should be given a formal role, along with the state government, in determining public transport improvement priorities.
Property levies
Fifth, there should be project specific value capture charges for big public transport (and road) projects, like CBD rail, airport rail and light rail extensions, levied on properties close to the project, as Melbourne did 50 years ago for the Underground Rail Loop. London’s CrossRail project is a good current example.
Increased fares
Sixth, public transport fares could increase as services are improved, particularly on premium trunk services, but only if the other revenue measures are in place to reduce risks of patronage loss. These premium services tend to be used by higher income people, so equity arguments support looking at fare levels.
A likely objection to some of these proposals, particularly increasing fuel tax, is that they will adversely impact people with few transport options. This can be overcome by improving public transport service levels where these people live, particularly in those outer suburbs where services have lagged well behind population growth.
Now for the hissing.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/32672/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
John Stanley is Adjunct Professor, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at the Business School at University of Sydney. He is a policy adviser to the Australian Bus Industry Confederation and to Bus Association Victoria. He receives funding support from these organisations.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-ways-to-boost-funding-for-better-public-transport-32672">original article</a>.
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Six ways to boost funding for better public transport

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Guest observation
Australian Senator Nick Xenophon continues his push to allow first-time home buyers to tap into their retirement savings to come up with a mere deposit for a home loan, and a life time of exorbitant fortnightly loan repayments.
What Senator Xenophon utterly fails to address is the reckless lending standards of the Australian banking system.
It is hard to find a banking system in this world willing to lend such large sums of debt to home buyers relative to the incomes they earn. Only instances were in countries such as Ireland prior to the global financial crisis.
Xenophon, in a recent interview on The Panel, said "in the order of $30,000 to $40,000 as a maximum," would be allowed for first-time home buyers to take out of their retirement funds to make a deposit for home.
Recent history suggests that every time Australian regulation allows or gives home buyers access to funds originally void, it has propelled property prices.
Clear examples are the various home owner grants and access to self-managed super funds to invest in property.
When property bubbles pop, housing becomes affordable again and first home buyers would need no artificial assistance beyond their means to purchase a property. Its as simple as that – and Senator Xenophon has no clue the level of risk he is trying to make young Australians take on.
The reason property prices are as high as they are in Australia is due to a chronic oversupply of debt. The abnormal willingness of Australian banks to lend large sums of debt to home buyers is clearly visible in the table below.
<img src="/images/2014/10/20/Picture%206.png" alt="">
Hence Australia is experiencing a credit-fuelled property bubble that Xenophon should address in parliament, rather than trying to prop up a bubble that makes Australia look utterly insane.
You might also want to read: 
<a href="/expert-insights/buying/exclusive-the-experts-on-super-access-for-first-home-buyers">Exclusive: The experts on super access for first home buyers</a>
Lindsay David is a co-founder of clean technology company GreenRigCo and a former strategy &amp; business development consultant. Lindsay holds an MBA from IMD Business School. He is the author of <a href="https://blog.australiaboomtobust.com/" target="_blank">Australia: Boom to Bust</a>.
 
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Nick Xenophon continues to inflate our property bubble

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Guest observation
I live tweeted a Coburg North auction last weekend. The worst auction ever.
The agent quote for 10 Delta Ave Coburg North was $500,000 to $550,000. Two bidders kicked off the auction and it quickly reached the upper agent quote of $550,000.
However, the auctioneer wouldn't confirm if the home was on the market.  
Bidding slowed down to increments of $250 – a bidding strategy that was a costly mistake for the buyer.
After the usual theatrical intermission, the auctioneer returned from receiving the vendor's instructions and confirmed that the property was now on the market at $555,500. Two bidders continued to take rises of $250 to hit $560,750.
One bidder attempted a knock out bid of $565,000, but failed.
A new bidder (who ended up being the underbidder) joined the action at $565,500.
All three bidders were still moving the price up in $250 increments, and after what had seemed like an eternity the three bidders reached a price of $570,000.
Then it was down to two bidders, now at $576,250 and then by $250 bids to $580,500.
Finally, after 40 minutes of mostly $250 bids the property was sold for $583,750.
Buyer's agent David Morrell's advice to buyers for this type of situation is to bid aggressively and take control of the auction.
By breaking the bidding down to smaller bids here – David has sometimes seen people pay $200,000 over the reserve on $1000 bids – the other people bidding think you only have $1,000 left. No one can value a property down to $5,000 or $10,000. 
So increase the amount of your bid. Turn up the heat on the opposition. If you are standing next to them, offer to toss them for the property.
The realAs.com prediction was spot on; 0.2% off and the agent quote was 17% off.
<img src="/images/2014/10/16/837a164a-ceb5-4e59-b7ea-704b1450d402.png" alt="">
Josh Rowe is the chief executive of <a href="https://realas.com/home/" target="_blank">realAs.com.</a>
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Aggressive bidding, not $250 bids, are needed to take auction control

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Guest observation
Owning a car can be a hassle, especially if you live somewhere where driving is an occasional, rather than daily, necessity. This might help to explain why car-sharing schemes are going from strength to strength in cities around the world.
Car-sharing has the potential to reduce private car use and ownership, and over the past two decades has been adopted by more than a million users worldwide. Car-sharing schemes now operate in some <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15568318.2012.660103#.VBD9qvmSySo">1,100 cities in 26 countries</a>.
In <a href="https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/residents/car-sharing">Sydney</a>, one in ten households is predicted to be a member of a car-sharing organisation by 2016.
What is car-sharing?
In Australia, car-sharing is most frequently a for-profit service that provides members with access to a fleet of vehicles, typically on an hourly basis. Services like <a href="https://www.goget.com.au">Go Get</a> in Sydney and <a href="https://www.flexicar.com.au">Flexicar</a> in Melbourne allow members to book online or by smartphone app. They then unlock their reserved car using an electronic keycard, jump in, and drive off.
Members are billed at the end of the month for time and/or kilometres travelled. Cars are located in central business areas, neighbourhoods and major employment centres, as well as at public transport stations.
This “quick lease” model is the most common, allowing users to do some bulky shopping, run errands requiring a short trip, or go for an out-of-town daytrip, without needing to own their own car. Car-sharing can also be “peer-to-peer”, where an individual car owner makes their car available for others to rent for a short period of time, or one-way, where cars can be picked up and dropped off at different locations, freeing the user from the return journey.
What makes it work?
While we know that more and more people are getting into car-sharing, we don’t know a lot about its ascendance to popularity. To shed some light on its success, we have been investigating the factors that make it work – and we have found three broad reasons:
Technology
Car-sharing could never overturn the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/176">dominance of private cars</a> without the help of technology. Streamlined booking systems, accurate billing, good car security, reliable location mapping: all are crucial to car-sharing’s rise as a viable business model.
Automation also makes car-sharing easy, flexible and reliable, and makes it feel more like driving a private vehicle and less like a car rental.
Existing transport infrastructure
Car-sharing taps into the powerful system that already supports private car use, such as roads, petrol stations, and parking lots. Once you’re behind the wheel, a share-scheme car feels basically the same as driving a private one.
Yet car-sharing also allows users to rely on other transport options, such as public transport, walking or cycling, for their day-to-day mobility. Shared cars then “fill the gaps” left by fixed routes and timetables, and provide extra load-carrying capacity when needed.
Of course, this only makes sense in places where living without a car is a viable option. As a result, car-sharing is overwhelmingly concentrated in inner cities with high density and good networks for public and active transport.
This article continues on the next page. Please click below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
Parking
Ironically enough, car-sharing’s success may come down to the humble parking space. The same inner-urban places where car sharing has flourished are also characterised by parking congestion. On-street parking in these places is at a premium, mainly because of high density but also because road space is more likely to be reserved for bus and bike lanes.
Yet this situation actually makes car-sharing more attractive, because parking spaces are specifically reserved for car-share vehicles.
Essentially, car-sharing is successful because it uses new technologies to tap into and tweak existing transport systems, both private and public. It conveniently borrows roads, petrol stations and parking spaces from private cars, yet at the same time relies on an alternative transport network that is robust enough to support a life lived without a private car.
Thriving despite a lack of support
Car-sharing is thriving in Australia even in the relative absence of support from transport policy. Car-share schemes don’t feature in New South Wales' <a href="https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/content/nsw-long-term-transport-master-plan">Long Term Transport Masterplan</a>, nor in Victoria’s <a href="https://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/Plan-Melbourne">Plan Melbourne</a> strategy.
Our review of car-sharing policy revealed that the area where it most regularly comes into contact with transport planning is the mundane arena of parking regulations. Local councils typically set aside a certain number of on-street spaces for shared cars. It is also increasingly popular for the design controls for new apartments to mandate provisions for car-sharing parking spaces.
It might seem odd that the success of car-sharing rests not on the cars themselves, but on where they can park. Yet parking space is already a source of tension for motorists, and this tension could be raised still further by this highly visible newcomer. It is not the only space where shared and private cars compete, yet for the private car driver on the hunt for a park, it is difficult to ignore the shared car sitting in its guaranteed, VIP parking spot.
Local government parking policies therefore provide a valuable source of support for the nascent car-sharing industry. It is inspiring that a local council will bravely defend the shared car’s right to space in the heated arena that is car parking, and in doing so make a more sustainable mode of transport possible.
Private car use will be challenged not through mass uptake of public transport or cycling, but rather through the subtle orchestration of less problematic alternatives. Car-sharing is such an alternative.
While it has quietly emerged to challenge the private car, its ongoing rise will need continuing support from local governments.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/31179/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
Robyn Dowling is a lecturer in Environmental Planning at Macquarie University. She receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Jennifer Kent  is a professor of Human Geography and Coordinator Higher Degree Research Development at Macquarie University. She does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-000-cars-and-no-garage-why-car-sharing-works-31179">original article</a>.
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1,000 cars and no garage – why car-sharing works 

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Guest observation
This year’s Australian Institute of Architects' (AIA) <a href="https://architecture.com.au/events/national/awards/national-awards">2014 National Architecture Awards</a> – to be awarded on November 6 – include a category called “Enduring Architecture”.
Where a fast-paced “build and publish” cycle often becomes an architecture firm’s mode of operation, this award gives pause to consider the slow and deliberate, the longer view, the greater good.
First appearing in 2007, this category is a relabelling of the “25 Year Award” first given in 2003. Separate from a <a href="https://theconversation.com/national-architecture-awards-2014-lets-look-at-the-heritage-finalists-31964">heritage award</a>, the institute’s policy specifically precludes adaptive reuse projects. Rather, it recognises the “enduring features” of a sufficiently aged building.
Aside from allowing the flows of fashion to pass and an award year’s stronger competition to take the recognition, 25 years tests the material endurance of the building. Some architects anticipate the slow transformation of surrounding environments and the inevitable decay of materials: raw hardwood takes months to grey, sandstone buildings can take a few years for their colour to dull, bronze roofs take years to green evenly.
Years must pass before their material intentions are apparent. Buildings where gardens are deeply integrated into their design can take a decade to mature.
Is architecture an act of public good?
Endurance is one of the classical virtues of architecture praised in the earliest architectural text by Roman architect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvius">Vitruvius</a> called <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20239/20239-h/29239-h.htm">Ten Books on Architecture</a>, probably written around 15 BCE and dedicated to the Emperor Augustus.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/61593/area14mp/4fjz49tn-1413249877.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/61593/width668/4fjz49tn-1413249877.jpg" alt=""></a>
A 1684 depiction of Vitruvius (right) presenting De Architectura to Augustus. Wikimedia Commons
Vitruvius’ often quoted triad of architectural value: beauty, commodity and firmness is augmented in the text by more subtly expressed preferences.
Possibly mirroring the architectural sensibilities of Augustus, Vitruvius clearly valued public architecture above private architecture. Although he believed that an architect should be trained to act in the public interest, Vitruvius recognised that many architects were not so generously inclined.
He even went so far as to admire householders who build their own homes rather than entrust them to a possibly self-serving and money-hungry architect.
All of the values expressed by Vitruvius 2,000 years ago have remained the principle values of the profession.
Whether or not a work of architecture acts toward the public good, however, can be rather difficult to assess at any moment in time. Innumerable projects with public components have had their public function surreptitiously removed by the building’s owners after the building’s opening.
Freed from the pressure of assessing a building only when it is new, or reviewing the function of a building in its first year, the Enduring Architecture award has consistently recognised buildings whose public functions have been retained or even enhanced in the years after their completion.
Masterful residential projects
Of the <a href="https://dynamic.architecture.com.au/awards_search">11 projects</a> that have received this award since its inception as the 25 Year Award, almost all buildings include large areas of public space.
The majority are public buildings: three theatres, two courthouses and a parliament. The two awarded commercial towers, Australia Square in Sydney’s CBD and the former BHP House in Melbourne’s CBD, both sacrificed the potential of profitable ground level rental to include large public areas, greatly improving the amenity and value of the districts they inhabit.
The exceptions to the award recognising architecture with a public spirit are three private houses.
 <img src="/images/2014/10/17/3.jpg" alt="">
Magney House at Bingie Bingie on the NSW South Coast designed by Australian Architect Glenn Murcutt. Michael Nicholson/AIA 
One is architect Glenn Murcutt’s <a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/magney-house-bingie-bingie-198284/">Magney House</a> at Bingie Bingie on the NSW South Coast, arguably the most distinctive and recognisable Australian house, it has been the subject of a unprecedentedly large amount of international media attention. As a summer retreat, the house belongs to the purely private interest that gave Vitruvius cause to doubt.
Yet the extraordinary international attention that its iconic elevation has brought to Australian architecture justifies it being considered a true exception.
This article continues on the next page. Please click below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
The two remaining residential projects, <a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/25-year-award-2/">Glenn Murcutt’s Kempsey Farmhouse</a> in NSW and <a href="https://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/act-notable-buildings/robin-boyd-house-ii.pdf?sfvrsn=0">Robin Boyd’s House II</a> in Melbourne’s South Yarra, are also exceptions. Both were designed and built for clients, then bought by the architects themselves who performed the final renovations.
Those are masterful examples of the architecture that Vitruvius deeply respected, householders building for themselves.
Considering the general trend of this award, we might congratulate the AIA for continuing to recognise architecture that produces public space not only for the attention of press releases and annual awards cycles, but maintain that public space across decades of use.
We also might suspect that those other remarkable architect’s homes, such as Richard Leplastrier’s <a href="https://www.ozetecture.org/2012/dummy-richard-leplastrier-project/">House at Lovett Bay</a> will, as they come of age, take their turn in this award.
Of this year’s shortlisted entries – the <a href="https://canberratimes.domain.com.au/architects/praise-on-high-for-enrico-tagliettis-apostolic-nunciature-in-institute-of-architects-awards-20140911-10fag1">Apostolic Nunciature</a> by Enrico Taglietti (in Canberra’s Red Hill), the <a href="https://www.theherald.com.au/story/2394441/tocal-wins-architectural-award/">CB Alexander College</a> (in Newcastle) by Ian McKay and Phillip Cox, <a href="https://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/vic-notable-buildings/vic-mcintyrehouse.pdf?sfvrsn=0">McIntyre House</a> by Peter McIntyre (in Kew, Victoria) and <a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/2014-northern-territory-architecture-awards/">Troppoville</a> by Troppo Architects (in Coconut Grove, NT) – the work most in keeping with the award’s history is the house Peter McIntyre built for himself and his family (main image, courtesy of the AIA).
Like Murcutt’s houses, at first glance this extraordinary design is difficult to date. Looking many decades younger that it is, this 60-year old building still functions as both archetype and prototype of a well adapted response to the Australian climate.
Many contemporary buildings struggle to reach this level of environmental awareness, and recognition of this house may assist turning the attention of Australian residential architecture toward the enduring necessity of being placed sensibly in their landscape.
<img src="/images/2014/10/17/Enduring_TroppoArchitects_Troppoville_PatrickBinghamHall.jpg" alt="">
Troppoville by Troppo Architects. AIA. 
Vitruvius knew as much, and wrote of cities, streets, public buildings and houses arranged according to sun, wind and rain.
Yet Australian architecture has long been without this instinct for the elemental. Slowly, after the colonial style and then an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Style_(architecture">international style</a> (characterised by unadorned geometric forms, open interiors, and the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete), architecture is turning to its rough ground.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/32691/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
Simon Weir is a lecturer in architecture at the University of Sydney. He does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/enduring-beauties-when-buildings-look-good-for-their-age-32691">original article</a>.
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Enduring beauties: when buildings look good for their age

Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

Joel Robinson

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]

Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]

More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Local Little Bay residents, along with buyers from premium postcodes across Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, have dominated purchases in developer-builder Urban Property Group’s first Eastern Suburbs apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a>.

The $250 million coastal project, one of the first new developments in the area in several years, has proven particularly popular with downsizers, especially those from Coogee and Bondi. One Double Bay downsizer paid $4.7 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, setting a new local apartment price record in the process.

Buyers have been attracted to the combination of coastal tranquillity, premium design and amenity-rich neighbourhood living. The walkable village setting, along with proximity to three of Sydney’s leading golf courses, New South Wales Golf Club, St Michael’s Golf Club and The Coast Golf Club, has also been a key drawcard.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352689]

Built across two low-rise buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hill-thalis-architecture-urban-projects-pty-ltd">Hill Thalis</a> and set along a lush, landscaped green spine, designed by leading landscape architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, ESTE Little Bay offers a collection of one, two, three and four-bedroom residences with interiors by Richards Stanisich.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> Sales Director, Tom McIvor said the response to ESTE has been "nothing short of extraordinary."

“Buyers have been quick to recognise ESTE as a rare opportunity to invest in a coastal sanctuary that offers both seclusion and connectivity to the heart of Sydney,” McIvor said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352687]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">SRM Residential</a> Senior Director, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">Clayton Ross</a> said the local market has responded incredibly well, driven by ESTE’s exceptional location and the rarity it offers.

“We’ve seen strong interest from a variety of buyer groups, all of whom are drawn to the exclusivity and quality of the build and construction by the 4.5-star iCIRT-rated builder / developer, Urban Property Group. There’s truly nothing else like it along Sydney’s coastline.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352690]

The project also includes robust buyer protections, including Resilience Insurance’s Latent Defects Insurance, providing 10 years of structural cover, and an independent iCIRT-rating of the developer.

“The iCIRT-rating adds another layer of confidence,” Ross added. “Buyers see it as a safeguard for their investment and their lifestyle.” A highlight of ESTE’s offering is its exclusive wellness amenities, including a heated rooftop infinity pool and outdoor heated spa, a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness centre, and a sauna.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a> is topped out and is on track to complete towards the end of 2026, with residents moving in before Christmas.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112343]

Jessie Richardson

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