<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> has lodged plans for a $750 million, three-tower mixed-use precinct that would complete the long-running redevelopment of Carlton's former Carlton United Breweries site.

The proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/185-195-queensberry-street-carlton-vic-3053">46-78 Bouverie Street and 185-195 Queensberry Street</a> spans a 6,468 sqm site, the last remaining undeveloped parcels within the former brewery's 2007 masterplan.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the development will comprise two purpose-built student accommodation towers and a third build-to-sell apartment tower above a shared commercial podium and basement.

Across the three towers, SP Setia is proposing 606 build-to-sell apartments and 1,499 student accommodation units containing 2,009 beds.

The apartments will sit in the tallest tower, which will rise nearly 200m and 55 storeys. It will become&nbsp;one of the more substantial new build-to-sell apartment projects at the northern edge of Melbourne's CBD.

The apartment mix is weighted toward smaller inner-city product, with 188 studios, 206 one-bedroom apartments, 192 two-bedroom apartments and 20 three-bedroom apartments

<img alt="First look: SP Setia plans three-tower finale for Carlton’s former CUB precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8271bc87-1b0a-41b7-ac73-a425ee375261" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/3_2.png?VersionId=G4lw23o90B1boX4k4dj7rdz2ZEajS9wy" />

Part of the precinct will be a large-scale&nbsp;3,684 sqm supermarket and a further 2,198 sqm of speciality retail, creating close to 5,900 sqm of new commercial space within the precinct.

But one of the biggest components of the proposal is what sits between the buildings.

Around 4,650 sqm, or roughly 72 per cent of the site, will be publicly accessible open space, incorporating plazas, pedestrian connections, landscaped laneways and retail spill-out areas.

The ground plane is intended to finally complete pedestrian connections envisaged when the CUB masterplan was first approved nearly two decades ago, stitching together Victoria Street, Queensberry Street, Bouverie Street and Swanston Street through the former brewery precinct.

Urbis said the development would "complete the CUB precinct", with the public realm providing important north-south and east-west connections through what is currently the final undeveloped portion of the masterplanned site.

SP Setia is also exploring a new linear park within the Bouverie Street road reserve, with the concept to be developed further with the City of Melbourne through the planning process.

The proposal is being pursued through the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program under Clause 53.23 for significant residential development with affordable housing.

The planning report acknowledges the proposed heights exceed those contemplated under the original Comprehensive Development Plan and masterplan, but argues the built-form context has changed considerably over the past two decades.

Urbis said the three towers would instead create a stepped transition between Carlton and the Hoddle Grid, rising progressively from the 94.1-metre Tower One along the Queensberry Street edge to the 199.44-metre Tower Three closer to the established CBD-scale buildings to the south.

<img alt="SP Setia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e885a07a-592c-40fc-bf82-e6dbaf32da54" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.52.24%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=7s_ErUkSKAdY1mAWp3GRZgMNCGtwhk5m" />

SP Setia plans to deliver the development across three stages.

Stage One would deliver the basement, podium and retail areas for the entire precinct alongside the first student tower. Tower Two would follow in Stage Two, before the 606-apartment Tower Three is delivered as the final stage.

If approved and delivered, the project would close out a redevelopment process that has been underway since the former brewery masterplan was approved in 2007, adding more than 2,600 student beds and apartments to a precinct already home to Swanston Central, the Barak Building, RMIT Design Hub and several large student accommodation developments.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

SP Setia plans three-tower finale for Carlton’s former CUB precinct

Melbourne developer Lowe Living is seeking to add to its growing bayside apartment pipeline, filing plans for a boutique eight-residence development in tightly held Middle Park.

Lowe Living, which has built much of its development portfolio across Melbourne's affluent bayside and south-east suburbs, is behind the plans for the 730 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/123-125-erskine-street-middle-park-vic-3206">123-125 Erskine Street</a>, just off Armstrong Street and within the Armstrong Street Neighbourhood Activity Centre.

The developer is seeking approval for a five-storey residential building above two basement levels, with just eight large-format apartments and 18 car spaces.

“This is a deliberately very different proposition for us,"&nbsp;Tim Lowe, Co-Founder of Lowe Living, said.

"Eight residences is exceptionally boutique, but that's precisely what this site calls for.

“There is a strong community in Middle Park and the surrounding suburbs who have spent decades building a life here. They no longer want the maintenance of a large period home, but they aren't prepared to compromise on space, quality or location. We think there is a real opportunity to capture that hyper local market. A site like this rarely comes to market.”

<img alt="Lowe " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="875fe572-0f14-4d90-9e11-55b28dd07731" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.42.49%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=GDNQRv9BfpR9r1zkZ5UDyUM4ZvpIksut" />

The low-density proposal has been designed by Cera Stribley and is being progressed through the Victorian Government's Great Design Fast Track pathway, having already secured eligibility from the Minister for Planning.

The Office of the Victorian Government Architect supported its eligibility after finding the proposal demonstrated consistency with the program's seven design principles, while the project's financial feasibility has also been independently confirmed by Invest Victoria.

The project is targeting the downsizer market, with the planning documents describing the homes as larger-format residences and noting the two penthouses could otherwise have been configured as four separate apartments.

<img alt="Lowe 2" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="60ab0987-2da6-4175-adac-315dcf6053c6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.43.15%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=bOCPH0B2MFwlmaRW.TTCF9TzyifgVoQI" />

The site has dual frontage to Erskine Street and Canterbury Place and currently comprises a collection of commercial buildings used as offices, including a former heritage bakehouse, a former stable, a later gabled addition and a central courtyard.

It sits within the Commercial 1 Zone and the Armstrong Street Commercial Precinct heritage overlay, with the existing property classified as a contributory heritage place.

Heritage has subsequently played a significant role in Cera Stribley's design.

The front section of the former bakehouse facing Erskine Street will be retained, including its return walls, street-facing hipped roof and chimneys, while the Erskine Street façade and part of the western return wall of the former stable will also be incorporated into the new development.

Levels four and five will be set back five metres from the retained stable façade, while bricks removed through demolition are proposed to be salvaged and reused within the new building where possible.

<img alt="Lowe 3" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e97927a9-a2de-4a0f-83b6-65451238abfa" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.43.06%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VR44AChLrX9q1XPB9GvVQV.ALXXbe4gC" />

Rather than presenting as a single five-storey building to Erskine Street, Cera Stribley has broken the development into a series of distinct forms.

A three-storey infill element will sit between the retained bakehouse and stable façades, with the upper levels recessed behind the heritage fabric. Canterbury Place will similarly feature two three-storey podium forms, separated by a central pedestrian accessway, before the upper two levels step back from the street.

A pedestrian through-link will run through the centre of the project between Erskine Street and Canterbury Place, creating entrances from both sides of the site and introducing landscaping and communal areas through the ground plane.

Landscape architect Acre has designed planting across the ground level, private terraces and upper levels, including a feature canopy tree at level three and integrated planting and arbours across the level four terraces. Five existing Erskine Street trees are proposed to be retained.

Sustainability is also a significant component of the Great Design Fast Track application. The apartments are targeting an average eight-star NatHERS rating, with no residence below 6.5 stars, while the project has achieved a 75 per cent BESS score. Seven of the eight apartments are designed for cross-ventilation, with the remaining residence using mechanically assisted natural ventilation.

The plans also incorporate an 8kWp rooftop solar system, a 5,000-litre rainwater tank and infrastructure allowing future electric vehicle charging for every residence.

Lowe has a strong portfolio across Melbourne's blue-chip suburbs. They recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/jardin-house-by-lowe-living-camberwell-335-camberwell-road-camberwell-vic-3124">Jardin House by Lowe Living</a> in Camberwell, their first development in the Stonnington LGA.

Lowe Living unveils Middle Park apartment development

Article summary

<ul data-end="888" data-start="289">
	<li data-end="442" data-section-id="8tsh6o" data-start="289">DVB Projects is preparing to launch its second Gold Coast apartment development, with demolition now underway at 137 Old Burleigh Road, Broadbeach.</li>
	<li data-end="573" data-section-id="1nyxl3e" data-start="443">The 34-level tower will comprise just 49 ultra-luxury residences, including half-floor, full-floor and penthouse apartments.</li>
	<li data-end="717" data-section-id="oiyimj" data-start="574">The launch follows strong demand at DVB's nearby Sea Glass project, which is more than 50 per cent sold and currently under construction.</li>
	<li data-end="888" data-section-id="epk9o9" data-start="718">The development adds to the transformation of Old Burleigh Road, with premium beachfront apartment projects continuing to reshape the tightly held Broadbeach strip.</li>
</ul>

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/dvb-projects">DVB Projects</a> is preparing to launch its second Gold Coast apartment development, with demolition now underway on the Broadbeach site as the Sydney developer moves closer to bringing the ultra-luxury project to market.

The 34-level tower at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/137-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">137 Old Burleigh Road</a> will comprise just 49 residences, ranging from half-floor apartments through to full-floor homes and a penthouse. The launch follows the strong sales performance of DVB's nearby Sea Glass development. More than half of the apartments at Sea Glass, on the other side of Broadbeach, have been snapped up, well ahead of its late 2027 completion

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2944b4be-c84e-4b54-8dc1-c712e76704c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/E02_Exterior_Street%20Level%20Entrance.jpg?VersionId=YoNig7pRdrE3HCue7sUj78LzJteeQf3H" />

The start of demolition at 137 Old Burleigh Road signals DVB Projects’ underlying confidence in the Gold Coast’s luxury beachside apartment sector.

“We see the Gold Coast as one of the most compelling lifestyle markets in Australia, particularly at the premium end where demand continues to deepen,” said Dean Brown, Managing Director of DVB.&nbsp;

“This project has been carefully designed to respond to that demand - delivering large-format residences with a level of quality, privacy and amenity that is still relatively rare in the apartment market on the beachside."

Brown says the site itself is "exceptional."

"Old Burleigh Road is one of the most tightly held beachfront strips, and opportunities to deliver a project of this scale and calibre in this location are extremely limited.”

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="398f377a-c037-455e-9250-0c5e0d84c35b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/I12_FF%20Balcony.jpg?VersionId=NwOiRWGMubR1c8wthuEfggklcja7al9." />

The project will comprise 40 half-floor residences of approximately 260 sqm, alongside eight full-floor residences spanning around 524 sqm.

A single penthouse will crown the building, featuring a private pool, barbecue area, indoor gym and dedicated entertaining spaces.

Residents will have access to a resort-style suite of amenities, including a 20-metre pool with daybeds, a gymnasium, hot and cold plunge pools, a sauna, and private residents’ lounge and dining facilities.

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1642bb0-9a66-4427-a022-dfc0988c6287" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/A02_Pool%20to%20View.jpg?VersionId=c0IXPyn_Gp_Kn3XCwzMrqIVkAdCEwVXP" />

Sales agent Todd Matheson, of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/pezet-matheson">Pezet Matheson</a>, which is marketing both 137 Old Burleigh Road and Sea Glass, said 137 Old Burleigh Road would address a clear gap in the market for genuine luxury products.

“There are very few opportunities on the Gold Coast where buyers can secure a residence of this size and quality in a new building,” Matheson said.

“What we’re seeing is a growing cohort of downsizers and interstate buyers who still want space - they’re not willing to compromise on living area, entertaining or finishes.

“This project has been designed with that buyer in mind. It offers the scale of a home, combined with the convenience and security of apartment living, in one of the coast’s most desirable positions.”

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="59aae0ca-5639-4320-8aca-d0bf60f48e43" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/E01_Exterior%20Hero.jpg?VersionId=DS8Zfy2WtgUEtdfe0TEUuf1W1GfcZq8S" />

Located on a 1,156 sqm site one block from the beachfront, the development will replace an ageing walk-up building and is expected to contribute to the ongoing transformation of the Old Burleigh Road strip into one of the Gold Coast’s most prestigious residential corridors.

With the development moving into the delivery phase, 137 Old Burleigh Road is slated to hit the market later this year.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=145141]

DVB Projects to launch second Broadbeach apartment tower as demolition commences

<a data-end="327" data-is-only-node="" data-start="250" href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/norus-projects" rel="noopener" target="_new">Norus Developments</a> has lodged plans for a new apartment development in Clayton that would add further momentum to the suburb's emerging Green Street corridor.

Plans have been lodged for the consolidated site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/1359-1365-centre-road-clayton-vic-3168">1359-1365 Centre Road</a>, where Norus is seeking approval for 218 apartments across a 12-storey apartment building designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/life-architecture-and-urban-design">Life Architecture</a>.

The proposal sits within the Clayton Major Activity Centre at the threshold of the planned Green Street corridor, a landscaped pedestrian connection intended to improve links through the precinct towards Clayton Railway Station.

The development would replace the site's existing collection of low-scale residential and commercial buildings with a single consolidated building, introducing significantly greater housing density to this part of Centre Road.

A retail tenancy is proposed at ground level to activate the Centre Road frontage, accompanied by transparent street interfaces and landscaping intended to create a more pedestrian-focused edge to the development.

<img alt="First look: Norus Developments plans landscape-led apartment project for Clayton’s emerging Green Street" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0a5a763a-d9e9-4253-af2f-88008de27ebf" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Clayton%20a.png?VersionId=S2WJJbat1XVkZwB9SnYtygirXgWHiklX" />

The building has been designed with stepped massing and upper-level setbacks to manage its transition towards surrounding residential properties. The planning report describes the approach as one that integrates the building into the landscape rather than treating landscaping as a secondary element.

"A strong landscape and public realm strategy underpins the proposal," Urbis states in the planning report.

"Public benefits include an affordable housing contribution, a new pocket park, generous landscaped setbacks, deep soil planting and integrated Water Sensitive Urban Design."

The report adds that these elements are intended to create "a permeable, pedestrian-focused ground plane that enhances walkability, supports urban cooling and reinforces the emerging Green Street character."

Biophilic and passive design principles extend through the residential levels, with planting, daylight, natural ventilation and views towards landscaped areas forming part of the amenity strategy.

Parking would be concentrated away from the public realm, with 145 car spaces proposed from the rear laneway rather than dominating the Centre Road frontage.

The proposal follows an extensive pre-application process with the City of Monash. Three formal meetings were held between the project team and Council from December 2025 to March 2026, with the scheme evolving through several concept iterations before the current design was lodged.

The project arrives as Clayton prepares for substantial change around its established activity centre and the wider Suburban Rail Loop precinct. Its position on Centre Road places the development within an existing concentration of shops, services and public transport, while the Green Street connection is intended to strengthen pedestrian access towards Clayton Railway Station.

First look: Norus plans landscape-led apartment project for Clayton’s emerging Green Street

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gardner-vaughan-group">Gardner Vaughan Group</a> has officially commenced construction on Bronze on Chevron, celebrating the sod turning of its first-ever Gold Coast development and marking a significant milestone in the company's continued expansion across South East Queensland.&nbsp;

Following the successful delivery of premium residential developments throughout Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bronze-on-chevron-8-mawarra-street-chevron-island-qld-4217">Bronze on Chevron</a> represents Gardner Vaughan Group's entry into the Gold Coast market. Bronze will deliver 119 one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments above two ground-level retail tenancies.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=107520 project_image_fid=367193]

The recent sod turning ceremony was attended by Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel, President of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club, Cassandra Sedgman, project consultants, purchasers, project partners and invited guests to celebrate the commencement of construction.&nbsp;

Gardner Vaughan Group Chief Executive Officer Simon Betteridge said Bronze on Chevron represented an exciting new chapter for the business.&nbsp;

"We've spent almost four decades building homes that respond to the way people want to live, and we're excited to bring that experience to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/chevron-island-qld-4217">Chevron Island</a>," Betteridge said.

"Bronze on Chevron is particularly significant because it marks Gardner Vaughan Group's first development on the Gold Coast following many successful projects across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=107520 project_image_fid=367183]

Betteridge said the ground breaking is a proud moment for the&nbsp;team and their purchasers, who can now see their future homes beginning to take shape.&nbsp;

"As both developer and builder, we're able to oversee every aspect of the project from design through to construction, ensuring the quality and attention to detail Gardner Vaughan Group has become renowned for."&nbsp;

Designed by acclaimed architectural practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cottee-parker-architects">Cottee Parker</a>, Bronze on Chevron has been thoughtfully designed to complement Chevron Island's evolving streetscape while embracing its relaxed coastal lifestyle.

The development will offer generous residences with refined interiors, premium finishes and resort-style amenities, with completion anticipated in early 2029.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=107520]

The development will offer generous residences with refined interiors, premium finishes and resort-style amenities, with completion anticipated in early 2029

Gardner Vaughan Group breaks ground on first Gold Coast development, Bronze on Chevron

Sydney’s property market is known for high prices, competitive bidding, and mounting pressure on first home buyers. But change is on the horizon.

From late 2025, eligible first home buyers in New South Wales will have access to a new federal government initiative aimed at addressing affordability: the Help to Buy Scheme.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the Help to Buy Scheme?</h2>

The program introduces a shared equity model intended to reduce the upfront cost of entering the property market, particularly in high-demand urban areas such as Sydney.

The scheme operates under a shared ownership structure in which the federal government takes an equity stake of up to 40 per cent for new homes, or 30 per cent for existing dwellings. This arrangement allows eligible buyers to significantly reduce their loan size and avoid the added cost of Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).

Under this model, purchasers can enter the property market with as little as a two per cent deposit, well below the traditional 10 to 20 per cent usually required. The government’s contribution is not a loan but a co-ownership stake in the property. As such, there is no interest or rent charged on its portion.

Because the government’s equity combined with the buyer’s deposit typically meets or exceeds the 20 per cent threshold, LMI does not apply. The remaining balance, generally between 60 and 70 per cent of the property’s value, is financed through a standard home loan with a participating lender.

The government's equity in the property remains in place until the buyer chooses to repay it voluntarily or until the property is sold. Buyers can buy back the government’s share over time, in increments of at least five per cent, depending on their financial situation.

There is no fixed repayment timeline, but the amount to be repaid will be based on the property's market value at the time of repayment, not the original purchase price.

<h2>How do you qualify for the&nbsp;Help to Buy Scheme?</h2>

To qualify for the Help to Buy Scheme, applicants must meet the following conditions:

<ul>
	<li>Be an Australian citizen at least 18 years of age.</li>
	<li>Be a first-home buyer who does not currently own property.</li>
	<li>Intend to live in the property as their primary residence.</li>
	<li>Earn less than $100,000 per year for individuals, or $160,000 for couples.</li>
	<li>Purchase a property within the regional price caps, currently $950,000 in Sydney, though this is expected to rise to approximately $1.3 million ahead of the program’s launch.</li>
</ul>

While the Help to Buy Scheme does not solve affordability challenges across the board, it does offer a more accessible pathway for a defined segment of the market, particularly younger buyers with moderate incomes who have been priced out of traditional lending routes.

The scheme is expected to commence in NSW in late 2025, as part of a national rollout.

Under the new model, purchasers can enter the property market with as little as a two per cent deposit, well below the traditional 10 to 20 per cent usually required

Help to Buy Scheme: What first home buyers in NSW need to know

The First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) is a government initiative designed to help eligible first-time home buyers by offering financial assistance towards the purchase or construction of a new home.

While the FHOG is a nationwide program, it is administered separately by each state and territory, meaning the eligibility criteria, grant amounts, and property requirements can vary depending on your location. This means that the amount available and the conditions attached to the grant will differ, so it is important to check the specific guidelines for your state or territory.

It’s important to note that the FHOG is just one of several incentives available to first home buyers. In most states and territories, the grant is not linked to stamp duty exemptions or concessions, with the exception of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The FHOG is typically a one-off payment, reducing the overall cost of purchasing or building a new home before any stamp duty concessions are applied.

Below, we provide a breakdown of the First Home Owner Grants available across Australia, outlining the specific details for each state and territory.

<h2>New South Wales First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Offers a $10,000 grant for new homes valued up to $600,000. For land purchases and owner-builders, the threshold extends to $750,000.

Stamp Duty Benefits: Provides full stamp duty exemption for homes valued up to $800,000, with concessions available for properties up to $1 million.

<h2>Victoria South Wales First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Provides a $10,000 grant for first-home buyers purchasing or building new homes valued up to $750,000.

Stamp Duty Benefits: Offers full stamp duty exemption for properties up to $600,000, with concessions available up to $750,000.

<h2>Queensland First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Offers $30,000 for contracts signed between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2025. The FHOG applies to new homes valued up to $750,000.

Stamp Duty Concessions: Provides additional concessions for properties valued up to $800,000.

<h2>Western Australia First Home Owner Grant</h2>

&nbsp;

First Home Owner Grant: Offers a $10,000 grant for new homes valued up to $750,000 in the southern regions and up to $1 million in the northern regions.

Stamp Duty Concessions: Available for homes valued up to $600,000 for transactions entered into on or after 9 May 2024.

<h2>Australian Capital Territory First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Replaced by the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, offering full stamp duty concessions for eligible buyers.

<h2>South Australia First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Provides up to $15,000 for new homes, including houses, apartments, and townhouses. As of 6 June 2024, there is no property value cap for eligibility.

Stamp Duty Relief: Available for new homes and vacant land purchases.

<h2>Tasmania First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: Offers a $10,000 grant for new homes and off the plan purchases.

Stamp Duty Exemption: Between 18 February 2024 and 30 June 2026, first home buyers of established homes valued up to $750,000 receive a full exemption on property transfer duty.

<h2>Northern Territory First Home Owner Grant</h2>

First Home Owner Grant: The Northern Territory provides a $10,000 grant for new homes only. Additional government grants and concessions are available for first home buyers.

Stamp Duty Exemption: The only stamp duty exemption available to property buyers is the House and Land Package Exemption (HLPE).

Eligibility criteria and application processes differ across states. Prospective buyers should refer to their respective state revenue offices for full details on grant availability, conditions, and additional concessions.

Every First Home Owner Grant for new property by state

In the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable architecture and environmentally conscious design, systems and ratings in place can help determine the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Australia.

Australia has multiple building rating systems that evaluate energy efficiency and sustainability in existing and new building designs.

Some systems assess individual building components, while others provide an overall rating for the entire structure.

A rating system ensures that homes are comfortable and energy-efficient, whether you are buying, renovating, or building.

NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) is a common way for new homes to meet energy efficiency requirements.

As new developments continue to shape the urban environment, understanding NatHERS ratings becomes essential for developers and homeowners. This article delves into the concept of NatHERS ratings, their significance, and how they contribute to creating energy-efficient homes.

<h2>What is NatHERS?</h2>

NatHERS is a national initiative implemented by the Australian government to promote energy efficiency in residential buildings. The scheme aims to provide a standardised method for assessing the thermal performance of homes, considering factors such as insulation, orientation, ventilation, and building materials.&nbsp;

NatHERS ratings are the most common way new homes meet the National Construction Code's (NCC's) minimum energy efficiency requirements.&nbsp;

NatHERS assessments provide thermal and whole-home ratings for new homes, townhouses, and apartments.

The rating helps evaluate the energy performance of buildings, guides homeowners and developers to make informed decisions about the energy efficiency of their properties, and encourages the construction of more sustainable, comfortable, and cost-effective homes.

<h2>How NatHERS Ratings Work</h2>

NatHERS ratings are determined through four accredited software tools (AccuRate, BERS Pro, FirstRate5, HERO) using a calculation engine CSIRO developed to predict building temperature based on various factors.

The tools can model complex effects of building mass, insulation, window size, and other elements.

The outcome is a star rating that reflects the building's overall thermal efficiency, indicating how well it can maintain a comfortable indoor temperature without excessive reliance on heating or cooling systems.

The star rating scale ranges from 0 to 10, with a 6-star rating being the minimum requirement for compliance with the National Construction Code (NCC).&nbsp;

Achieving a higher star rating demonstrates a commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability, as the building is better equipped to minimise its environmental impact and reduce long-term energy costs.

Anyone can use NatHERS tools, but accredited assessors can provide certified ratings and professional advice.

<h2>Benefits of Higher NatHERS Ratings</h2>

Energy Efficiency: Buildings with higher NatHERS ratings are more energy-efficient, requiring less heating and cooling energy. This reduces the structure's carbon footprint and lowers occupants' energy bills.

Cost Savings: Homes with higher NatHERS ratings are generally more energy-efficient, resulting in reduced energy consumption for heating and cooling. This translates to lower energy bills for homeowners, making sustainable living environmentally friendly and economically viable in the long run.

Environmental Impact: Lower energy consumption directly translates to a reduced environmental impact. Buildings with higher NatHERS ratings contribute to the overall goal of mitigating climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and cooling systems.

Improved Comfort: Buildings with high NatHERS ratings offer better thermal comfort to occupants. Proper insulation, well-designed ventilation, and optimal orientation maintain a consistent and comfortable indoor temperature, providing occupants with a more enjoyable and healthier space.

Market Value and Desirability: Higher NatHERS ratings can enhance the market value of a property. As energy efficiency becomes a more significant consideration for homebuyers, a well-rated building may attract a premium price and stand out in the real estate market.

Compliance with Building Codes: NatHERS ratings are a vital component of the National Construction Code (NCC), and compliance with these ratings is often a mandatory requirement for new developments. Local councils and planning authorities may set minimum energy efficiency standards that must be met to obtain development approval.

The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is a crucial initiative shaping the future of energy-efficient, resilient, and cost-effective homes. With its recent upgrades, NatHERS has evolved into a world-leading tool for the building sector, supporting the global commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Staff Writer

What is a NatHERS rating in new off the plan apartment developments?

Mixed-use developments have gained significant popularity across Australia in recent years due to their unique blend of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces.

Unlike traditional single-purpose developments, mixed-use projects offer a harmonious integration of various functions within a single locale.

Residential units seamlessly coexist with commercial establishments, retail outlets, dining venues, entertainment hubs, and recreational facilities, with the combination not only enhances convenience but also fosters a vibrant lifestyle and a sense of community.

<h3>Convenience and accessibility</h3>

Mixed-use developments are designed with convenience in mind. They often integrate residential units with commercial spaces, retail outlets, restaurants, and recreational facilities, creating a self-contained community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114215 project_image_fid=204874]

The proximity allows residents to enjoy the convenience of having essential amenities and services within walking distance. Whether it's grabbing a cup of coffee, going grocery shopping, or accessing healthcare services, everything is conveniently located, saving residents time and effort.

<h3>Vibrant lifestyle and community</h3>

One of the major advantages of mixed-use developments is the vibrant lifestyle they offer. With a diverse range of amenities and communal spaces, residents have ample opportunities to interact, socialise, and build a sense of community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=107714 project_image_fid=214122]

The presence of parks, community centres, and shared spaces fosters a lively atmosphere, encouraging residents to engage in various activities and events. The vibrant lifestyle within these developments creates a unique sense of belonging and camaraderie among the residents.

<h3>Potential for higher rental yields and property value appreciation</h3>

Mixed-use developments tend to attract a broad range of tenants and buyers due to their versatile nature. This high demand can result in higher rental yields for investors and potentially lead to property value appreciation over time.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=139989 project_image_fid=212887]

The integration of commercial and retail spaces attracts businesses, which can provide a stable rental income stream. Additionally, the popularity of mixed-use developments often drives up property values, making them a potentially lucrative investment in the long term.

<h3>Enhanced security and maintenance</h3>

Mixed-use developments typically have comprehensive security measures in place. With controlled access points, CCTV surveillance, and professional security staff, residents can enjoy enhanced safety and peace of mind.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108019 project_image_fid=212658]

Additionally, these developments often have dedicated maintenance teams responsible for the upkeep of common areas, landscaping, and infrastructure. This ensures that the overall appearance and functionality of the development are well-maintained, creating a pleasant living environment for residents.

<h3>Live-work-play balance</h3>

One of the key attractions of mixed-use developments is the ability to achieve a desirable live-work-play balance. The integration of residential and commercial spaces allows residents to live closer to their workplaces, reducing commuting time and improving work-life balance.

The proximity to various amenities and recreational facilities encourages an active and healthy lifestyle. Residents can easily access fitness centres, parks, restaurants, and entertainment options, all within the same development, leading to a more fulfilling and convenient way of life.

alisonwarters@gmail.com

The top five reasons to buy in a mixed-use development

When buying a property, everyone needs to be aware of the additional costs that come as part of the buying process.

Often the largest outlay, after the deposit which goes to the bank, is stamp duty.

<h2 style="line-height: 1.38;">What is Stamp Duty?</h2>

Stamp duty is an extra tax to pay the government when you buy land, a property, and other certain assets.

It happens when the legal ownership is transferred. It can also be known as property transfer duty or transfer duty.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C32BWkB5--c" title="YouTube video player" width="660"></iframe>

<h2>Who pays Stamp Duty?</h2>

In some circumstances, you may get an exemption. For some states, you won’t have to pay for stamp duty if you are a first home buyer or a pensioner for houses under a particular price. There are also stamp duty concessions, where you may be entitled to a discount.

<h2>How much does Stamp Duty cost?</h2>

Each state has different rules which affect how much you need to pay. These rules can affect the rate you pay, and the timeframe you will need to pay in. Before you buy land or a property, make sure you check the up-to-date information for your state’s stamp duty.

You can use a free stamp duty calculator online to see approximately how much you’ll need to pay. Find out if you’re eligible for an exemption by enquiring on a project via Urban!

Overall, the stamp duty you need to pay will depend on:

<ul>
	<li aria-level="1">How much your land/property is worth</li>
	<li aria-level="1">Where your land/property is located</li>
	<li aria-level="1">What type of land/property it is</li>
</ul>

Want to find out more? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@UrbanAustralia?utm_source=YouTube&amp;utm_medium=Video&amp;utm_campaign=Subscribe&amp;utm_id=Subscribe">Subscribe to our YouTube channel</a> for more property videos.

Ellen Walker

Off-the-plan property explained: What is stamp duty?

Australia Post is one of the country’s most trusted institutions, powering one of the largest delivery networks in Australia. As online shopping continues to scale, Australians spent a record $82.6 billion online in 2025, with nearly one in four retail dollars now spent online.

That scale of eCommerce activity has fundamentally changed expectations around how and when parcels arrive, and what happens when someone isn't home.

<h3>Problem solved with Parcel Lockers</h3>

The traditional alternatives to home delivery are far from ideal. Buildings can rely on reception teams to manage deliveries, which introduces ongoing staffing costs and liability concerns. Parcels can be left in common areas, which creates security and aesthetic issues. Or residents are redirected to nearby Post Offices for collection, which shifts the inconvenience rather than solving it.

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The data behind that frustration is significant. Nationally, around 9 per cent of deliveries are carded, meaning the recipient was not home and must collect the parcel from a Post Office. That figure reflects the national average reported between November 2025 and January 2026. In Melbourne, that figure rises to 20 per cent. In high-density living, it climbs again to 28 per cent. In other words, more than one in four deliveries in Melbourne apartment buildings results in a failed first attempt.

<h3>How Parcel Lockers work</h3>

The mechanics are simple. When a parcel arrives, the resident receives a notification either through the Australia Post app or via SMS. They scan a QR code, use their one-time PIN and the compartment opens. The parcel is secure, accessible and removed from the lobby floor.

Located in thoughtfully chosen, easily accessible areas, including external building interfaces, mixed-use precincts or shared communal zones, Parcel Lockers enhance convenience without requiring internal building access or additional operational oversight.

<h3>The scale of the network</h3>

This expansion represents Australia Post's largest investment in parcel infrastructure to date, building on momentum that began in 2011 when the first 24 Parcel Locker sites were introduced.

Today the Australia Post Parcel Locker network spans over 1,400 locations and more than 105,000 individual compartments, with major investment already underway to significantly expand the network further.

<h3>What it means for developers and building operators</h3>

A Parcel Locker bank is free to install and free for residents to use. That removes one of the primary barriers to adoption and shifts the conversation from cost to integration.

Australia Post's preference is to engage with developers during the design phase. That allows Parcel Lockers to be located in a considered, publicly accessible space that works for residents and the broader community. Retrofit is possible, and existing buildings can be assessed, but the strongest results occur when Parcel Lockers are treated as part of the core services plan rather than a bolt-on solution.

While the iconic Australia Post red is widely recognised, Parcel Lockers can also be delivered in more muted palettes such as beige or green to align with architectural intent.

For developers, they offer a tech-forward amenity that meets modern expectations, a reduction in courier congestion and building-management load supporting lower emissions and better ESG outcomes, and a meaningful marketability advantage in high-density, eCommerce-active areas, all at no cost for installation and maintenance, with Australia Post funding the program aside from power access.

<h3>Who's using them</h3>

Generational shopping behaviours show strong, sustained growth across all cohorts. Millennials (27–43) led online spend in 2024, contributing nearly $25 billion. Baby Boomers (60–78) increased their online spend by 17.6 per cent, becoming the fastest-growing adopters. Gen Z (13–26) and Gen X (44–59) continue to lean on delivery services as part of their everyday shopping habits.

Internationally, uptake is even more pronounced. Overseas markets are seeing rapid adoption by both developers and consumers, positioning Parcel Lockers as standard infrastructure in many new residential projects. For Melbourne's development community, this signals a shift in baseline expectations. Just as secure bike storage and dedicated parcel rooms have become more common, integrated Parcel Locker networks may soon be viewed as part of the essential service mix.

<h3>The bigger picture</h3>

Parcel Lockers aren't just a logistics fix. Developers invest heavily in lobby design, materials, lighting and landscaping to shape first impressions. Yet a stack of unattended parcels can undo that effort in an instant. Embedding parcel infrastructure early allows projects to respond to how people actually live today, supporting resident satisfaction, reducing operational strain and aligning with broader community and ESG outcomes.

As Belinda Quinn, Senior Transaction Manager – Retail &amp; Out of Home at Australia Post, puts it, residents increasingly expect delivery solutions that align with real life, are flexible, secure and available whenever they need them.

How Australia Post is solving the parcel problem for apartment living

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The Sydney Opera House celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. This Australian icon was, of course, designed by Danish architect <a href="https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/the_architect.aspx">Jørn Utzon</a>, as a result of an international design competition held at a time when many Australians still looked to the northern hemisphere for stylistic guidance and direction; a time when we imported European or American culture.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/sydney-nov-1-one.jpg" alt="sydney-nov-1-one" style="font-size: 0.8em; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" height="230" width="400">
Photo: stock image
Some 40 years on, we are now exporting culture and Australian architects are designing iconic buildings in other parts of the world, such as the <a href="https://populous.com/profile/rsheard/">2012 London Olympic Park and Stadium</a>, and the <a href="https://www.ptw.com.au/ptw_project/watercube-national-swimming-centre/">Beijing National Aquatics Centre (the Water Cube)</a>.
So is there a unique Australian “style” and, if so, where did it come from?
A backwards glance
In 1788, when British settlers first started arriving in Australia, <a href="https://www.vernaculararchitecture.com/">vernacular</a> Australian architecture (based on localised needs and construction materials) consisted of nomadic shelters, designed and built by indigenous Australians.<img src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33655/width668/7s324jhv-1382581252.jpg" style="font-size: 0.8em; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400">
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Due to the significant numbers of architects who subsequently moved from England to Australia to join the British colonies, 19th-century Australian architecture quickly changed to be largely Eurocentric in focus.<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/450px-Royal_Exhibition_Building_inside1.jpg" alt="450px-Royal_Exhibition_Building_inside1" style="font-size: 0.8em; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" height="534" width="400">
Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition building, built between 1878 and 1880. Wikimedia Commons
During the 20th century, however, buildings started to adapt to respond to Australia’s unique climatic conditions, which offer year-round access to the outdoors. The influence of America saw families seeking to own freestanding houses with backyards, to satisfy their increasing desire to fulfil the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Dream">Australian Dream</a>”.
In the late 20th century, as Australia started to become more multicultural, derivative designs began to be replaced with imported exotic styles, especially those of South-East Asian influence. Freestanding houses started to be replaced with semi-detached and <a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/residential-architecture-multiple/">high density housing</a>, as urban precincts started to develop.
Challenge accepted
Australian architects are now responding to the unprecedented 21st-century challenges of population growth, preservation of the environment and the threats of climate change.
As architects continue to shape urban precincts and their supporting infrastructure, the design of public space has now importantly changed focus to preserving the quality of both the built and natural environments. The sensitive relationship between buildings and the Australian landscape that hosts them is of critical importance, and something for which we are becoming internationally recognised.
While much of the industrialised world has been in recession for the past few years, Australia’s economy has grown, as have neighbouring Asian economies.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/Chinas_National_Aquatics_Centre.jpg" alt="Chinas_National_Aquatics_Centre" style="font-size: 0.8em; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" height="231" width="400">
China’s National Aquatics Centre, also known as the ‘Water Cube’, was designed by Australian architects. Wikimedia Commons
Currently, Australia has seven of the <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/330759/">largest 100 architecture practices</a> in the world: <a href="https://www.woodsbagot.com/">Woods Bagot</a>, <a href="https://www.hassellstudio.com/">Hassell</a>, <a href="https://www.coxarchitecture.com.au/">Cox Architecture</a>, <a href="https://www.hboemtb.com/">HBO + EMTB</a>, <a href="https://www.ghd.com/australia/">GHD</a>, <a href="https://www.hamessharley.com.au/">Hames Sharley</a>, and <a href="https://thomsonadsett.com/">Thomson Adsett Architects</a>.
For most of these large practices, income from international projects is actually more than the income generated by domestic projects. Across the whole architectural sector the figure for international income is nearer to 10%, but it is clear that we are now exporting much of our talent, skill and cultural expertise rather than importing it.
The architectural Oscars
So how does Australia compare, architecturally, with the rest of the world? How have we fared in international awards, prizes and festivals such as the prestigious <a href="https://goo.gl/lUrd9f">Pritzker Architecture Prize</a>, the <a href="https://goo.gl/usu9Kk">World Architecture Festival</a>, and the <a href="https://goo.gl/fgP3Fh">Venice Architecture Biennale</a>?
There is just one Pritzker Architecture Prize <a href="https://www.pritzkerprize.com/about/purpose">awarded annually</a> to: honour a living architect/s whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.
<blockquote>
<img src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/jamberoo_0000_11.jpg-one.jpg" alt="jamberoo_0000_11.jpg-one" style="font-size: 0.8em; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" height="194" width="400">
The long Glenn Murcutt-designed Fredericks/<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/the-long-glenn-murcutt-designed-fredericks/white-house-in-jamberoo-listed/2013091264996" target="_blank">White House</a> in Jamberoo
</blockquote>
There has been one Australian recipient of the Pritzker prize in its 35-year existence: <a href="https://www.ozetecture.org/2012/glenn-murcutt/">Glenn Murcutt AO</a> in 2002. His award was based on a career that focused largely on designing houses that responded directly to unique Australian conditions.
Indeed, the period of Murcutt’s foundational work in the latter part of last century coincided with growing international recognition of Australian architecture.
Glenn Murcutt grew up in Papua New Guinea, where he developed an appreciation for simple vernacular architecture and a relationship with nature. He practised sustainability long before it became an architectural buzzword. His design philosophy, <a href="https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/profile/glenn_murcutt-ao">“touch the earth lightly”</a>, motivates him to design in response to environmental factors, using locally-sourced materials and to sensitively fit into the Australian landscape.
<figure class="align-centre"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/walshhouse_0000_1.jpg-one.jpg" alt="walshhouse_0000_1.jpg-one" height="243" width="400"><figcaption>A Glenn Murcutt-designed home in Kangaroo Valley – <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/glenn-murcutt-designed-trophy-home-in-kangaroo-valley-listed-trophyhome/2013061362046" target="_blank">The Walsh House</a> </figcaption></figure>This sensitive attitude to the environment and our tin and timber tradition – a history of functional sheds and beach houses – gained Australia international attention.
Now Australian architects are bringing that same sensitive attitude to larger projects in many parts of the world.
International attention
The <a href="https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/">World Architecture Festival</a> is an annual program of awards, jury critiques, and international speakers, all celebrating the best architecture of the past year. It was first held in 2008 in Barcelona but for the past two years has been in <a href="https://goo.gl/Yu1gLY">Singapore</a>.
This annual get-together brings more than 2,000 architects from all over the globe, and exhibits short-listed projects from more than 40 nations to compete for awards in 16 built project categories and 11 future project categories.
In 2013, Australian architects achieved unprecedented levels of success in the World Architecture Festival <a href="https://goo.gl/sN7fJ1">awards program</a>, winning the categories of Culture, House, Transport, Future Infrastructure and Competition Entries.
<figure class="align-centre"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/800px-Auckland_Art_Gallery_-_Extension.jpg" alt="800px-Auckland_Art_Gallery_-_Extension" height="225" width="400"><figcaption>Toi o Tamaki in Auckland, New Zealand won the 2012 RIBA International Award for architectural excellence and the 2013 World Architecture Festival Building of the Year Award. </figcaption></figure>Australian architects also won three of the highest awards. It is also worth noting that two of the three winning projects are outside of Australia:
<ul>
<li>
World building of the year: Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tamaki, New Zealand by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorpe with New Zealand architects Archimedia.
</li>
<li>
Future project of the year: the <a href="https://www.archichannel.com/project/national-maritime-museum-of-china/#link">National Maritime Museum of China</a>, by Cox Architecture
</li>
<li>
Landscape category: The Australian Garden, Australia, by Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Paul Thompson.
</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/images/stories/2013/11/01/800px-RedSandGarden-Pano-RBG-CranbourneVIC.jpg" alt="800px-RedSandGarden-Pano-RBG-CranbourneVIC" height="128" width="400"><figcaption>The Australian Garden, Australia, by Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Paul Thompson.</figcaption></figure>Of the <a href="https://www.tcl.net.au/projects/cultural-interpretative/australian-garden">Landscape category winner</a>, the judges noted that the project “stood out with its originality and strong evocation of Australian identity”.
Of the <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/439260/the-left-over-space-house-cox-rayner-architects/">House</a> category winner, a delightful little timber home in Brisbane, they noted “a realness and authenticity to the spirit of the house”.
It seems, then, that there is definitely an identifiable Australian design identity, something for which we can be recognised and rewarded.
Australian architecture has also been recognised at the <a href="https://goo.gl/aeBVHP">Venice Architecture Biennale</a>. The Biennale is a showcase of cutting-edge contemporary architecture and architectural thinking, through the exhibitions by invited architects, and through the self-curated <a href="https://goo.gl/L8dYjL">national pavilions</a>.
<figure class="align-centre zoomable"><a href="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33476/area14mp/22tbqmqp-1382441475.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33476/width668/22tbqmqp-1382441475.jpg" width="400"></a> <figcaption>Entrance to the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Dr. Philip Crowther</figcaption></figure>Australia is one of only 30 nations to exhibit in its own pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. We have done so in a temporary pavilion since 1988, but a new permanent pavilion has been designed by Australian firm <a href="https://www.dentoncorkermarshall.com/">Denton Corker Marshall</a> and will be built soon. The pavilion typically attracts around 90,000 visitors during the Venice Architecture Biennale.
<figure class="align-centre zoomable"><a href="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33478/area14mp/m6nq3qqp-1382441721.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33478/width668/m6nq3qqp-1382441721.jpg" width="400"></a> <figcaption>Interior of the Australian Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. Dr. Philip Crowther
 <a style="font-size: 0.8em;" href="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33480/area14mp/vsjjhqzq-1382441779.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/33480/width668/vsjjhqzq-1382441779.jpg" width="400"></a>
</figcaption></figure><figure class="align-centre zoomable"><figcaption>Facade of the Australian Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. Dr. Philip Crowther</figcaption></figure>Global shifts
Perhaps our rough-and-tumble early colonial heritage has served us well in developing a resilient approach to the rapidly changing global environment.
Free of the European notion of heritage and the constraints of ancient cities filled with historic buildings, we have engaged with a greater diversity of perspectives, from Australia’s 40,000 year indigenous history, through a sensitivity to the environment, to the realisation that we are part of a 21st-century Asia.
We are no longer operating on the distant fringes of Europe or America, but now firmly at the centre of a global shift in both economic and cultural perspectives.
 


<hr>
Philip Crowther is head of discipline of architecture at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.qut.edu.au/?">Queensland Universtiy of Technology</a>.
Lindy Osborne is senior lecturer in architecture at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.qut.edu.au/?">Queensland University of Technology</a>.
This article was originally published at <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. <img alt="The Conversation" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/19308/count.gif" style="font-size: 0.8em;" height="1" width="1">
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Building a nation: the state of play in Australian architecture

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Ivanhoe resident Karen Zapulla’s home has been a regular fixture during the Ivanhoe Christmas Light-up. Through the years, she has loved putting up Christmas lights to spread the joy.
A mainstay on the Zapullas’ lawn is a giant blow-up Santa. Children seem to know to look out for it – many wanted to enter the Zapullas’ front porch just to have a photo with Santa.
Karen warns against giving out lollies if you don’t want a barrage of people on your front lawn.
“You can’t have a thousand people coming to your property. If you say ‘yes’ to one, there will be another ten outside the gate,” she says. 
What is the secret to her private magical winter wonderland?
“Put as many things that will make the children go, ‘Look at that!’” she said enthusiastically.
Personally, Karen puts up strings of fairy lights, a mechanical moving reindeer that lights up at night, as well as a hand-painted nativity set in the garden. 
“That’s what Christmas is all about, you know,” she said.
Karen’s husband, Sam, does most of the heavy lifting during the run-up to the Christmas season. He climbs up to the roof to install the lights and decorations each year.
Karen notes that while Sam is still able to do it, they bring in professional help when it comes to the electrical wiring around the house, as well as the outdoor areas.
“Be very careful,” she warns.
“This is quite an established area, so there are quite a few older people who can’t do it anymore,” she said.
As for safeguarding your Christmas decorations, Karen notes that there’s no guarantee even if your front lawn is off-limits to the public. She has had a few decorations taken without her permission. 
She recalls one particular memorable incident where a beloved Father Christmas gnome was stolen.
“I was disappointed that someone had come onto our property. Funny enough, after Christmas we began getting postcards from this gnome in different places from all over New Zealand,” she reminisces.
Despite hoping that the gnome would turn up the following Christmas, the Zapulla family was disappointed.
“He never turned up again. Oh well,” Karen said.
Ultimately, Karen says the Zapullas put up Christmas decorations not just to join in the festivities in Ivanhoe. While it adds to the Christmas cheer, she believes it is a reminder to spread the joy and be thankful for what she has.
“I can still remember going out to the garden at night, and a little girl of about six or seven comes up to me and says, ‘Lady, you’re so lucky to live in such a beautiful house,’” she said.
“And you know what, I am!”
“It’s to see the magic in the children’s eyes when they look at it all. It’s a lot of work, but it was worth it,” she said.
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dleow-BGaNPbHWyK

Christmas in Ivanhoe: Properties you must see

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Purchasing a home can be a difficult task – especially if you’re after that perfect property that’s just right, though you cannot necessarily put a finger on that particular element which makes it so.
Buyers advocate Secret Agent’s recent report delves into the social science behind that “quirk” property buyers are after – that chill down the spine that leaves you thinking about the perfect property you are after.
The report quotes American sociobiologist and author Edward O Wilson, whose research showed that “the brain is most aroused by patterns in which there is about a 20 per cent redundancy in elements or, put roughly, the amount of complexity put in a single maze”.
Wilson notes that this amount of complexity is the most the brain can process in with one look, just as seven is the highest number of objects that can be counted at a single glance.
For instance, when purchasing a new sofa, its linear design may be appealing because of the slightly flawed texture of its wool fabric, which provides the 20 per cent redundancy Wilson refers to.
Wilson also addresses in his research why people might choose a certain place to live.
"Studies have shown that given freedom to choose the setting of their homes or offices, people across cultures gravitate toward an environment that combines three features, intuitively understood by landscape architects and real estate entrepreneurs. They want to be on a height looking down, they prefer open savanna-like terrain with scattered trees and copses, and they want to be close to a body of water, such as a river, lake, or ocean. Even if all these elements are purely aesthetic and not functional, homebuyers will pay any affordable price to have such a view. People, in other words, prefer to live in those environments in which our species evolved over millions of years in Africa. Instinctively, they gravitate toward savanna forest (parkland) and transitional forest, looking out safely over a distance toward reliable sources of food and water. This is by no means an odd connection, if considered as a biological phenomenon. All mobile animal species are guided by instincts that lead them to habitats in which they have a maximum chance for survival and reproduction."
His research suggests that biologically, humans are prone to making certain choices and strive to certain ideals.
What other factors are involved when searching for a space to live or work?
Secret Agent draws upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943) for further explanation. Maslow’s idea was that once our basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter are met, humankind moves onto satisfying more complex needs.
Perhaps the “perfect property” buyers have in mind is a mixture of their needs, desires, and ambitions aligned.
<img src="/images/stories/diane/Screen_Shot_2013-12-10_at_3.05.21_PM.png" alt="Screen_Shot_2013-12-10_at_3.05.21_PM" height="202" width="420">
Source: Secret Agent 
Trends also play a huge part in attracting people to properties. Australia ranks third on Google Trends’ list of searchers of the term “home styling”, while Victoria tops the country when searching for home stylists or styling tips.
Vendors and agents therefore spend time and money on creating that “magic” space which buyers want to get into.
There is a business in creating that feeling where a property takes your breath away.
For instance, The Design Files is a website that showcases homes and homewares from all over Australia, as well as art, retail, craft, and food. With help from sponsors, the team put together an event where they styled an entire Melbourne home that’s open to the public – and everything was for sale.
The concept was conceived to allow the consumer to feel a connection to objects in context, removing that barrier if one were to simply look at an image of a product online.
The event proved to be a success and the team will be headed to Sydney next year to execute a similar event.
The report concluded that while that magic “quirk” cannot necessarily be defined, it is definitely up to the individual to find out what that 20% “redundancy” means for them to feel comfortable, and therefore develop that balance of need, want, and ambition for that “perfect space”.
<a href="mailto:dleow@propertyobserver.com.au">dleow@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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The social science behind that "perfect property": Secret Agent

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As politicians debate the pros and cons of building upwards versus outwards, Australia continues to follow the international trend of building taller buildings.
In modern architecture, taller inner-city towers are able to drive greater cost and space efficiency whilst also including better environmental and green benefits. Though there are a number of down sides – shadow casting, vehicle and human traffic congestion, and flight path and noise challenges – taller towers can solve more problems than they create.
Despite this, Sydney city council imposes a building height limit of just 230 metres throughout the CBD for all residential and commercial towers. Not only are other capital cities around the country taking advantage of this; but suburbs and employment hubs through Sydney’s suburbs are too.
Developers understand that height restrictions imposed in the CBD will increase office and residential costs over time, as demand will outstrip supply, so they have been shopping their proposals elsewhere. And, it is working.
Just 20 kilometres from Sydney CBD lies Parramatta, Sydney’s ‘second CBD’; soon to be home to not only Australia’s, but the southern hemisphere’s largest residential tower. At 336 metres tall, <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspire_Parramatta">The Aspire Tower</a> will not only be the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere; but the tallest building of any kind in the hemisphere. Aspire forms part of a multi-tower, massive scale <a target="_blank" href="https://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/your_council/news/CBD_redevelopment">redevelopment of the Parramatta CBD area</a>; driving more businesses, residents, and wealth creation into the surrounding area.
{qtube vid:=Ep6dhUi2BuU}
Melbourne and Brisbane are also eclipsing Sydney in tower heights. Melbourne has several stumbles, with both the Australia 108 Tower (388 metres), and 555 Collins Street Tower (404 metres), cancelled indefinitely. The most likely project for approval though is the 250 Spencer Street site, with current plans at 300 metres in height.
Brisbane is also building two towers; 222 Margaret Street, and 300 George Street, each standing 274 metres in height. The Infinity Tower, which completes construction in 2014, will be 249 metres tall, slightly shorter than its original 294 metres plan.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore has commenced a building height restriction <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.altmedia.net.au/sydney-left-behind-on-building-heights/70773">review</a> for the CBD/City of Sydney area; approaching the issue of building size from an economic output perspective, to ensure Sydney remains competitive.
For Australian home buyers and investors, the issue of building heights is one that must be considered carefully during your due diligence phase. Nobody has a crystal ball and though it is impossible to know what the rules will be in five, 10, or 20 years’ time an awareness of emerging projects in the short term will help you buy better.
One of the best things to keep an eye on is council land re-zoning. This can occur anywhere in Australia, but when it occurs metropolitan city inner, middle, and outer ring suburbs, it almost always will be a rezoning to enable greater building density, not less.
Australian urban development is trending more towards ‘higher density vertical living’ a la New York, Singapore, and Sao Paulo; and away from ‘low-rise high density’ growth, such as cities like Paris,  Washington DC, and Prague.
Regardless of your view on this trend, property buying decisions in our major cities needs to occur with a solid understanding of this shift in mind.

<hr>
Cameron McEvoy is a NSW-based property investor and maintains a blog, <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.propertycorrespondent.com.au/">Property Correspondent.</a>
 
 
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A tall order: Australia's new wave of skyscrapers may not be where you think

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How do you build a house in 30 seconds? Just order a house from JAYZ Building Solutions, press a button on the included remote and up your house goes.
The Australian firm is selling transportable homes that it claims can be erected in just 30 seconds.
It’s marketing its Instaslide series of homes which fit inside a standard shipping container and can be unfurled at the flick of a switch.
{qtube vid:=YOpBI3qRi74} 
“These products are amazing,” says JAYZ’s Jackson Yin.
“At a touch of the button on the remote control these units can be installed in 30 seconds absolutely labor free.”
There is:
<ul>
<li>a 50 square metre, four-bedroom, four-bathroom option;</li>
<li>a 25 square metre one-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-kitchen option;</li>
<li>and a 50 square metre office option;</li>
</ul>
They have a 6-Star energy rating and are able to withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 7.6 and D2 cyclones – winds of 270 kilometres per hour.
They can delivered on a normal truck and unloaded with a forklift.
The company supplies mining companies around Australia with transportable accommodation.
They also supply the Butterfly range of fold out homes which take four hours to assemble but are easy to stack together.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/12/10/30sec]}
This year JAYZ was able to quickly build a supermarket in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory by joining multiple Butterfly units together.
In the Butterfly series a 40-foot container expands to 82 square metres of living space - to triple its normal size, while a 20-foot container expands to 42 square metres.
They come with exterior lighting, laminated bamboo flooring, taps and sinks, smoke detectors, a toilet, bathrooms and kitchens and optional air-conditioning. They are fully plumbed and wired.
Jackson Yin says they hope to market the homes to the general public in the near future.
“We look forward to some larger order but eventually we hope to do retail orders. I hope it’s coming in very soon.”
Yin says they could be priced at substantially less than $1,500 per square metre.
<img alt="30-second-home" height="294" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/12/10/30-second-home.png">
Other things you can do in 30 seconds
? Swim 50 metres backwards, if you're an Olympic athlete
? Drive from standing to 300mph, if you're in the Acabion GTBO (below)
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/DAyp6vk.jpg" width="470">
? Have your car stolen, if you left it unlocked. Lock it or lose it.
? Make Nachos in the microwave, courtesy of the South Australia based company Mexican Express (below)
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/OAC4vkW.jpg" width="470">
? Pull the tops off 65 pinapples, if you're this bloke (below)
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/CXrHqno.jpg" width="470">
? Flush your outboard motor out with revolutionary product, Salt-Away.
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/lrftVjw.jpg">
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:awalsh@propertyobserver.com.au">awalsh@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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How to build a home in 30 seconds

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Property Bloom is preparing for a big house renovation and thought I’d share some of the steps we are taking in the weeks before we start the renovation.  The house is a beautiful original Californian Bungalow with some wonderful ornate features to the ceilings and cornices (pictured below). There are also some fabulous stain glass windows.
<img alt="chivers-dec-6-one" height="230" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/12/06/chivers-dec-6-one.jpg">
 <img alt="chivers_dec_6_two" height="313" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/12/06/chivers_dec_6_two.jpg"> 
We found this particular property for a client who wanted us to source, renovate and prepare the house to sell. He wants to make some profit using a renovation and sell strategy. As property development project managers, we would normally look for further ways to add value to a property in the way of adding additional dwellings and subdividing. But in this case, it’s a straight renovation project.
We needed to find a rundown house with good ‘bones’ that was very well located and had some good features that we could highlight and would help sell it. I think we hit the nail on the head with this little bungalow beauty.
With a strict budget we must adhere to and a house that we could keep working on till the cows come home, we have our work cut out. We need to highlight the features and spend our money wisely.
We are replacing the 1950’s retro kitchen and two bathrooms, carrying out some repairs and painting inside and out. The wonderful old floorboards that lay beneath the floral carpet and linoleum will be sanded and polished.
This week we met with our colour consultant and we starting on the kitchen choices – the kitchen is going to be the big hero in this renovation.  We established bench and cupboard colours and chose appliances which includes a 90 centimeter wide five burner free standing dual fuel cooker with a glass canopy rangehood that will ‘pop’ in front of our bench to ceiling  tiled marble effect feature splashback wall.  We hope this will wow prospective purchasers the minute they walk into the kitchen area.  We all know that women have the main say in home purchases and we are pitching this to the middle market of owner occupiers, looking for their second home – they can afford to pay more but want something they can move straight into and enjoy and a large, modern kitchen will be at the top of their ‘must have’ list.
Now we have the kitchen colours selected, we’ve ordered the kitchen so it can be installed by the end of January. Property Bloom gets a wholesale price as we use the same supplier that our builder uses for our villa developments and so we can pass on this saving to our client. Plus by managing the kitchen ourselves, it means our builder can focus on the bathrooms and other works to ensure a quick renovation process. We plan to spend no more than four weeks on this renovation. Time is of essence to minimise holding costs for our client.
The kitchen colours and style this will spill out into the rest of the house.
Our splashback wall has a grey colour in the marble vein and it is this that gives the inspiration for our bench tops and floor tiles for the bathrooms. We’ll use the same marble effect tile as a feature tile in the main bathroom.  The marble grey can also be associated in the internal wall paint colour.
I think it’s important to continue a theme through colour choices for a house renovation and for us we want to keep it fairly neutral but need to pack a punch so that the house gets noticed and quickly.
Stay tuned and I’ll cover off some of our challenges once we get under way in the New Year with this renovation project.
 
<hr>
 Jo Chivers is director of <a title="Property Bloom" href="https://www.propertybloom.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="font-size: 14px;">Property Bloom</a>, which manages property development.
 
 
 
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Californian bungalow renovation: We have our work cut out for us and time is of the essence

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So what is happening with vacant land sales across urban Queensland?  You don’t read a lot about the land market these days – it’ all houses this and apartments that.
So are land sales heading north?  In what direction are land prices going?  Have house and land package prices increased?  What about lot sizes – are they still shrinking?
Sales volumes
For the most part, vacant land sales and the sale of house and land packages across Queensland continue to trade at volumes less than the year before.
The biggest falls over the past year have been seen – not surprisingly – across regional Queensland.
The most notable falls in land sales were recorded  in Mackay, Whitsundays, Central Highlands, Townsville and Gladstone.
Land sales have increased in Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Redlands and in Brisbane.
Cairns sales are up because of insurance hikes due to recent weather events, which have increased the cost of body corporate fees.  New house and land product – on free-hold title – are taking sales away from the apartment and townhouse markets in Cairns.
Since the federal election, land sales have improved, so too the sale of new house and land packages, but across most Queensland markets, this recent lift in sales is still below the volumes traded in recent years.  Things are improving.  But it will take a consistent lift in sale volumes to get back to longer term averages.
Land values
Land value movement across the state results in a somewhat mixed bag.
For example, Cairns land prices have dropped by $77 each week or down $4,000 compared to last year.  Most vacant land is priced around $169,000 in Cairns.  The reason for the drop is because land size has decreased, along with the size of the actual new house being supplied.  This is to help capture the townhouse investment market and to cater for the more traditional townhouse/apartment tenant.  The average lot size in Cairns is now 600 square metres.  The typical new house and land package costs $385,000, down $14,000 or $270 per week on last year.
Land values have also fallen in Gladstone, in and around Hervey Bay, on the Sunshine Coast, Gympie, in Brisbane and the Whitsundays.
Average lot sizes have shrunk in most locations; so whilst the overall land price has fallen, the rate per square metre of the land sold continues to rise.  For example, in Brisbane it typically costs about $700 per square metre to buy residential dirt, and yet, whilst overall land prices dropped about 7% last year, the rate per square metre increased by about $50.
Land values rose in Mackay, Issac (Clermont, Dysart and Moranbah) – in fact up by 17% or $21,000 to $145,000 for a 600 square metre allotment, in Rockhampton, on the Gold Coast (wow, now you are rocking the boat), in Logan, Toowoomba and across the Western and Southern Downs (Dalby, Warwick etc.)
Article continues on next page. Please click below.
 
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
More statistics
The most expensive allotments for sale are in Brisbane ($295,000 per allotment), followed by Redlands ($264,000), Gold Coast ($240,000) and the Sunshine Coast ($235,000).
The cheapest dirt is around Warwick ($110,000), then Gympie ($119,000), Lockyer Valley (Gatton/Laidley) ($130,000) and Bundaberg ($144,000).
Typical new house and land packages (being three or four bedrooms; two bathrooms and double garage – usually sized between 200 and 250 square metres) range from $545,000 in Brisbane to $235,000 in Gympie.
17 out of Queensland’s 25 larger urban municipalities have land typically priced under $200,000, with 10 locales having a median land value under $150,000.  Nearly all Queensland municipalities have new house and land packages available under $400,000, some of which are located in South East Queensland and in key regional markets.
New housing of this nature isn’t unaffordable in Queensland.
Finally, the typical allotment across urban Queensland ranges in size from 424 square metres in Brisbane to 1,714 square metres in the Scenic Rim (old Beaudesert Shire).  Gone are the days of the traditional 800 square metres allotment.  Only four Queensland municipalities have a wide choice of vacant land over 800 square metres.
All locations, except the Scenic Rim, have seen allotment sizes fall in recent years.  Some have fallen by up to a third in size over the past five years.  Higher taxes and charges, plus centralised control of the subdividable land stock by a handful of major developers are behind this trend.  There is a demand for more convenient lot sizes, but this demand is highest in more central locations.
Two suggestions
I believe the Queensland land-based market would be stronger (i.e. more sales) if there was more variety on the market.  Importantly, this includes an increase in lot sizes; wider frontages and the clustering of smaller allotments around parks and the like and away from larger homes/bigger allotments.  In other words, less salt’n’peppering of small lots through an estate.
Our polling suggests that potential buyers are put off by the mixture of housing lots throughout the estate.
Another thing which would help make more sales would be for more turn-key product on the market.  A turn-key property is one which is complete and ready to move into on completion.  Everything, except furniture, is installed.
Whilst there has been a lift in the proportion of turn-key sales across the state – with one in ten land-based sales being turn-key in nature last year (up from 8%, three years before) – this trend is largely confined to the south east corner of the state.  The proportion of turn-key sales in Brisbane is 30%, 18% in Logan, 15% on the Gold Coast and Redlands, 13% in Hervey Bay and 11% in the Moreton Bay area, north of Brisbane.
Outside of Cairns – 11% – the regionals are not offering as much turn-key options to buyers as maybe they should.  In today’s world, buyers are looking for convenient and immediate housing solutions.  The traditional house building process has diminishing buyer appeal.
 
<hr>
 Michael Matusik is the founder of <a href="https://www.matusik.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matusik Property Insights</a>, which has helped over 550 new residential projects come to fruition.  Read <a href="https://www.matusikmissive.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael’s Blog</a> or follow him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThinkMatusik?fref=ts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/michaelmatusik" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or connect via <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmatusik" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>.
 
 
 
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House and land packages need to offer more variety to appeal to buyers

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<div id="post-excerpt">
There’s a long history of public housing authorities ignoring the needs of residents. Much has improved, but some public agencies still take an implicitly paternalistic view of the interests of residents
</div>
<a target="_blank" href="https://sourceable.net/urban-focus-2013-national-architecture-awards-winners-revealed/"><img width="470" height="347" src="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/files/2013/11/McIntyre-Street-Award-winner.jpg"></a>
Photo: Social housing at 2 McIntyre Drive Altona - winner of the Frederick Romberg Award for Multiple Housing in the 2013 National Architecture Awards
Back in June <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/06/25/do-social-housing-tenants-get-the-buildings-theyd-choose/#comment-9094">I argued</a> there’s been a history of architects “innovating” with the aesthetics of social housing in ways they can’t easily do with private housing.
I was prompted by a new social housing complex for older disabled residents at 2 McIntyre Drive in the Melbourne residential and industrial suburb of Altona (see exhibit). At the time it had just won the Residential Architecture (Multiple Housing) category in this year’s Victorian Architecture Awards.
I’m revisiting the topic because two weeks ago the building was a winner at the Australian Institute of Architects 2013 National Architecture Awards. It won Australia’s highest architectural accolade in its class, <a target="_blank" href="https://sourceable.net/urban-focus-2013-national-architecture-awards-winners-revealed/">the Frederick Romberg Award</a> for Multiple Housing.
In my previous article (<a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/06/25/do-social-housing-tenants-get-the-buildings-theyd-choose/">Do social housing tenants get the housing they’d choose?</a>), I contended that 2 McIntyre Drive has a distinctive and particular industrial/warehouse “look”.
The design by MGS Architects might capture the character of a suburb that’s home to Toyota’s car manufacturing plant, but it’s a highly specific form that a private developer in my view would be unlikely to risk in the marketplace.
Private buyers can go elsewhere if they’re unhappy with the appearance of a building, so builders whose customers have a choice strive to understand what their buyers prefer.
Developers selling to sophisticated professionals in the inner city will sometimes take an aesthetic risk in an effort to differentiate their product, but they’re dealing with a very different market. I think they’d be much less likely to do that with dwellings aimed at the bottom end of the market or in suburban Altona.
There’s a long history of architects experimenting aesthetically with social housing. They’re aided by housing authorities, who usually employ architecturally trained personnel to prepare briefs and manage consulting architects.
They’ve been able to do it because the residents of social housing don’t usually get a say in the “look” of their buildings. Residents are often at a considerable remove from aesthetic decisions and in any event lack the power to go elsewhere that a private buyer has.
The obvious downside is residents mightn’t like the appearance of the buildings they’re assigned to. Some might argue that aesthetics is a trivial concern, but it’s an important consideration for private buyers and seemingly of immense importance to architects.
Another concern is that housing which has a highly distinctive but “market unfriendly” aesthetic might identify the residents as welfare recipients. This could lead to a loss of dignity for some residents and exacerbate problems with integration with the neighbourhood.
I’m not in any way criticising the functional efficiency or cost-effectiveness of 2 McIntyre Drive; I can’t possibly know how it stacks up in that regard. The issue I’m raising is about the appropriateness of elites imposing their aesthetic values on those with limited power.
Not unexpectedly, some architects (but not all) disagreed with my original article. My argument was variously described on Twitter as “nonsense”, “lacking rigour” and “tired”.
The most revealing though came from an evidently exasperated @taniadavidge, who said “It just makes me tired. Why bother trying to give people a better outcome aesthetically and spatially?”
And another from an apparently amazed @michael_zanardo who asked: “So the question is now whether the ‘look’ of the housing is ‘appropriate’ for its occupants?”
Two of the architects involved in designing 2 McIntyre Drive, <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/06/25/do-social-housing-tenants-get-the-buildings-theyd-choose/#comment-9088">Rob McGauran</a>and <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/06/25/do-social-housing-tenants-get-the-buildings-theyd-choose/#comment-9094">Eli Gianinni</a>, weighed in to the debate in comments on the original article. But they avoided the issue and offered red herrings instead, arguing that residents are satisfied with their accommodation.
Of course they are, but it has nothing to do with the appearance of the building!
As I noted previously, residents now have accommodation that’s purpose-designed for disabled residents; they have a brand new unit with mod cons; they get to live with others whose life situation is similar in important respects; they might finally have reasonable certainty of tenure; and for some it might be their first entry into subsidised social housing.
They get to live in a complex the architect’s say has been designed to function well in terms of over-looking, privacy, and access to open space. It’s also a quiet location, albeit a long way from services.
But those arguments are irrelevant to the issue I’m raising i.e. that the appearance of the building has little to do with the tastes of the residents and everything to do with the taste of artistic elites.
Contemporary social housing is a vast improvement on the “towers in the park” of the past. Back then architects and social reformers too often imposed their own ideas on residents who lacked the opportunity and resources to deal with them on fair terms.
Social housing authorities need to be conscious who they’re providing housing for; they need to put residents front and centre. They should work hard to avoid the paternalism of the past in all aspects of their operations.
 
<hr>
 Alan Davies is a transport and urban development consultant and blogger for <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/">The Urbanist</a>.
 
This article first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.Crikey.com.au">Crikey</a>.
 
 
 
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What kind of social housing do people really want?

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Let me declare myself unambiguously: I do not hate McMansions, just because they’re easy to hate.
For quite a few years now, anybody who writes about these oversized single family homes has consistently demonised them as not just individually ugly, ill-designed and unsustainable, but as the building blocks of isolated suburbs devoid of a sense of community.
In an otherwise admirable reminder of just how ingrained the aspiration for a freestanding house is in the Australian psyche and polity, Peter McNeil, professor of design history at Sydney’s University of Technology, Sydney <a href="https://theconversation.com/me-and-my-mcmansion-australians-and-their-homes-12179" target="_blank">wrote in February</a> on The Conversation:
"Apart from warehouse conversions and architect-designed homes, many Australian dwellings are McMansions that do not relate to the scale of the houses around them or have anything to do with their environment. It is possible that as in North America, we are retreating into our homes more and more, meeting lovers online, watching our video on home entertainment systems, cooking on industrial quality ovens and holding parties with enormous BBQs that would once have provided a catering company. Perhaps we need to think a bit more about whether we are part of communities and networks or if we are heading towards an atomised existence?"
That is mild compared to the vitriol of Fairfax writer <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/by/elizabeth-farrelly" target="_blank">Elizabeth Farrelly</a>, Australia’s only successful populist newspaper architecture critic.
Farrelly masks her unalloyed condemnation of McMansion design with a long-term, consistent, but remarkably axiomatic stance against their <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/08/1099781318531" target="_blank">over-consumption of land and resources</a>.
<img width="470" height="181" src="/images/stories/2013/11/19/mcmansion-one-Elana-Centor-flickr.jpg" alt="mcmansion-one-Elana-Centor-flickr">
Photo courtesy of Elana Centor/flickr
If there is no need for even a pretence of objectivity, the condemnation can be brutal. On the <a href="https://thingsboganslike.com" target="_blank">Things Bogans Like</a> website, entry <a href="https://thingsboganslike.com/2010/02/02/mcmansions/" target="_blank">#76 McMansions</a> concludes:
"In order to put a McMansion within reach of the financially impulsive bogan, builders take phenomenal amounts of shortcuts on the shoddily fitted out McMansion. Once the flashy silver oven breaks, and the paper thin feature wall cracks, it becomes clear that the housing estate is 10 years away from being a generic and unserviced bogan ghetto. It’s the great Australian dream come true."
What all this McMansion bashing has in common is a set of assumptions that are ill-founded.
The first is the convenient lie that McMansions are the opposite of architect-crafted paragons of good design. This is easiest dealt with by visiting somewhere like <a href="https://www.homeworld.com.au/kellyville/home">Homeworld Kellyville</a>, the display village north west of Sydney.
Talk to the sales people, and the names of some of our better known mid-career architects are volunteered as the designers of an unexpected number of models.
The second anomaly is that a surprising proportion of available project home models are of notably good design. They make the most of small sites, with great connections between informal living areas and well sheltered outdoor al fresco rooms.
They have a relatively low proportion of glass area compared to their floor area (typically 20% “glazing to floor ratios”) yet look light and airy. Most architect-designed houses often have double that proportion of glass, or more.
They often have good planning for the needs of parents and growing kids to spend time together, yet also get away from each other. They have admirably economical and practical construction, in materials no different to those employed for much more expensive houses.
True, some McMansions don’t have any of these worthy attributes, and all are too big.
The third inconvenient truth? Let’s ask <a href="https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/profile/patrick_troy" target="_blank">professor Patrick Troy</a>, a world expert on urban development and visiting professor at the University of New South Wales' City Futures Research Centre.
He <a href="https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/upload/FinalLandcomEnergyandWaterReport.pdf" target="_blank">pointed out in 2006</a> that, of the major dwelling types, free standing suburban houses are the lowest energy consumers per occupant and appear to consume less water per occupant than contemporary apartments. That is data.
Professor Troy also suggests that, if climate change ever forces us back to a higher degree of local food production, what we call “urban sprawl” may be actually more resilient as a form of urbanisation than the concrete jungles of urban consolidation.
In the end, I too come down on the side of the argument that suggests we have McMansions because they are a symbol of success, not because we actually need them. And the bad McMansions do spoil it for me, in spite of my admiration for the good ones.
But to be clear: I don’t hate them just because I’m supposed to.

<hr>
Steve King is senior lecturer in architecture at <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au" target="_blank">University of New South Wales</a>
This article was originally published at <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stop-demonising-mcmansions-19887">original article</a>.
 
<img width="1" height="1" alt="The Conversation" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/19887/count.gif">
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In defense of McMansions: They're not all bad

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Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier this week showed that the average size of Australian homes has started to trend lower over recent years. However, there are some surprising results at an individual state level.
Sydney is the most expensive capital city in the country and the New South Wales results act as a good proxy for that city. Despite the fact that Sydney is the most expensive city, the average size of a new house in New South Wales over last financial year was 266.20 square metres; the largest average floor area of any state.
<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2699" alt="avg floor area of new houses" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/avg-floor-area-of-new-houses-507x580.jpg" width="350" height="401" style="margin: 0px auto 15px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; outline-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); max-width: 100%; text-align: center; height: auto; display: block; vertical-align: bottom;">
Despite the fact that New South Wales residential property is typically more expensive than other states, they continue to build the largest new homes. Across the other states, the average floor area of new homes were recorded at: 243.0 square metres in Victoria, 239.6 square metres in Queensland, 203.90 square metres in South Australia, 234.5 square metres in Western Australia and 200.30 square metres in Tasmania. 
The average floor area in New South Wales is much greater than all other states while the floor area in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia are quite similar.  Typical new home sizes in South Australia and Tasmania are significantly lower than those across the other states.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2700" alt="land table" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/land-table.jpg" width="470" height="354" style="margin: 0px auto 15px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; outline-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); max-width: 100%; text-align: center; height: auto; display: block; vertical-align: bottom;">
You can’t build a house unless you have a vacant block of land to construct the home on.  The median land prices across the states as at June 2013 were recorded at: $204,000 in New South Wales, $189,000 in Victoria, $190,000 in Queensland, $150,000 in South Australia, $229,100 in Western Australia and $100,000 across Tasmania. 
This data highlights that the cost of vacant land in South Australia and Tasmania is significantly lower than that across the other states.  Not only are South Australian and Tasmanian new houses much smaller than those across the other states, the cost of purchasing the vacant land is also significantly lower.
Another component to consider is the typical size of the vacant land and how that impacts both the size and type of home that can be built but also the cost of purchasing the land.  Across the states, the median land sizes are recorded at: 700 square metres in New South Wales, 570 square metres in Victoria, 696 square metres in Queensland, 496 square metres in South Australia, 480 square metres in Western Australia and 933 square metres in Tasmania.
Outside of Tasmania, lot sizes in New South Wales are the greatest of all states.  Tasmania which has comparatively cheap land has a much larger typical lot size whereas; South Australia has a comparatively small lot size.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2701" alt="income table" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/income-table.jpg" width="470" height="333" style="margin: 0px auto 15px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; outline-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); max-width: 100%; text-align: center; height: auto; display: block; vertical-align: bottom;">
Of course there are other factors outside of just the cost and size of land which determines the size of homes.  Specifically it is important to consider incomes, according to data released in the 2011 Census, median household incomes in South Australia and Tasmania are much lower than those across the other states.  This obviously has an impact on the price at which residents can purchase homes.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2702" alt="people per dwelling" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/people-per-dwelling.jpg" width="470" height="279" style="margin: 0px auto 15px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; outline-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); max-width: 100%; text-align: center; height: auto; display: block; vertical-align: bottom;">
If we also look at the average number of people per household along with the average number of bedrooms per dwelling we see that there is an excess supply of bed rooms.  In all states we have a greater number of bedrooms than we do persons per household, keeping in mind that most couples will share a bed.  Given this, we don’t actually need as much space as we have in most homes. 
Certainly some younger families will buy larger homes than they need to cater for their growing needs but the broader trends show we have an excess supply of units.  Builders, developers and price sensitive purchases probably need to consider foregoing an extra bedroom in order to reduce the cost of houses.
Overall, it seems somewhat counter-intuitive that the states where housing is most expensive they continue to build much larger new houses while the more affordable states build smaller homes.  Smaller homes and potentially smaller lot sizes would help to improve the affordability of homes in the more expensive states. 
From a potential buyers perspective they probably need to reassess just how much space they need when they are considering their purchase.  Of course, a reduction in the cost of land which could be aided by quicker development approvals, greater supply of land and reduced development fees and charges would also help reduce the cost of housing.
 
<hr>
 Cameron Kusher is senior research analyst at <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.myrp.com.au/">RP Data</a>.
 
 
 
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