<p data-end="256" data-start="0"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.</p>

<p data-end="446" data-start="258">The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.</p>

<p data-end="645" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="448">Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" /></p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.</p>

<p>The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.</p>

<p>The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”</p>

<p data-end="626" data-start="350">Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.</p>

<p data-end="928" data-start="628">“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”</p>

<p data-end="1147" data-start="930">Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.</p>

<p data-end="1510" data-start="1149">“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”</p>

<p data-end="1510" data-start="1149"><img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.</p>

<p>Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.</p>

<p>The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.</p>

<p>The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.</p>

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" dir="auto">
<p data-end="305" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="0">The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.</p>
</section>


Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

<p style="text-align:start">The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.</p>

<p>The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.</p>

<p>Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.</p>

<p>The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.</p>

<p>As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.</p>

<p><img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" /></p>

<p>The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.</p>

<p>An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.</p>

<p>The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.</p>

<p>Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.</p>

<p>“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.</p>

<p>“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.</p>

<p>“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.</p>

<p>“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”</p>


Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

<p>Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.</p>

<p>A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.</p>

<p>Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.</p>

<p>“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.</p>

<p>Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.</p>

<p>“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.</p>

<p>The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.</p>

<p>It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.</p>

<p>The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.</p>

<p>One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.</p>

<p>Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.</p>

<p>The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.</p>

<p>Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.</p>

<p>Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.</p>

<p>Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.</p>

<p>“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”</p>

<p>Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.</p>

<p>Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.</p>

<p>Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.</p>


400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

<p>Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.</p>

<p>The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.</p>

<p>Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.</p>

<p><img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" /></p>

<p>“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.</p>

<p>The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”</p>

<p>The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.</p>

<p><img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" /></p>

<p>The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.</p>

<p>According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.</p>

<p>“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.</p>

<p>A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.</p>

<p>Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.</p>

<p><img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" /></p>

<p>All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.</p>

<p>The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.</p>


Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

<p>Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.</p>

<p>The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.</p>

<p>Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" /></p>

<p>Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.</p>

<p>The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.</p>

<p>"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.</p>

<p>The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.</p>

<p>The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" /></p>

<p>Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.</p>

<p>Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.</p>


First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Fitzroy apartments

Dwelling Construction

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<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">GUEST OBSERVER</p>
<p>The multi-unit apartment and townhouse construction industry has reached record highs over the past five years. However, volatile conditions have led to mixed results for many construction firms.</p>
<p>Construction features prominently in IBISWorld’s Top 500 Private Companies list for 2016.</p>
<p>The list features 57 construction companies, including three companies in the top 20: BGC, Meriton Apartments and Hutchinson Builders.</p>
<p>Year-on-year revenue growth for the 57 listed construction companies varied widely, from growth of 327.5 percent to a decline of 49.1 percent, reflecting a tumultuous year in construction.</p>
<p>The top five private construction companies for growth in this year’s list include Central Equity, Lipman, Mainbrace Constructions, Pellicano Builders and Burbank Australia, which have displayed revenue growth of between 327.5 percent and 51.8 percent over the past year. </p>
<p>While construction companies generally performed well in this year’s Top 500 Private Companies list, four appeared in the top 10 private companies with the biggest revenue declines, including Murphy Pipe and Civil Group, S J Higgins Group, Vaughan Constructions and Grocon Group.</p>
<p><strong>Multi-unit residential construction</strong></p>
<p>The multi-unit apartment and townhouse construction industry has grown strongly over the past five years, boosted by foreign investment and Australians becoming increasingly comfortable with inner-city living.</p>
<p>Underlying demand for new housing is underpinned by Australia’s migrant intake, population growth, foreign investment in the property market, historically low mortgage interest rates, and an increasing desire to live in inner-city multi-unit apartments and townhouses.</p>
<p>IBISWorld expects the multi-unit apartment and townhouse construction industry to post annualised growth of 3.8 percent over the five years through 2016-17, to reach $17.4 billion. Revenue is projected to strengthen further over the five years through 2021-22, increasing at an annualised 5.0 percent to reach $22.1 billion.</p>
<p><strong>Sharp correction</strong></p>
<p>Despite the industry’s bright outlook, revenue is expected to slump by 17.3 percent over the current year as investors hold off on new developments to allow recently added stock to be absorbed.</p>
<p>Recent additions of new apartment stock have exceeded immediate housing requirements, and vacancy rates have climbed in several major markets, particularly in Melbourne and Brisbane. The decline in activity also reflects the anticipated completion of several major projects during 2016-17.</p>
<p>Industry revenue is expected to decline sharply over the current year, before stabilising in 2018-19. Industry revenue is forecast to recover strongly following these corrections, reaching new record highs over the next five years as demand for new housing and rental accommodation underpins a return to accelerated growth.</p>
<p><strong>Around the nation</strong></p>
<p>Apartments have captured an increasing share of total residential building commencements over the past five years, particularly for inner-city multistorey apartment complexes. These projects are expected to make up 39.7 percent, or $6.9 billion, of the industry’s total revenue of $17.4 billion in 2016-17.</p>
<p>Over the past five years, much of the industry’s focus has been on well-publicised multistorey apartment towers in capital cities.</p>
<p>South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have experienced declines in the value of multi-unit and townhouse residential property construction activity over the past five years. Other states, particularly New South Wales and Queensland, have seen strong growth from the same market.</p>
<p><strong>Foreign investment</strong></p>
<p>Multi-unit residential commencements are forecast to surge from 2019-20 onwards as more projects are brought to the start-up phase. Foreign investment in apartment developments, particularly from investors in China, Singapore and Hong Kong, is likely to support this growth. </p>
<p>The Australian market is expected to remain attractive for foreign investors, especially as the value of the Australian dollar is anticipated to remain low.</p>
<p><em>Anthony Kelly is senior industry analyst, IBISWorld and can be contacted <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com.au" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Surging apartment construction driving growth across multiple states: Anthony Kelly

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<p>The new RBA Governor Dr Philip Lowe says Australia is not likely to cut interest rates to zero.</p>
<p>And it won't have to use the quantitative easing used by other countries, he told his first House of Representatives economic committee hearing.</p>
<p>Dr Lowe says the RBA is very unlikely to "run out of monetary room."</p>
<p>He said there was no need for "incredibly unusual things."</p>
<p>Dr Lowe says some argue he should be cutting rates further to get inflation back up inside the two to three percent target range.</p>
<p>But he says that might blow up an asset price bubble which would be "irresponsible".</p>
<p>On housing Dr Lowe says the surge in construction is adding to supply in housing, "which partly explains the slow growth in rents."</p>
<p>He said price gains for existing homes have "moderated" though there are pockets where prices are "increasingly briskly."</p>
<p>"Credit growth and turnover in the housing market are also lower than they were a year ago. </p>
<p>"Under APRA's guidance, lending standards have also been tightened. </p>
<p>"Overall, then, the situation is somewhat more comfortable than it was a year ago, although we continue to watch things carefully."</p>
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RBA Governor says Australian cash rate won't fall to zero

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<div>Housing activity falls in August were only partially offset by the growth in apartment building, commercial construction and engineering construction accrding to the Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association Australian Performance of Construction Index.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The index noted housing activity fell 13.8 points to 41.1 in August with apartment building up 8.8 points to 56.8, commercial construction up 1.4 points to 53.2 and engineering construction up 6.9 points to 55.5.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="/images/2016/09/07/Screen%20Shot%202016-09-07%20at%2012.14.37%20PM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2016/09/07/Screen%20Shot%202016-09-07%20at%2012.14.37%20PM.png" alt=""></div>
<div> <br>Peter Burn, Ai Group head of policy said very weak conditions in the house building sub-sector overshadowed the positive news for apartment building, commercial construction and engineering construction in August and pulled the broader construction industry down for the month.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>"While mining-related work continues to wind down, in August this trend was offset by a lift in other engineering construction work – including in rail and road infrastructure. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>"A pull-back in employment in August after two months of expansion was the lowest reading for this sub-index in five months. Ominously for the near-term, alongside the fall in employment, both new orders and deliveries were negative for the sector as a whole."</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Harley Dale, HIA chief economist said we are at the peak of the residential construction cycle, but the Australian PCI suggests there is not enough non-residential activity coming along behind.</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>"New home construction has been the kingmaker of the Australian economy in recent years – it’s a shame policy makers have failed to respect its importance," he said.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>"When new home construction inevitably peaks by 2016/17, people will look to a plan for further growth. Right now there seems to be nothing, because housing is the convenient bedrock and nobody has the vision to look beyond the short term."</div>
<div><strong> </strong></div>
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Construction turns down in August 

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<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/63125/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1"></p>
<p>GUEST OBSERVER</p>
<p>We often take for granted our access to vast quantities of inexpensive goods manufactured overseas.</p>
<p>And we often overlook the unassuming innovation that has made this global industrial revolution possible: the shipping container.</p>
<p>While the shipping container was conceived in the 1950s by American businessman Malcom McLean, it was only widely adopted after the US military used containers to supply its war effort in Vietnam in the 1960s.</p>
<p>After the Vietnam war, container ports were built in Japan and then the rest of the world. Old ports, such as in New York, were devastated, while ports such as Oakland, in California, became the new centres of globalised shipping. </p>
<p>With containerisation went the old wharf-side communities of dockers and labourers, previously employed to hoist cargo with ropes and pulleys. This fundamentally changed not only the urban fabric of port cities but the very dynamics of globalisation.</p>
<p>With more than 18 million in the global fleet, shipping containers have become an ubiquitous icon of globalisation.</p>
<p>At the same time, shipping containers have become a surprising part of modern urbanisation, infrastructure and the built environment. Here, their boxy and bland uniformity has become a tableau for creativity, innovation and experimentation.</p>
<p>Plug-in cities</p>
<p>Container architecture has roots in both mid-20th-century modernism and an entirely different approach to architecture and urbanism that emerged in the new millennium.</p>
<p>Antecedents to today’s container architecture can be seen in Yona Friedman’s La Ville Spatiale, the work of Japanese Metabolists, such as Arata Isozaki, and the Plug-in City of Peter Cook and the Archigram Group.</p>
<p>These architects imagined vast mega-structures to support countless mobile, transportable and containerised units.</p>
<p>In the early 2000s an entirely different approach to architecture and urbanism was emerging. This DIY and experimental approach had more in common with Christopher Alexander – architect and father of the Pattern Language movement in design and construction – than high modernism.</p>
<p>It is also extremely diverse, including parklets, tactical urbanism and the pop-up retail phenomenon.</p>
<p>The shipping container slotted into this movement nicely. Whether it’s a container bar, a pop-up retail shop or beer garden, a garden shed, a prepper’s bunker or entire university dorms, the shipping container has become a common feature of the modern built environment. </p>
<p>Plug-and-play infrastructure</p>
<p>Much has been made of the use of containers in architecture, even though their suitability for long-term living is widely debated. Less explored is the way containers and containerisation have been transforming infrastructure.</p>
<p>There is great need for easy access to infrastructure, from medical facilities to water treatment around the world. The shipping container is an appealing option, being rapidly deployable, scaleable, transportable, plug-and-play and a turn-key solution.</p>
<p>Again, the military has been at the forefront of many of these innovations, as have the oil, gas and mining industries, where containers are used for housing, sanitation, cooking and power generation.</p>
<p>But innovative approaches to containerised infrastructure are rapidly expanding outside the military and energy sectors.</p>
<p>Interest in containerised green energy is growing. In fact, fully containerised biogas plants using methane generated from landfill or agricultural waste are a mature industry.</p>
<p>Containerised solar and wind power generators are also generating a lot of interest. Green Tech Africa, for example, is aiming to provide solar power to sub-Saharan Africa through systems including containerised solar power and storage systems.</p>
<p>At least two companies – Uprise Energy and Natural Power Concepts – are developing portable wind turbines that deploy from containers. This, in turn, has attracted interest from Oshkosh Defense and the military.</p>
<p>All in a box</p>
<p>Innovative approaches to containerised infrastructure have expanded outside the energy sectors.</p>
<p>Clinic In A Can builds fully equipped, customisable, solar-powered containerised clinics. These clinics have been deployed in the developing world, remote areas and in disaster relief missions.</p>
<p>At least one hospital in the US purchased Clinic In A Can’s isolation unit to cope with potential patients infected with Ebola or another highly infectious disease.</p>
<p>A more surprising use of containers is food production. Motivated by the farm-to-table ethos, the owners of The Farmery, a food truck in North Carolina, partnered with Williamson Greenhouses to develop the Crop Box.</p>
<p>This is a complete hydroponic growing system using super-efficient LEDs. It can produce the equivalent of one acre of lettuce inside a single container. Students at Stony Brook University are using a similar system, built by Freight Farms, to grow over a thousand heads of lettuce a week for the campus.</p>
<p>Farm From a Box offers a different business model and vision. They have packaged the core components and tools needed to set up the equivalent of a two-acre farm in a single turnkey farm kit in a shipping container.</p>
<p>Farm From a Box</p>
<p>Water purification and sewage treatment are another two infrastructure services that have been containerised, with systems on offer from many companies.</p>
<p>Residential-scale treatment facilities such as one offered by Biokubeseem like they might offer an attractive solution to cities such as Rio de Janeiro with well-publicised sewage treatment problems.</p>
<p>Containers are also providing scaleable solutions for digital infrastructure as well, from solar-powered internet cafes in refugee camps and developing cities to the rapidly growing market for data centres in the developed world.</p>
<p>These are just some of the innovative and emerging infrastructure services that are being containerised and deployed, not only in the developing world, but in our own backyards.</p>
<p>This isn’t the containerised vision imagined by Archigram or the Metabolists, but it certainly is reminiscent of it, in a Through the Looking Glass way. Not a plug-in city built around a centralised infrastructure, but plug and play infrastructure providing real solutions for a rapidly urbanising planet.</p>
<p><em><span class="fn author-name">Morgan Saletta is from the h</span>istory and philosophy of Science and Department of Management and Marketing, University of Melbourne and an author for The conversation. he can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/morgan-saletta-138289" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>
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How shipping containers are changing infrastructure: the plug and the play city

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<p><span style="font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 1.3em;">2016 will be a record year for new dwelling building, however may turn for the worse in 2017 according to a new report from the Housing Industry Association.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 1.3em;">The HIA's New Home Sales Report found over July 2016 detached house sales fell in all five mainland states, after rising everywhere in June. Sales dropped by 12.6 percent in South Australia,  8.7 percent in Queensland, 8.2 percent in Western Australia, 6.2 percent in NSW, and 6.0 percent in Victoria. </span></span></p>
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<p><span>Harley Dale, chief economist, HIA, said </span>The short term outlook for healthy levels of new home construction remains intact – calendar year 2016 will be a record year for new dwelling commencements, but the situation could look very different from next year.</p>
<p><span>“The monthly HIA survey of Australia’s largest volume builders </span><span>reveals that total seasonally adjusted new home sales fell by 9.7 percent in July 2016 following an increase of 8.2 percent in June," he said.</span></p>
<p><span>"The overall trend decline in new home sales is accelerating, signalling a relatively sharp drop (from a record </span><span>high) in new dwelling commencements from 2017.</span></p>
<p><span>“New home construction has been the kingmaker of the Australia ec</span><span>onomy, but the cycle has peaked.</span></p>
<p><span>“</span><span>In all likelihood we will experience sharper falls in new home construction in both 2017 and 2018. The magnitude of decline in new home construction in coming years will of course be exaggerated by where we are coming from </span><span>– </span><span>record levels of medium/high density construction and historically healthy levels of detached/semi-detached dwelling construction.</span><span><br></span></p>
<p><span>“There will no doubt be a tendency to sensationalise any negative results for new housing as the </span><span>trajectory of the down cycle unfolds. We would do well to remember that this down cycle is following a record high that is some 24 per cent higher than the previous (1994) peak and that there is an unprecedented degree of uncertainty this time around as to how the next few years of new home </span><span>building unfold."</span></p>
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New home sales trend in accelerating decline: HIA

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<p>Specialised developers Halcyon has made almost $38 million in sales this year from its over 50s communities in Queensland's Sunshine Coast region.</p>
<p>Halcyon Lakeside at Bli Bli has sold 51 homes totalling $27 million while Halcyon Glades at Caboolture Nort has picked up 24 sales valued at $10.5 million.</p>
<p>Bevan Geissmann, Halcyon joint managing director said the Sunshine Coast is a natural market for Halcyon because it is favoured by retirees because of climate, affordability, range of amenities and easy access to Brisbane.</p>
<p>He said another key to Halcyon’s sales success was the diversity of its product in the Sunshine Coast region.</p>
<p>“We have entry-level homes at the sub $400,000 price point available at both communities but also premium residences at Halcyon Lakeside,” he said.</p>
<p>“It means we can appeal to a wider cross-section of the retirement market." </p>
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Halcyon tapping retirement hub with $38m in sales

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<p>The Australian Government has given The University of Sydney and Lendlease a $3 million grant to undertake a collaborative research project to develop multi-storey housing solutions.</p>
<p>The five year industry-led project received the funding to develop and build prototype housing solutions that use high-tech, renewable materials and advanced manufacturing process.</p>
<p>Lendlease Property CEO Kylie Rampa said the demand for affordable and diverse housing is calling for new housing solutions from industry.</p>
<p>“We aim to bring to market an innovative housing system that is design-led, which will help address affordability issues, while developing advanced manufacturing technologies and techniques for future housing construction."</p>
<p>“The products and industry processes stemming from the project aim to create new jobs, skills, technologies and potentially export opportunities for prefabricated housing to meet the sophisticated needs of homebuyers and builders,” said Kylie Rampa. </p>
<p>University of Sydney associate professor Mathew Aitchison said that the project presents an enormous opportunity to bring innovation to the residential construction market, which has remained largely unchanged in the last 100 years. </p>
<p>“Despite major advances in other manufacturing sectors, innovation in residential construction is lagging.</p>
<p>"This project seeks to drive efficiency and safety benefits and boost Australia’s competitiveness internationally, where we have seen a notable increase in advanced manufacturing in building over the past decade," he said.</p>
<p>“We will focus on developing multi-storey prototype houses that can be adapted for manufacture and customised project to project.</p>
<p>"At the same time, we are looking at ways to reduce risk and waste, while increasing the efficiency, safety, quality, sustainability and diversity of market-ready housing."</p>
<p>The project will develop a range of solutions for the multi-storey housing market that address increasing urban density and residential market demands.</p>
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Research grant awarded to manufacture multi-storey houses

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<div>Total construction work done declined by a further 1.9 percent in the June 2016 quarter to $47.8 billion, to be 7.9 percent lower over the year. </div>
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<div>The result was driven by another 5.1 percent decline in engineering construction in the quarter - largely mining related - to leave this component down by 24.9 percent year-on-year.</div>
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<div>The building boom, on the other hand, continues apace. </div>
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<div>Although there has been a solid increase in alterations and additions (major renovations) lately, record building activity through this cycle has been overwhelmingly been driven by "other residential" building, specifically units, apartments, and townhouses.  </div>
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<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mining cliff now 4 years old</span></strong></div>
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<div>Next month it will be fully four years since the so-termed "mining cliff" began. </div>
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<div>Interestingly engineering construction work done increased in the June 2016 quarter in Queensland, where most of the retracement has already taken place, while activity has actually trended up strongly in New South Wales and Victoria over the past year. </div>
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<div>I've long been warning that Western Australia would have to take its medicine sooner or later, and the reality check kicked in this quarter, with engineering construction crashing down to be some 48 per cent lower than one year ago. </div>
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<div>These figures confirm what has no doubt been obvious on the ground for some time - that the local economy is doing it tough as it passes through this painful slowdown period.</div>
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<div>Engineering construction work done has also fallen substantially in the Northern Territory over the last six quarters, including by a further 28 per cent over the past year, with only the massive Ichthys LNG project is holding this result aloft.</div>
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<div class="separator">The good news is that the decline in engineering construction is now thought to be around 80 percent complete, meaning that sooner or later this will stop being such a drag on the economy. </div>
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<div class="separator">In fact, in New South Wales, Victoria, and now Queensland, it already has. </div>
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<div class="separator"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Record building boom continues</span></strong></div>
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<div class="separator">The building boom and its associated multiplier effect has largely benefited the largest capital cities.</div>
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<div>New house building, while still increasing steadily in Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia, appears to have peaked for this cycle nationally.</div>
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<div>On the other hand the value of construction work done on attached dwellings was still tracking at record levels in the June quarter. </div>
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<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The wrap</span></strong><br><br>Residential building activity was still running at full pelt through the second quarter of the year, pushing up building costs in cities such as Sydney.<br><br>The Housing Industry Association (HIA) announced today that it believes that new home building will now decline for the next three years, with annual commencements falling from a peak of over 232,500 dwellings to 166,500 in 2018/19, with some downside risks to the forecast.</div>
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<div>The good news is that engineering construction will have already stopped falling significantly over the next 18 months.<br><br>Ichthys aside, most of the project-driven declines have now washed through the figures outside Western Australia.<br><br>Analysts expect to see moderate GDP growth in the second quarter of calendar year 2016 with net exports not making much of a contribution this time around.<br><br>On balance, though, the planned hand-off has been pulled off very well, with Australia now getting close to the bottom of its mining cliff.<br><br>Although resources regions have felt the pain, the largest capital cities have by and large pulled through relatively unscathed. </div>
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<p><span><em>PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em><br></span></p>
<p><em>His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.</em></p>
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Record building boom continues: Pete Wargent

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<p>House price growth is set to slow in Sydney and Melbourne while other capitals will make up lost ground, the Housing Industry Association has forecast. </p>
<p>It estimates since prices bottomed out during May 2012 that detached house prices have increased by 40 per cent across the eight capitals between May 2012 and July 2016.</p>
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<p>The largest house price rise occurred in Sydney over this period (+65.7 per cent), followed by Melbourne (+45.2 per cent) and Brisbane (+18.6 per cent).</p>
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<p>HIA senior economist Shane Garrett estimates that building materials demand for the construction of new detached houses peaked last year, and will see some easing back over the remaining years of the decade.</p>
<p>"The market has seen significant expansion since hitting a low point in 2012," he said.</p>
<p>"In the case of plasterboard, for example, demand bottomed out 56.55 million sqm in 2012 before growing to 70.98 million sqm in 2015 as a result of the upturn in activity.” </p>
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House prices have increased by 40 percent across the eight capitals since May 2012: HIA

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<p>The ANZ Australian Housing Update for August has noted a risk of apartment oversupply in Brisbane and Melbourne.</p>
<p>The report also said construction activity is also expected to moderate, adding building approvals remain below last year’s peak.</p>
<p>"This suggests that the rapid growth in starts and work done is unlikely to be sustained," the report said. </p>
<p>"However, a tremendous backlog of work will continue to support construction around record levels.</p>
<p>"In fact, the large backlog of construction work presents a risk of oversupply emerging in some markets.</p>
<p>"Significant additions to the supply of apartments are forthcoming in Brisbane and Melbourne, raising fears of settlement risk and eventual price declines."</p>
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