<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.</p>

<p>A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.</p>

<p>Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360965]</p>

<p>“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.</p>

<p>From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.</p>

<p>The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360981]</p>

<p>Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.</p>

<p>A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.</p>

<p>Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360966]</p>

<p>Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.</p>

<p>“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.</p>

<p>Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360969]</p>

<p>Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.</p>

<p data-end="8307" data-start="8063">The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.</p>

<p data-end="8543" data-start="8312">“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”</p>

<p data-end="8915" data-start="8548">The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.</p>

<p>The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149670]</p>


Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

<p>A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.</p>

<p>The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.</p>

<p>Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.</p>

<p>The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.</p>

<p>The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" /></p>

<p>Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.</p>

<p>Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.</p>

<p>The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."</p>

<p>The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" /></p>

<p>Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.</p>

<p>The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.</p>


First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

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<p>A 60-apartment building nine storeys tall would be a rarity almost anywhere along this stretch of Moreton Bay, but that's exactly what's been lodged for a modest Deception Bay street better known for its single-storey weatherboard homes.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherlock-construction-homes">Sherlock Construction Homes</a> is seeking to push Deception Bay’s emerging medium-density housing profile higher, lodging plans for a nine-storey apartment building near the suburb’s shopping centre and foreshore.</p>

<p>Dubbed Grosvenor Apartments, the proposal at 14-20 Grosvenor Terrace would replace two detached homes with a new building designed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/mode">Mode Design</a>&nbsp;which would&nbsp;reach nearly 30 metres, well above the site’s mapped 21-metre building height.</p>

<p><img alt="First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches 9-storey tower for low-rise Deception Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="86c21a25-5a97-4ca7-a361-80757137ea5b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Deception%20da%20front.png?VersionId=aXIujfvEhH33sLHOEjHFv9Ii6qxSvAF4" /></p>

<p>The apartment mix is weighted toward larger homes, with 14 three-bedroom apartments, 31 two-bedroom apartments and 15 one-bedroom apartments. Six apartment types are spread across the floors, ranging from 66 sqm one-bedroom units through to three-bedroom apartments of 116 sqm, most with private balconies or terraces.</p>

<p>Levels one through seven follow a consistent layout of six to eight apartments per floor arranged around a central lift and stair core, with the top floor, level eight, trading one apartment for a landscaped community breakout space rather than repeating the standard layout below.</p>

<p>Ground floor is dedicated to arrival and services, with a lobby, mailroom and manager's office, alongside 91 car spaces.</p>

<p><img alt="First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches 9-storey tower for low-rise Deception Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b098bde0-5fe1-4e6c-9601-e5446612e5fc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Deception%20podium.png?VersionId=A0hfENMNxSxkfh9Jl6D4WJ9XIraeOukA" /></p>

<p>Mode Design's brief describes a "serene coastal-inspired design blending soft curves, natural textures and light-filled spaces to reflect the relaxed Deception Bay lifestyle."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The material palette leans on white and grey render, timber-look aluminium screening and stacked-brick-look finishes, with hanging greenery and vine planting proposed across balcony edges and ground-level walls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Balconies feature asymmetrical geometries intended to vary the building's rhythm rather than repeat a single module up the tower, while lush planting is concentrated over the entry and level one balconies to soften the building's base.</p>

<p><img alt="First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches 9-storey tower for low-rise Deception Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c05c5693-3e00-42d0-b075-55c36094f4db" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Deception%20da%201.png?VersionId=cMKJgBsBaaVCd2dA5O22SOT38OT_.BPA" /></p>

<p>The design evolved following an April 2025 prelodgement meeting with council. At that stage, the project was conceived as a seven-storey building containing 45 apartments. The subsequently lodged scheme increases the development to nine storeys and 60 apartments while introducing one-bedroom residences to the mix.</p>

<p>Zone Planning argues the additional scale reflects the site's position within an area earmarked for increased residential intensity. The planning report points to the North Lakes-Redcliffe-Moreton Bay Rail corridor strategy, which identifies Deception Bay as a district-level activity centre and supports greater housing choice within urban neighbourhoods.</p>

<p>Market Square Deception Bay, Deception Bay Sports Centre, Deception Bay State School, public transport, community facilities and the Moreton Bay foreshore are all identified within approximately one kilometre of the site, while the property falls within a 400-metre walking catchment of Market Square.</p>

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

<p data-end="587" data-start="368">Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.</p>

<p data-end="778" data-start="589">The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.</p>

<p data-end="907" data-start="780"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.</p>

<p data-end="1052" data-start="909">The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.</p>

<p data-end="1311" data-start="1054">The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.</p>

<p data-end="1451" data-start="1313">The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.</p>

<p data-end="1676" data-start="1453">MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.</p>

<p data-end="1908" data-start="1678">Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.</p>

<p data-end="2142" data-start="1910">The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.</p>

<p data-end="2142" data-start="1910"><img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" /></p>

<p data-end="2308" data-start="2144">MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.</p>

<p data-end="2648" data-start="2310">"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.</p>

<p data-end="2797" data-start="2650">"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."</p>

<p data-end="2938" data-start="2799">The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.</p>

<p data-end="3216" data-start="2940">Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.</p>

<p data-end="3325" data-start="3218">Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.</p>

<p data-end="3442" data-start="3327">"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.</p>

<p data-end="3662" data-start="3444">"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."</p>

<p data-end="3818" data-start="3664">MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.</p>

<p data-end="4076" data-start="3820">"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.</p>

<p data-end="4375" data-start="4078">"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."</p>

<p data-end="4503" data-start="4377">Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.</p>

<p data-end="4741" data-start="4505">"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."</p>

<p data-end="4910" data-start="4743">The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.</p>

<p data-end="4951" data-start="4912">MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.</p>


First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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<p data-end="600" data-start="394">Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.</p>

<p data-end="733" data-start="602">But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.</p>

<p data-end="970" data-start="735">Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.</p>

<p data-end="970" data-start="735">[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]</p>

<p data-end="1159" data-start="972">The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.</p>

<p data-end="1357" data-start="1161">It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.</p>

<p data-end="3400" data-start="3216">[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]</p>

<p data-end="3400" data-start="3216">Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.</p>

<p data-end="1664" data-start="1517">Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.</p>

<p data-end="1826" data-start="1666">Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.</p>

<p data-end="1826" data-start="1666">[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]</p>

<p data-end="2045" data-start="1828">Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.</p>

<p data-end="2269" data-start="2047">"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.</p>

<p data-end="2430" data-start="2271">A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.</p>

<p data-end="2606" data-start="2432">It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.</p>

<p data-end="2724" data-start="2608">At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.</p>

<p data-end="2892" data-start="2726">Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.</p>

<p data-end="2892" data-start="2726">[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]</p>

<p data-end="3004" data-start="2894">Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.</p>

<p data-end="3214" data-start="3006">"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.</p>

<p data-end="3400" data-start="3216">The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.</p>

<p data-end="3400" data-start="3216">More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.</p>

<p data-end="3670" data-start="3538">&nbsp;</p>

<p data-end="3670" data-start="3538">[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]</p>

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Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

Fire

<html><body>
<p>California is <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/12/us/california-fires/index" target="_blank">burning</a> – a sentence we’ve heard far too often this year. Sydney is currently on <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/fire-weather-warning-issued-as-sydney-braces-for-42c/news-story/5406ccff2b5a585cd823cf0cf6908822" target="_blank">bushfire alert</a>, as firefighters battle a fire in the Hunter Valley region and temperatures are set to top 40℃.</p>
<p>A cocktail of factors, from climate change to centuries of ignoring indigenous burning practises, means that catastrophic fires are likely to become more common.</p>
<p>One of Australia’s favourite fire prevention measures is prescribed burning – using carefully controlled fires to clear out flammable materials. We’re almost obsessed with it. Indeed, it seems the outcome of every major inquiry is that we need to do more of it.</p>
<p>The Royal Commission inquiry that followed Victoria’s 2009 Black Saturday fires <a href="http://royalcommission.vic.gov.au/Commission-Reports/Final-Report" target="_blank">recommended</a> that 5% of all public land in Victoria be treated per year – a doctrine that was subsequently dropped due to impracticality.</p>
<p>Yet our research, published <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF17061" target="_blank">today</a> in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, modelled thousands of fires in Tasmania and found that nearly a third of the state would have to be burned to effectively lower the risk of bushfires.</p>
<p>The question of how much to burn and where is a puzzle we must solve, especially given the inherent risk, issues caused by smoke <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/205/9/rapid-assessment-impact-hazard-reduction-burning-around-sydney-may-2016?inline=true" target="_blank">smoke</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James_Ricketts/publication/252471836_Climate_Change_Impacts_on_Fire-Weather_in_South-East_Australia/links/54a86d870cf257a6360bdfea/Climate-Change-Impacts-on-Fire-Weather-in-South-East-Australia.pdf" target="_blank">shrinking</a> weather windows for safe burning due to climate change.</p>
<h2>Why use computer simulations?</h2>
<p>The major problem fire science faces is gathering data. Landscape-scale experiments involving extreme fire are rare, for obvious reasons of risk and cost. When a major bushfire happens, all the resources go into putting it out and protecting people. Nobody has the time to painstakingly collect data on how fast it is moving and what it is burning. We are therefore restricted to a few limited data sources to reconstruct the behaviour and impact of fire: we can analyse the <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/WF05051">scar</a> on the landscape after a fire, look at case studies, or run <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479712001752" target="_blank">simulations of computer models</a>.</p>
<p>Most research on the effectiveness of prescribed burning has been at a local scale. We need to start thinking bigger: how can we mitigate the effect of multiple large fires in a region like Tasmania or Southeastern Australia? What is the cumulative effect of different prescribed burning strategies?</p>
<p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199366/original/file-20171215-26014-ff04t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199366/original/file-20171215-26014-ff04t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a></p>
<p><span class="caption">A large fuel reduction burn off on Hobart’s eastern shore.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babomike/8889414172/" target="_blank">Flickr/Mike Rowe</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-NC</a></span></p>
<p>To answer these questions, we create models using mathematical equations to simulate the behaviour of fires across actual landscapes. These models include the effects of vegetation type, terrain and fuel loads, under specific weather conditions. If we simulate thousands of these fires we can get an idea of where fire risk is the highest, and how effective prescribed burning is at reducing that risk.</p>
<p>The island of Tasmania offers the perfect study system. Self-contained, with a wide array of vegetation types and fire regimes, it offers an ideal opportunity to see how fire behaves across a diverse landscape. Perhaps more interestingly, the island contains large areas of flammable landscape surrounding <a href="http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/CTEE/Council/Submissions/ET%202.31.pdf" target="_blank">globally unique</a> ecosystems and numerous towns and villages. Obviously, we cannot set fire to all of Tasmania in real life, but computer simulations make it possible!</p>
<p>So, encouraged by the Tasmanian Fire Service, who initiated our research, we simulated tens of thousands of fires across Tasmania under a range of prescribed burning scenarios.</p>
<h2>Prescribed fire can be effective, in theory</h2>
<p>The first scenario we looked at was the best-case scenario: what happens if we perform prescribed burning on all the vegetation that can handle it, given theoretically unlimited resources? It is possible this approximates the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01426390701767278" target="_blank">sustained and skillful burning</a> by Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples.</p>
<p>Wildfire simulations following this scenario suggested that such an approach would be extremely effective. Importantly, we saw significant reductions in fire activity even in areas where prescribed burning is impossible (for example, due to the presence of people).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this best-case approach, while interesting from a theoretical perspective, would require prescribed burning over more than 30% of Tasmania in one year.</p>
<p>We also analysed the effects of 12 more realistic scenarios. These realistic plans were less than half as efficient as the best-case scenario at reducing fire activity.</p>
<p>On average, 3 hectares of prescribed burning would reduce wildfire extent by roughly 1ha in grasslands and dry forests.</p>
<p>In other flammable Tasmanian vegetation types like buttongrass sedgelands and heathlands, the reduction in wildfire was even smaller. This is obviously better than no prescribed burning, but it highlights the fact that this is a relatively inefficient tool, and given the costs and potential drawbacks, should be used only where it is most needed.</p>
<p>This is a fundamental conundrum of prescribed burning: though it is quite effective in theory, the extent to which we would need to implement it to affect fire behaviour across the entire state is completely unachievable.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is imperative that we not just blindly burn a pre-ordained fraction of the landscape. Rather, we must carefully design localised prescribed burning interventions to reduce risk to communities.</p>
<h2>We need a multi-tool approach</h2>
<p>Our study has shown that while prescribed burning can be quite effective in certain scenarios, it has serious constraints. Additionally, while we analysed these scenarios under bad fire weather, we were not able to analyse the kind of catastrophic days in which the effect of prescribed burning is <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479713006531" target="_blank">seriously reduced</a>, with howling dry winds and stupefying heat.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, due to climate change, we are going to see a lot more catastrophic days in the future in <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF13126" target="_blank">Tasmania</a> and indeed <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-016-0058" target="_blank">globally</a>.</p>
<p>In Hobart this is of particular concern, as the city is surrounded by tall, wet eucalypt forests that have had fifty years grow dense understoreys since the 1967 <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-06/tasmanias-1967-black-tuesday-bushfires-explained/8241698" target="_blank">Black Tuesday</a> fires. These have the potential to cause some of the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112799000663#BIB16">most intense</a> fires on the planet should conditions get dry enough. Prescribed burning is impossible in these forests.</p>
<p>To combat fire risk we must take a multi-pronged approach that includes innovative strategies, such as designing new <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr292/2001_finney.pdf" target="_blank">spatial patterns</a> for prescribed burning, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00049158.2017.1311200" target="_blank">manually removing</a> fuels from areas in which prescribed burning is not possible, <a href="https://www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2017/H10/sharples3.pdf" target="_blank">improving the standards</a> for buildings and defensible spaces, and most importantly, engaging the community in all of this.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Only by attacking this problem from multiple angles, and through close collaboration with the community and all levels of government, can we effectively face our fiery future.</p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-furlaud-430100" target="_blank">James Furlaud</a>, PhD Student in Fire Ecology, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888" target="_blank">University of Tasmania</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-bowman-4397" target="_blank">David Bowman</a>, Professor, Environmental Change Biology, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888" target="_blank">University of Tasmania</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-fight-the-catastrophic-fires-of-the-future-we-need-to-look-beyond-prescribed-burning-89167" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

To fight the catastrophic fires we need to look beyond prescribed burning

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<p>The builder behind Melbourne’s Lacrosse apartment towers which caught fire in 2014 has agreed to replace the combustible cladding on the tower.</p>
<p>It comes as Melbourne authorities move to undertake an audit of some 1400 buildings.</p>
<p>Up to 1400 Victorian buildings could have potentially dangerous panelling according to the Victorian Cladding Taskforce, chaired by former premier Ted Baillieu and former deputy premier John Thwaites.</p>
<p>It was created in July after the Grenfell fire.</p>
<p>The interim report into the extent of non-compliant cladding across Victoria concluded there had been a culture of non-compliance throughout the building sector that has meant combustible cladding has become a widespread material used on multi-storey buildings.</p>
<p>"This culture has to change," Prof Thwaites said in a statement.</p>
<p>It found that around 1400 non-government buildings most likely have aluminium composite panels with a polyethylene core or expanded polystyrene panels, but need inspecting to confirm the materials are present.</p>
<p>"Cladding is much more complicated and widespread than we first thought," Planning Minister Richard Wynne said.</p>
<p>Wynne said the Victorian Building Authority would have to "lift their game."</p>
<p>He allocated $5 million for a statewide audit, while adding all of the buildings would be safe to occupy.</p>
<p>The aim is to inspect 10 per cent of buildings each calendar year, up from two per cent.</p>
<p>LU Simon Builders have been involved in a legal dispute with unit owners over the damage bill to the Lacrosse building in La Trobe Street in the Docklands.</p>
<p>The fire, sparked off by a discarded cigarette, started a national debate again this year on flammable cladding after the London Grenfell tower fire. </p>
<p>“(This is) so that the owners and residents are not inconvenienced any further by the lengthy legal process which is underway at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal that will decide how the costs are to be divided up between the various parties,” a statement by the builder said which was carried by The Herald Sun.</p>
<p>“As part of the VCAT action LU Simon will in turn seek to recover the cost of the replacement works.”</p>
<p>The company expressed confidence that it could reach an agreement with the owners corporation, apartment owners and the municipal building surveyor soon, which would allow work on the replacement to commence in early 2018.</p>
<p>Fairfax Media reported that the builder LU Simon had made a scathing assessment of architect Elenberg Fraser's role on Melbourne's Lacrosse residential tower, accusing the design firm of failing to meet its contractual requirements over cladding used on the building.</p>
<p>In a 33-page expert witness report prepared for the builder – when fighting damages claims by the building owners in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal – saw LU Simon argued Elenberg Fraser did not fulfil the terms of its contract because it did not clearly specify a cladding product for the building as required.</p>
<p>Elenberg Fraser disputed Bullen's report, saying it had been written without seeing Elenberg Fraser's own arguments.</p>
<p>"The report has been delivered early in the proceeding and before there has been any production or inspection of the large volume of documentation held by the parties in respect of the design and construction of the Lacrosse building," Elenberg Fraser's solicitor Sarah Metcalfe of Norton Rose Fulbright said.</p>
<p>"The report is based on a number of incorrect assumptions."</p>
<p>Testing found the cladding on the building to be combustible and Melbourne City Council order it to be replaced – at an estimated cost of $16 million or $40,000 per apartment.</p>
<p>Owners had been fighting to make the builder pay for replacement, but the builder had refused earlier.</p>
<p>The works were required to be completed by July 2018.</p>
<p>City of Melbourne Municipal Building Surveyor Steven Baxas welcomed the builder’s decision, and expressed the hope other builders would follow suit if their buildings had similar flammable cladding. </p>
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Builder agrees to replace flammable cladding on Lacrosse tower in Docklands

<div>GUEST OBSERVER</div>

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<div>The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed a third of the city leaving more than 100,000 people homeless – and prompted King Charles II to issue a proclamation limiting future construction largely to brick and stone.</div>

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<div>For hundreds of years, modern building codes around the world reinforced the king’s approach, severely limiting the use of timber, particularly in multi-storey buildings, due to fear of fire.</div>

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<div>However, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of mid-rise timber buildings in Europe and North America. In the Canadian state of British Columbia, for example, a change to the building code in 2009 allowing for taller timber buildings has seen more than 330 building projects earmarked for construction in timber – and more than 80 projects completed or under construction.</div>

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<div>The resurgence has been enabled by a combination of growing awareness around the environmental and cost advantages of timber, and a willingness on the part of authorities to re-think the rules in the light of contemporary technology.</div>

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<div>At the time of the Great Fire, London did not have a fire brigade. Londoners, assisted by soldiers, had to fight the fire with buckets and fire hooks– and the most effective way to stop the spread of fire was to demolish houses and create a fire break.</div>

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<div>Today, not only do we have fire brigades, we also have automatic sprinkler systems, hose reels, portable fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, fire-protective grade plasterboard and cavity barriers, intumescent seals (door seals that expand in the event of fire to block smoke and hot gases)…</div>

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<div>This year, the Building Code of Australia 2016 will include a Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) approach for timber buildings of up to 25 metres in effective height – typically eight storeys – on the proviso that a raft of safety features such as those I’ve discussed are included. Mid-rise buildings constructed in&nbsp;fire-protected timber&nbsp;– combined with sprinkler systems – can provide fire safety standards that not only&nbsp;equal&nbsp;conventional alternatives, but&nbsp;exceed&nbsp;them.</div>

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<div>Modelling by EFT Consulting ahead of the code change suggests there would 83 per cent fewer fatalities and almost 70 per cent less property damage from fires in timber buildings conforming to the new DTS provisions, compared to conventional buildings – where no sprinklers are required.</div>

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<div>The new provisions require: timber walls be ‘sandwiched’ between layers of fire-protective grade plasterboard of the type used in high rise commercial buildings; fire hydrants, hose reels and portable fire extinguishers similar to those for conventional buildings; fire-resisting cavity barriers e.g. mineral wool; and a fire sprinkler system.</div>

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<div>The changes were approved by the Australian Building Codes Board technical committee that includes Engineers Australia, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service&nbsp;Authorities Council (state fire brigades), the Australian Institute of Architects, Master Builders Australia and the Housing Industry Association.</div>

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<div>Just as fear of fires can be easily addressed when you look at the facts, reassurance can also be offered on other genuinely-held concerns – and enable the property domestic building industry to achieve the cost savings associated with timber, which is estimated by&nbsp;AECOM&nbsp;at 10-20 per cent in an Australian setting, largely because of faster build times.</div>

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<div>Mid-rise timber buildings can be built on top of concrete ground floors, which, when combined with standard termite prevention measures such as barriers, traps and treatments, is sufficient to protect them; the designer of any mid-rise building – timber or not – needs to consider how to counteract a range of environmental hazards.</div>

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<div>Many people also don’t realise that mid-rise timber buildings are externally clad to protect them from water damage and extend their effective life well beyond the mandatory 50 years specified by authorities.</div>

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<div>Mid-rise timber apartment buildings offer domestic builders who are prepared to innovate and upskill their teams a wonderful opportunity to reach new markets on suburban sites which may not previously have been viable, to save on costs and to build in a much more environmentally friendly manner.</div>

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<div><em>Ric Sinclair is the Managing Director of Forest &amp; Wood Products Australia, an industry group which spearheaded a two-year consultation and research process ahead of the change to the Building Code of Australia.</em></div>


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