Photography
Scott Burrows
Architecture
Arkhefi
eld
smaller, more compact homes will be the
norm. This is not to say that architecture
and design will suff er, but instead of making
a grand individual expressive home, our
creative thinkers will be designing residences
in terms of how they plug into the communal
resources of the street.
Councils are already encouraging new
multi-residential homes to be built using
Complying Development codes. This means
if plans meet the already agreed standards
and council zoning, they can be approved on
average in about 22 days compared to 71.
Owners already living in older medium- and
high-density complexes needing upgrades to
their block will be given incentives to add value
while retaining density, and require only 75
percent approval of all owners before making
development decisions.
One style of home set to make a comeback
is the terrace. While the original English
terraces shaped our inner-city streets during
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, so
too the next generation of multi-residential
housing types will defi ne our towns of
tomorrow. Currently there is a designcompetition among the architectural
fraternity to come up with ideas for the
new-age Aussie terrace.
Some over-arching facts that point to
high-quality multi-residential options being
not an ideal, but a necessity, include the
latest population projection data. Our major
metropolitan cities will need well over a
million new homes over the next 20 years to
meet demand. To stop the balloon bursting,
our children and grandchildren must get
used to living in smaller-sized homes and be
prepared to share communal facilities.
It may sound like a socialist utopian
vision, but we need to change our mindset of
what a ‘grand home’ looks like. Most in the
architectural profession struggle with how
to design economically — both fi nancially
and spatially. These principles need to be
extended to changing the way Australians
think — encouraging them to become more
open-minded about living in smaller homes
with shared facilities. In doing so it will
reinvigorate a sense of community in our
cities, towns and suburbs.
Just don’t ask me to take out your washing.