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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/sep/27/australia-housing-pattern-book-architecturally-designed-homes-exports-solution-global-housing-crisis>
"An Australian government faced with a housing crisis has launched an
inexpensive, quick-fix plan that has caught the attention of countries around
the world.
For just one Australian dollar anyone can download a set of architect-designed
housing templates, which in New South Wales – Australia’s most populous state
and its most expensive – have already been preapproved by the state government
for fast-track development.
There are no glossy brochures for the NSW Housing Pattern Book, although it
does feature some beguiling artists’ impressions.
Essentially it is a practical toolkit for tackling what Australian architects
and town planners have long bemoaned as the “missing middle” in the country’s
major cities: terraces, townhouses and manor houses.
Designed by Australian award-winning architects in a competitive process, the
government’s criteria went beyond the usual checkboxes of sustainability,
affordability and adaptability. Designs had to respond to Australia’s distinct
climate and be functionally sound.
They also had to be beautiful.
And homebuilders in 15 other countries across Europe and Asia have already
taken advantage of the $1 deal. While New Zealand, the US, the UK and Singapore
make up the bulk of these sales (to date more than 200), homebuilders as far
afield as Turkey, Jordan and the Bahamas have purchased the NSW plans.
From July this year, new developments using these $1 designs in NSW will be
eligible for approval in just 10 days – a seismic shift in a country where
planning delays routinely stretch into months, and sometimes years.
The pattern book is part of a broader push to densify cities such as Sydney and
Newcastle without resorting to high-rise towers or speculative sprawl.
While the fast-track approval guarantee only applies to NSW, it is expected
state governments in other jurisdictions will view the pattern book as a stride
forward in public architecture and legislate accordingly, or commission their
own, tailored to the distinctive environments and the needs of their urban
populations."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
