Nine new mid-rise apartment building designs have been launched today by the New South Wales government as part of the state’s housing pattern book, adding to the eight low-rise designs that were released in July.
The mid-rise apartment designs, developed by architectural firms from Australia and New Zeeland, range in height from three to six storeys. They include four patterns for small lots, designed by Collins and Turner, Nguluway Design Inc, MHN Design Union and Neeson Murcutt Neille; three designs for large lots by Silvester Fuller, Bennett and Trimble, and Andrew Burges Architects; and two designs for corner lots by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Spacecraft Architects.
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A media release from the NSW government notes that the pattern book will enable the state’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, which aims to provide 112,000 homes across the state over the next five years. The communique notes that by “offering a broad suite of new housing options for growing communities,” the patterns aim to meet “growing demand for terraces, townhouses and mid-rise apartment buildings in well-located areas.”
Government Architect NSW Abbie Galvin said that the newly released “mid-rise apartments strike a balance between compact living and community connection … [and] enhance neighbourhood character while meeting the needs of diverse households.”
“Architecture plays a vital role in shaping places people want to live. These designs offer a clear pathway to delivering quality homes that contribute positively to the urban fabric,” said Galvin.
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Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said that the “new patterns will write a new chapter for mid-rise homes in NSW,” building on a legacy of “art deco apartments … [and] red brick walk ups that are a much-loved part of many communities” with homes “that not only have character but are affordable and sustainable.”
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Each of the patterns have been designed to the Australian Building Codes Board Liveable Housing Design Standard, with cross-ventilation and solar access maximised. They’ve also been developed to enable ease of construction and to produce homes that are adaptable, cost-effective and energy-efficient.
Unlike the low-rise patterns, which can be applied on lots anywhere across the state where low- and mid-rise housing types are already permitted with consent, the mid-rise patterns currently require a development application to be submitted to local council.
According to the government, “councils have been provided with advice that will allow them to halve the average assessment times for these patterns.” In the new year, new planning laws “will enable an even faster and simpler planning pathway … with the mid-rise pattern book to be prioritised for access to the government’s newly created targeted assessment pathway,” the release notes.
For the next six months, the mid-rise patterns will be available at a subsidised cost of $1,500 for small lot and corner designs and $2,500 for large lot designs. According to the state government, these costs are “only one per cent of the typical costs for architect designs … [in order] to build a better and fairer NSW with more homes and services, so young people, families and downsizers have somewhere to live in the communities they choose.”
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The Premier of NSW Chris Minns said, “The new housing patterns are more than designs for beautiful homes. They are a practical way we are delivering more homes for young people and families across New South Wales.”
“We are leading the world with the use of pattern books to drive the delivery of new high-quality and affordable homes faster by cutting approval delays and making quality designs more accessible,” he said.
The full suite of NSW Housing Pattern Book designs can be accessed on the government’s website. More
