Sunday 8 February 2004
All State and Territory Governments across Australia must urgently look at improving the design of new project homes as well as reducing their size, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) said today.
Failure to do this will effectively create a legacy of greenhouse gas emissions that will be with us for generations, the RAIA said.
“It is imperative that we design our houses in response to our climate and minimise the need for artificial systems of heating and cooling,” RAIA National President David Parken said. “It’s totally inappropriate that in 2004 we are continuing to design and build large-scale energy-inefficient Cape Cod and Tuscan villas, in a climate far removed from their country of origin.”
Mr Parken, who also chairs the National Steering Committee for the Year of the Built Environment 2004, said the RAIA strongly supported NSW Premier Bob Carr’s calls for improved housing design at the Sydney launch of YBE.
While Premier Carr’s call to reduce the size of project homes was widely reported, equally important but overlooked were his suggestions regarding the need for more appropriate and improved housing designs.
“If all housing was designed and built in accordance with sustainable design principles starting today, we have a backlog of existing inappropriate housing that will consume a large proportion of our energy requirements for the next 40 to 50 years,” Mr Parken said. “Well designed houses appropriate for Australian conditions are not totally reliant on reverse cycle air conditioning.”
“One of the main objectives of YBE is to demonstrate that improvements can be made to the way we plan and design the fabric of our cities and towns. I am hoping Premier Carr’s comments will be the wake-up call that Australia needs to address this important issue.”
As a first step in NSW, the RAIA, Urban Design Advisory Service, Landcom and NSW Premier’s Office will hold a Premier’s Forum on New Housing Design in Sydney in April.
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