Architecture Australia

Ask architects which Australian magazine they choose to read or to publish their work and the answer is most likely Architecture Australia. If you want to be up to date with the best built works and the issues that matter, then Architecture Australia is for you. Its commissioned contributors are independent, highly respected practitioners, architectural thinkers and design commentators and each article is supported by images from leading architectural photographers. Provocative, informative and engaging – it is the national magazine of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Designing a better Australia

Architecture and the housing crisis

Selected writers and photographers

Architecture Australia

Shiel Street North Melbourne, Community Housing Project Clare Cousins Architects • An innovative and replicable new housing project in inner-Naarm/ Melbourne shows a path forward for creating practical, dignified community housing at scale and within ambitious timeframes.

Habilis Collins and Turner • With a design that provides moments of domesticity and dignity, Habilis transforms a remnant industrial site into a space of holistic mental health care for those with a history of homelessness.

Allunga Road Multi Preston Lane Architects • A set of dignified units in suburban Nipaluna/Hobart resonate with moments of welcome amenity, reminding us that social housing can enjoy just as much thoughtful design as its private counterpart.

Mundingburra Housing Counterpoint Architecture • An exemplar project for Queensland’s Social Housing Design Guideline, this small-scale development presents a civic response that balances community and individual identity.

DOSSIER — What are architects doing about the housing crisis? • Australia is in an era that continues to commodify housing, leading to the exclusion of many demographics from this human right. Within this complex and highly politicised crisis, how are architects contributing to solutions that shift the canon towards a more equitable future? In this dossier, architects and experts discuss our path forward, asking us to critique the status quo, learn from built exemplars and retain our resilience when advocating for change that benefits all.

State of the nation: Tackling Australia’s housing crisis • Brendan Coates, housing and economic security program director at Grattan Institute, provides an overview of the crisis in Australia and outlines how the built environment industry can contribute to the pursuit of affordable and desirable housing.

Developing policy: top-down and bottom-up approaches • Clear communication, cross-disciplinary collaboration and evidence-based research play critical roles in rethinking housing solutions. Sarah Buckeridge talks to Damian Madigan and Diana Snape about the influence of community advocacy on government decisions, and vice versa.

Expressions of interest • Are competitions and demonstration projects enough to shift the status quo of housing design? Rory Hyde reflects on the role and realities of conceptual ideas for new ways of living.

Efficiency vs. supply • Oversized and underused existing homes present an opportunity to consider the solution of “increased supply” in a more efficient and sustainable way.

Fit for purpose: Culturally adequate housing • Public architecture in Australia is increasingly celebrating cultural diversity, but residential design is lagging behind. How do we ensure that, in the rush to increase housing supply, we don’t create stock that isn’t adaptable to the needs of our culturally diverse and developing population?

Lessons from London • Allied to progressive approaches to procurement, partnership and engagement, London is building a new wave of projects that hold developers to higher accountability. This context offers insight into how,...