Sydney housing ‘pattern book’ for mass-produced homes thrown open to international design comp

Homegrown and internationally acclaimed architects and design gurus alike are being given the chance to shape Sydney’s future forever. Here’s how the NSW housing ‘pattern book’ will be brought to life.

It’s the book that will shape Sydney’s future and how we all live within the harbour city, and architects from across the globe have been invited to put pen to paper.

A “once in a lifetime” opportunity to help design the Sydney of tomorrow will begin on Tuesday, with a competition for designs for mass-produced homes thrown open for both home-grown and international design gurus to make their mark on our city.

Until August 9, entrants can submit expressions of interest for designs for the NSW Government pattern book, which will be launched at The Mint on Macquarie Street.

It’s a chance for designers to have their say on how the future of Sydney will be shaped and how Sydneysiders will live in the years to come.

The pattern book, which is expected to be completed next year, will be full of designs eligible for accelerated planning approval, making them ripe for mass production in a bid to address Sydney’s housing crisis and help the state reach a goal of building about 75,000 new homes a year.

The Lunar Apartments development at Jannali by architects Rothelowman, a design the NSW Government says could be used as a pattern book entry. Picture: Anson Smart

The designs will be for low and mid-rise housing, ranging from new concepts for terrace housing to apartment blocks up to six storeys high.

A jury chaired by NSW Government Architect Abbie Galvin will decide on successful designs, with winning entries to be backed in by the government – which will build five of them on sites owned by Homes NSW, Landcom and Sydney Olympic Park.

The Bowery, Willoughby, designed by the architects at AJH+, is an example of what the pattern book entries may look like. Picture: Supplied

Ms Gavin said mass-produced apartment blocks “don’t always mean repetition isn’t beautiful”, saying iconic areas like Mayfair in London had blocks of similar looking housing.

Premier Chris Minns said it was a case of back to the future, with pattern books previously used to shape Sydney throughout the 19th century.

“This competition provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for Australia and the world’s best architects to play a central role in addressing the housing crisis our state is facing,” he said.

“These designs will offer ease of approvals for builders while delivering quality homes that shape our cities future.”

Back to the future: Old Bond Street, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom. Picture: Getty

Planning Minister Paul Scully confirmed “anyone who uses one of the pre-approved designs will have access to a faster development assessment pathway which will save builders, developers and homeowners time and money”.

The government’s intention to establish an endorsed pattern book was first revealed at The Daily Telegraph’s Bradfield Oration late last year.

It comes as Mr Minns vowed to bring NSW’s planning system up to speed with the other states in a speech last week, with the government understood to be considering slashing fees for property developers building new homes in Transport Oriented Development zones.

Chair of Housing Now David Borger urged officials to make the pattern book design process “simple”.

“We need to balance good design with affordability so we can build more homes quickly and that they remain accessible for people on lower and middle incomes,” he said.

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