Density by Design

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We’re committed to using the collective experiences of ourselves and our clients to help shape living in Sydney’s future apartments.

• While the design criteria sets clear measurable benchmarks of how the objectives can be achieved, they are not standards to be applied without a degree of judgement. The experience of many participants at our workshop indicated an often slavish application of the numerical design criteria by planning authorities at the expense of regular and efficient apartment layouts, and good flow of indoor to outdoor spaces.
• Rigid application of solar access design criteria for apartments in some instances has not been balanced with other aspects of residential amenity such as a quality outlook.
• Satisfying design criteria has become more technical, requiring building scientists to test solar access and cross ventilation.
• The design criteria in ADG such as building separation distances promote amalgamation of sites, which has contributed to singular and often homogenous building typologies and a loss of the finer grain city.
• Encouraging multiple cores in buildings has come with added cost and a reduction in building efficiency. It may also come at the expense of reducing resident interaction within buildings, where occupants may only ever know their immediate neighbours.
• Targeting a higher standard of building sustainability than the minimums in BASIX is not being recognised in the assessment of a building’s performance against SEPP 65 and the ADG.
• A strict application of minimum apartment sizes limits consideration of innovative compact housing models, which may be appropriate for certain locations and in buildings with shared amenities. If additional amenity is provided, compact living can provide a better quality of life at more affordable prices.
• The guidelines have a heavy weighting towards stand-alone residential buildings. There needs to be more sophisticated understanding of real mixed use buildings and how the uses can appropriately co-locate in a single building.
• Generally, in the absence of design review panels that comprise of the necessary design expertise to judge the performance of a building’s, planning officers have defaulted to strict numerical compliance which may lead to compromised design quality and amenity outcomes.

Urbis will be using these valuable insights to develop a paper for the Planning Minister, suggesting improvements to the implementation of these design guidelines. We’re committed to using the collective experiences of ourselves and our clients to help shape living in Sydney’s future apartments.

If you have any questions on this topic, please contact Murray Donaldson or one of our other urban infill residential experts.