Sydney-based architect urges caution for new housing policy

ArtMade Architects Director, veteran dual-occupancy and townhouse architect Sherif Saad is among the champions of the New South Wales Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy. He is adamant: Good design will be central to the success of this new approach to density. 

Image: Sherif Saad / supplied

The New South Wales Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, rolled out on 28 February, aims to diversify housing options by promoting the development of low and mid-rise housing within 800 meters of selected town centers and transport hubs. 

This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between freestanding homes and high-rise apartments, offering choices like dual occupancies, terraces, townhouses, and apartment buildings ranging from three to six stories.
According to Saad, on smaller lots, function and form must be carefully balanced.

“First and foremost, every space has to work well. That requires a meticulous design approach that delivers good access to natural light and cross-ventilation, whilst maximising circulation between internal spaces and creating connections to the outdoors,” he says.

He believes it is possible to design a sense of grandeur and luxury at all scales. 

“If a dual-occupancy, terrace or townhouse is well designed, the home should enhance the way residents live and provide them with opportunities, not compromises,” Saad says.

With an office in Surry Hills, Saad doesn’t have to look far to see what he considers to be the downsides of delivering density without commensurate planning to support and protect good design. He says suburbs like Surry Hills, Redfern, Balmain and Newtown are classic examples of density, rolled out at pace.  

“Many of the oldest homes here have limited outdoor areas and small internal spaces,” Saad says. 

“From the outside looking in, the streetscapes can feel overcrowded with homes tucked tightly together.

“Granted, some of these homes are now prized for their cultural and heritage significance but they were not designed for the way we like to live today.” 

He says now is the time to reimagine medium-density housing and capitalise on the opportunities the policy presents. 
Saad believes a good place to start is designing new homes that not only complement but enhance the existing character of their neighbourhoods.

To help keep design top of the agenda for new developments, he’d like to see more local design review panels, and more profiling of exemplar low and mid-rise housing, to keep architects inspired to innovate.

Images: ArtMade Architects' design for a Maroubra Residential Flat Building / supplied