Architects, developers and planning authorities need to think outside the square to begin to address issues of housing affordability and density along with environmental design, according to an architect.
Peddle Thorp design director, Peter Brook, says urban sprawl is becoming a major issue and Melbourne can not keep pushing out the growth boundary and hoping for the best.
"We also have to look beyond the density of housing to the urban environment they create. It is not enough to build a series of poor quality concrete boxes along busy roads and call it the future of urban design," he says.
Some recent projects have highlighted how architectural design can work to address environmental concerns and affordability along with density issues. Brook says the practice designed around 85 townhouses for a medium density development in McKimmies Road, Bundoora, Victoria.
"Being environmentally friendly did not mean expensive housing solutions, but it does require good integrated design," he says.
"These buildings, which sell for about $400,000, are a good alternative to apartments or expensive housing.
"The two-storey townhouses make a village of little streets and the buildings will be both environmentally friendly and affordable for people. The key thing that separates this development from others is that it offers an integrated vision of a landscaped village, cost effective housing and excellent environmental design."
Brook says architects, builders and planning authorities should be looking at new and innovative ways to decrease the environmental footprints of buildings.
He says "Ugly boxes are not always the answer".
