The Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA) has grown from a small sideline ginger group to a real force in the housing debate. The (Royal) Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), has ceded leadership on housing generally with its concentration on the high-end homes. A recent conference may be a demonstration of their influence.
The BDAA is
often seen as the poor cousin to the AIA, but there’s a reversal on the matters of
housing. The AIA seems to be obsessed with glamour homes (and buildings) in its
awards programmes and conference delegates.
In
contrast, the BDAA, without regulatory stature or royal ascent, but
by dint of continual activism and advocacy, is now seen the prominent
spokesbody for housing design.
As evidence
of this proposition, I cite two conferences that the BDAA organised this
year.
The first
was a digital ‘DesignSummit’ in
March this year. The smorgasbord of issues about housing was viewed by
2500 attendees over the two days and a further 2500 views afterwards.
That’s the
power of a digital conference. My whinge would be that the AIA refused to even
countenance the idea of digital for the annual conference that I was
co-convenor for in 2004.
More
recently, last weekend, the BDAA held an in-person National Festival of Design Conference on the Sunshine
Coast of Queensland. There were 160 delegates to hear the 15 talks.
There were four standout issues, elaborated here to show why we should turn to
the BDAA for leadership on housing design.
Housing
All Australians
Rob
Pradolin, CEO of HAA, explained the newly conceived idea
of meanwhileuse. This idea
proposes refurbishing existing buildings, which are unused through neglect, age
or not meeting current needs.
HAA works
with the owner to secure the building, organises volunteer trades to repair and
upgrade the building fit for use and organises a fully donated fit-out.
It is then
handed to a CHP (Community Housing Provider) to organise occupation by needy
residents, often older women in housing stress. The CHPs use their managerial
skills to run the building on a not-for-profit basis, immediately addressing
much-needed housing for the neediest homeless.
One
drawback is the short-term nature of meanwhile use, but many of
these buildings have languished for years without occupation and would continue
to do so, but now can be available for 2 to 5 years. Maybe prompting a
long-term solution.
Faith
housing
Amy
Marsden, from ThereforGroup,
presented some case studies of projects in Melbourne where buildings owned by
faith organisations of all denominations are repurposed for housing. Parodying
the naysayers, she calls it YIFBY (Yes in Faith Back Yards).
The
approach is to alter planning zonings to allow housing to be built on the
usually plentiful land around the church, including the manse or minister’s
house.
In NSW, FHA
(Faith Housing Australia), through chair Rob Stokes, has equally sought to
overturn impediments to housing, not least of which is restrictive zoning that
prevents uses other than churches. Additionally, in NSW, where land areas are
smaller, fights over the heritage values are a perennial issue, leading to
lengthy delays in the two most recent faith housing developments in
Marrickville and South Strathfield.
Nevertheless,
the rise of congregations seeking to move from worship to mission sees
a potential to unlock land held by the second biggest landowners after
governments, for much-needed affordable housing.
Materials
and methods
Many of the
presentations focused on promising developments in materiality and construction
methods. All were fully practical, as befits a design conference, blessedly
free of the endlessly boring scientific jargon and rhetoric in
industry-refereed papers.
The role of
carbon in concrete was self-debated by Clare Tubolets from the Smartcrete CRC (Critical Research Centre), presenting
greener forms of concrete through research and innovation. Examples abounded
when right and, crushingly, when wrong. An example of innovation, 3D concrete
printing, was shown by Paige Gercovich of Dune Build.
And Monica
Richter from WWF spoke eloquently about
“Addressing the key climate and nature challenges through design. Lessons
from MECLA’s (Materials and Embodied Carbon
Leaders’ Alliance) collaborative approach”.
Cathy
Inglis from Think Brick presented the greener credentials of masonry –
clay and concrete. The many players using the indigenous clay resources are
being urged on by Think Brick to do better, even as the
Federal Government pays little recognition to the voluntary improvements made
to date, insisting that today’s status be the bottom line for percentage
improvements they now demand.
Timber was
lauded as a resource that sequesters carbon and the possibility of further
carbon capture in replanting forests. Innovations were presented in laminated
structures, green prefabkits – improved framing and trusses – and included a five-storey
apartment building by Rob Pradolin, in stick frame, not CLT (cross-laminated
timber) as would be expected.
Even
the award trophies on Saturday night got in on
the act, being made from super-laminated hardwood by Crafted Hardwoods.
Green
Building Council of Australia
The GBCA is mostly known for its rating scheme
with green stars, often for expensive, elite buildings. An approach that some,
myself included, have criticised for its rather narrow focus at the top end of
town. But as Jorge Chapa, GBCA’s Chief Impact Officer (a novel addition to the
C-suite) showed in a brilliant closing talk, GBCA is pivoting to a program for
all buildings. Boiled down it has a three-pronged approach:
Sounds
simple, almost simplistic, but in Jorge’s slides conveyed a level on conviction
and confidence that architects need desperately to take forward to their
clients. He presented a different direction for the GBCA to motivate changes in
design across all buildings.
And in
concluding remarks…
In summary,
the BDAA conference attacked the triple themes of cost effectiveness,
sustainability and social purpose, all of which we can expect to be further
interrogated at the SustainabilitySummit on
19 November.
I travelled
to the BDAA conference as a guest of Think Brick, with whom I am
developing schemes for the three-storey walk-up flats (3SWUF), which I
presented at the BDAA conference. And on which there will be much more next
week.
Cross-Sections
are Friday musings from Tone Wheeler, following on from the Tone onTuesday columns.
Remember: Amateurs draw plans, professionals draw sections; never at cross
purposes.
*This article was originally published on Architecture and Design: https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/editorial/opinion/why-the-bdaa-is-the-best-spokesbody-on-housing