The New South Wales government is today launching the state's housing pattern book of low-rise designs, alongside an accelerated planning pathway intended to speed up the delivery of pattern-book homes.
Following the launch of an international pattern book design competition in 2024, the Government Architect NSW (GANSW) has endorsed eight terrace, townhouse and manorhouse designs pitched at families, young people and downsizers.
The eight low-rise patterns are intended to be affordable, easy to build, sustainable, and adaptable for different family sizes and needs through a variety of room formations and layouts.
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Exterior view of Terraces 02 by Sam Crawford Architects. Image: Supplied
Of the eight low-rise patterns, two of the designs have been designed by the winning teams of the competition's terrace category: Other Architects and NMBW Architecture Studio, from the collaborative NSW-Victoria team "Housing is a Verb;" and Officer Woods Architects from Western Australia. The remaining two terrace designs have been designed by Sydney-based architects Carter Williamson and Sam Crawford Architects, who were appointed by the state government.
Government Architect NSW Abbie Galvin said she was excited to be able to share these patterns for use by the development industry, architects, planners, councils and communities.
"The pattern book offers practical and sustainable designs that can be adapted to suit many neighbourhoods, positively contributing to the character of a street," Galvin said.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully added, "Much of Sydney was built on pattern books. They look great, they're simple and cost-effective. […] These designs offer choice, with less complexity, making it easier to build homes in NSW."
A communique from the state government notes that the pattern book will be advertised to potential homebuyers and builders through a campaign that highlights the benefits of using a pattern-book design.
For the first six months, the patterns will be available to purchase at a subsidised cost of $1 a design. Following this period, the designs will be priced at $1,000 each - a price point the government describes as "a significant discount on the professional fees that potential builders or homeowners would usually pay for a custom architecturally designed home, [which] could be estimated to cost over $20,000."
Every purchase of a design will be accompanied by a landscape pattern, intended to assist homeowners in designing a garden "that maximises biodiversity and suits the climate they're living in," the government's release notes.
In combination with the pattern book, a new fast-track approval pathway for the housing patterns has been developed by the government with the aim of cutting major costs and delays.
"We're accelerating these designs so those wishing to build can get moving," Scully said.
According to the government's release, the adoption of pattern book designs is additionally enabled by low- and mid-rise housing reforms across the state, which provide opportunities for the construction of terrace, townhouse and manorhouse designs near transport hubs and town centres.
NSW Premier Chris Minns sees the launch of the pattern book as a welcome step toward improving access to the housing market, long hindered by rising costs and complex systems.
"This is a practical step to make the housing system fairer - and make sure NSW remains a place where the next generation can afford to live and thrive," Minns said.
The government notes that, together, the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy and the NSW Housing Pattern Book are designed to bring fairness to the housing system "by increasing housing supply, giving people more choice in wherethey want to live and supporting communities that have been locked out of housing for too long, held back by rising costs and a planning system that made it too hard to build homes."
The state government notes that the release of mid-rise patterns can be expected later this year.
The NSW Housing Pattern Book and process for fast-tracked planning approval are available online.
