In 1980 the median house price in Melbourne was $40,800. Fast forward to 2016 and the median price of a house was $713,000. With property prices rising across the country, the concept of the Australian Dreamhouse on its own block with a front and back yard is becoming more like a fantasy. This was in part because median income didn’t have the same rate of growth as property prices, so the gap between house income and house expense became wider every year. This increased gap means that many Australian’s are finding it harder to own a home. To address this there are more apartments being built in our major cities than ever before, with most apartments having smaller floor areas than stand-alone houses. As Australians look for homes they can afford, architects are designing new forms of housing that can meet the needs of a growing population with complex financial burdens. 

In this episode of Hearing Architecture, we’ve asked architects from around Australia how architects can play an active role in addressing housing affordability.

This episode of Hearing Architecture featured the following guests: Rob McGauran, Shaneen Fantin, Belinda Allwood, Jo Rees, Rod Simpson, Kylee Schoonens, Professor Philip Thalis, Joe Agius, Lee Hillam, Peter Stutchbury, Timothy Moore, Jane Caught, Andrew Maynard, Yvette Breytenbach, and Jefa Greenaway.

The interviews in this episode were produced around Australia by EmAGN committee members: Jamileh Jahangiri, Daniel Hall, Kirsty Volz, Kali Marnane, Chris Morley, Sam McQueeney, Reece Currey, Brad Wetherall, Jess Beaver, Bede Taylor, Rebecca Webster, and Daniel Moore.

The Australian Institute of Architecture production team was Daniela Crawley, Stacey Rodda, Monique Woodward, and Thom McKenzie.

Produced by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio.

Written and Directed by Daniel Moore.

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