The JHNA Insights

We design homes for one version of your life. Then life happens.

Australia spends around $500 million a year adapting homes after a fall or injury, not counting the costs when households grow, shrink or shift in what they need. These costs show up later but they start with how we design and build.

In this episode, I speak with Finland-based housing specialist Dr Tanja Tyvimaa about why housing needs to work across a lifetime, not just at move-in. She is involved with the Carbon Neutral Tampere 2030 initiative, with work centred on the building life cycle in residential development across municipal government, private developers and investors, and has led projects at universities in Finland, Australia and the US.

From everyday design decisions to system-level choices, the question is simple.

Why are we still building homes most people will outgrow?

Renting in Australia is no longer just expensive. For many renters, it is unstable, exhausting and taking a serious financial and emotional toll.

In this Episode 13, I am joined by Alice Pennycott, Principal Lawyer (Tenancy) at Circle Green Community Legal in WA, and Leo Paterson-Ross, CEO of the Tenants' Union of NSW and a representative of the National Association of Tenant Organisations, to explore housing insecurity, tenancy rights and what renters are experiencing beyond the headlines.

Key questions explored:

• Why does rental affordability not always mean housing security?
• What do vacancy rates miss about renters being pushed out of homes?
• Why can renters still struggle even when they do everything right?
• How do eviction laws in NSW and WA affect renters’ sense of security?
• What would actually make renting more stable, dignified and humane?

The conversation also explores the fear of being labelled a difficult tenant, the personal data renters give up to compete for housing, and what needs to change to create a more secure rental system.

#HousingInsecurity #TenancyRights #HousingAffordability #RentersRights #RentalHousing

Before recording this Episode 12, I read a story about a man who had been given a bath all his life and was finally able to take his first independent shower after moving into an accessible home.

That moment captures my conversation with Nicole Makin-Doherty, CEO and Managing Director of Empowered Liveability, about accessible housing, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and why so many Australians are still locked out of homes that meet their needs.

Key questions explored:

• Why do only 5% of new homes meet basic accessibility standards?
• Why are more than 40% of SDA rooms unoccupied while people are still searching for housing?
• What do investors misunderstand about SDA and NDIS funding?
• How can inclusive design support disability, recovery and ageing in place?
• Could the crossover between SDA and social housing help more people access suitable homes?

The discussion also considers physical, sensory, financial and community access, and why designing for inclusion can support greater independence, connection and dignity.

#AccessibleHousing #SDA #NDIS #AgeingInPlace #UniversalDesign

By 2050, more than one million Australian homes could be uninsurable. Flood-prone properties have already lost $42 billion in value, while disaster costs are projected to reach $73 billion each year. What happens to homes, infrastructure and communities after disaster strikes?

In Episode 12, I spoke with Danny Rose, Manager Roads and Stormwater Engineering at ⁠Tweed Shire Council⁠ and Deputy President ⁠Floodplain Management Australia⁠, ⁠ and ⁠Patrick Leahy⁠, Director at ⁠SG Group Real Estate Advisors,⁠ about flood recovery, housing resilience and how communities are adapting to growing climate risk.

Key questions explored:

• How did the 2011 and 2022 floods change the way communities rebuild?
• What happens to roads, drainage and utilities when property buybacks reshape neighbourhoods?
• How do councils decide what to rebuild, relocate or retire?
• How are flood modelling and the “checkerboard effect” changing where new homes can be safely approved?
• Why are community education and trust essential before disaster strikes?

The discussion also considers how lessons from flood buybacks and recovery are informing responses to bushfire, wind and landslide risk, and what safer rebuilding means for homes, communities and future development.

#HousingResilience #FloodManagement #Buybacks #BuiltEnvironment #SustainableHousing

Australia needs 1.2 million new homes by 2029, while housing stress, homelessness and climate risks continue to intensify. A typical new home releases around 185 tonnes of CO₂ before anyone moves in, and housing and construction already account for nearly 20% of national emissions. Can Australia deliver the homes it needs without locking in more carbon?

In Episode 10, I spoke with Ammon Beyerle, Architect & Director of Here Studio, and Jeremy Mansfield OAM, Board Chair of Green Cross Australia and Founder/Director of Mansfield Advisory Pty Ltd about how adaptive reuse and nature-based urban design can deliver the homes we need while cutting carbon and building more liveable communities.

Key questions explored:

• Can adaptive reuse help meet housing targets while cutting embodied carbon?
• If 90% of existing buildings need redesigning by 2040, why keep defaulting to new construction?
• Could underused heritage buildings in regional towns become new housing?
• Can lightweight timber extensions add three or more housing floors without demolition?
• How can nature-based urban design reduce emissions and improve wellbeing?

The discussion also considers planning consistency, the $1.3 billion Household Energy Upgrades Fund, and why housing success should be measured through inclusion, health and resilience as well as carbon.

#AdaptiveReuse #SustainableHousing #NatureBasedUrbanDesign #BuiltEnvironment #NetZero

When more than 10,000 Australians experience homelessness every month and rental vacancy rates sit just above 1%, you would think every state would be doing everything possible to encourage affordable housing. The reality tells a different story.

In this episode, I am joined by Paul Zanetti, Founder and Director of Brisbane Rooming Houses, to explore rooming accommodation as an affordable housing option. The model provides long-term studios of 30 to 60 sqm with private amenities, furnishings and bills included, with rents around $400 to $500 per week compared with over $700 for a typical one-bedroom apartment.

Key questions explored:

• Could rooming accommodation help expand affordable rental supply?
• Why does Queensland prohibit shared occupancy when half of enquiries come from couples?
• Are infrastructure charges of up to $26,000 per room limiting new housing supply?
• What are Victoria and Western Australia doing differently to attract investment?
• Which regulatory changes could reduce rental stress and unlock more affordable rooms?

The discussion also considers certification risks, policy inconsistencies and why government and private providers need to work together, with 95% of Australia’s housing delivered by the private sector.

#RoomingAccommodation #AffordableHousing #HousingSupply #QueenslandHousing #InfrastructureCharges

Climate change, housing affordability and infrastructure resilience are colliding into one of Australia’s biggest challenges. Disaster costs already exceed $38 billion a year and are projected to reach $73 billion by 2060, with Queensland and NSW expected to bear two-thirds of the burden.

In Episode 8, I am joined by Pradesh Ramiah, Urban and Environmental Planner at Moreton Bay Council, and Rob Cowle, Property Risk Consultant and Director at B3Creative, to explore how Australia can better prepare homes and communities for growing climate risks.

Key questions explored:

• Can housing be redirected to safer locations without making it less affordable?
• Should Australia retreat, adapt in place or build more densely in safer areas?
• Why isn’t climate ready construction standard when resilient features can reduce future repair costs?
• What happens when insurance becomes unaffordable or unavailable in high-risk areas?
• What would a climate adapted housing system look like by 2040?

The discussion considers climate risk disclosure, stronger resilience standards, energy efficiency and future housing planning, and what needs to do now to build safer, more resilient communities.

#ClimateResilience #HousingAffordability #ClimateReadyHousing #InfrastructureResilience #UrbanPlanning

Traditional construction now takes about 55 weeks to complete one home, while more than 160,000 households are waiting for social housing. If Australia keeps building the same way, can housing supply ever catch up?

In this Episode 7, I talk with Nicholas O’Neill, Managing Director at Moov Modular, and Damien Crough, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of prefabAUS, about how prefab and modular housing can help ease Australia’s housing crisis by delivering the speed, quality and affordability we desperately need.

Key questions explored:

• How can prefab homes be built in 16 weeks instead of around 55?
• Why can legislation still hold back prefab housing that meets the NCC?
• Could modular housing be a practical solution for regional and remote communities?
• How do different state transport rules add cost and complexity?
• Why are major lenders backing prefab, and can factory construction reduce defects and risk?

The conversation explores methods of construction (MMC), the skills needed to deliver prefab successfully, and what must change in finance, planning and regulation to help Australia deliver housing faster.

#ModularHousing #PrefabConstruction #ModernMethodsOfConstruction #HousingSupply #AffordableHousing

By 2050 half of Australians are expected to live in strata accommodation, yet many buyers do not fully understand what they are purchasing. This knowledge gap sits at the centre of Australia’s strata education challenges.

In this episode, I speak with Kate McHugh, Co-Founder and Engagement Lead at Strata Futures, and Michael Lovell, Senior Strata Development Consultant at Strata Dynamics, about how strata management can reshape communities and drive meaningful change in Australia’s housing ecosystem.

Key questions explored:

• Do you really own your apartment, or just the space inside it?
• Are strata levies simply costs, or investments that protect property value?
• How can strata adapt as people, buildings and communities change over time?
• How can buyers make informed decisions when disclosure requirements vary between states?
• If Australians invest so heavily in housing, why is strata education still falling behind?

With 3 million additional strata units forecast across Australia’s capitals, the discussion considers what this growth could mean for future urban living and housing supply.

#StrataLiving #StrataManagement #HousingSupply #UrbanDensity #HousingEducation

Could the rooftops above us hold a sustainable solution to Australia’s housing crisis and efforts to decarbonise our cities?

In my recent conversation with Warren Livesey we discussed the potential of airspace development in Australia, converting unused rooftops into housing. Our discussion explored the economic and environmental benefits, challenges with heritage buildings, lessons from international practice and the legislative landscape.

Key questions explored:

• Could 150 million sqm of unused rooftops nationwide unlock new housing supply?
• Can airspace development deliver new housing at around 25% lower cost?
• How should rooftop housing work with heritage protections?
• What risks exist around construction defects and airspace banking?
• Could this model work beyond major cities and into regional centres?

The discussion also considers whether gentle density could create new housing without displacing communities or consuming more green space, while helping fund building repairs and upgrades.

Listen to the full discussion on what it would take to turn this overlooked space into new homes.

#AirspaceDevelopment #RooftopHousing #HousingSupply #HousingDevelopment #GentleDensity