NSW Government Architect Abbie Galvin will chair the jury of architects appointed by the NSW Government to select the teams to contribute designs to the NSW Housing Pattern Book.

The jury for the NSW Housing Pattern Book Competition also includes architect, urban designer and AIA gold medallist Philip Thalis, AIA NSW Emerging Architect 2024 Jennifer McMaster, architect and Indigenous spatial expert Michael Mossman, and international architect Paul Karakusevic from the UK.

The jury was appointed following the formal closure of the Expressions of Interest campaign, which saw 212 submissions from architects and students from around the globe.

The jury, which also features technical advisors including a quantity surveyor, construction/buildability, planning and compliance, and landscape specialists, will now shortlist up to 15 professional and six student competitors to progress to stage two, the design phase, which will be announced early September. Design submissions will be due by Friday 11 October, and winners will be announced by early November.

The international design competition was launched in July, with applicants asked to express their interest in developing housing designs that are simple to build, sustainable and affordable.

The Pattern Book, which will be released mid-2025, will include high-quality residential designs for low-rise housing such as terraces and semi-detached houses as well as mid-rise apartment buildings of up to six storeys. Developers who use the endorsed pattern book designs will have an accelerated approval pathway, which means builders can get on site faster, and people can move into new homes sooner. 

“I’m delighted we’ve attracted interest from some of the best architects from Australia and around the world as part of our EOI process,” Galvin said. “Of the 212 entries, 171 expressions of interest were submitted by professional architects and 41 were from architecture students.”

According to Galvin, entries were also received from Spain, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, UK, US, Canada, Colombia, South Africa, India and Iran.

“We’re looking for designs, which are liveable, buildable, replicable, cost-effective, sustainable and that meet the needs of the industry and local communities,” Galvin explained. “We have secured up to five sites across greater Sydney, which will be committed for the development of built demonstration housing projects including sites from Homes NSW, Landcom and Sydney Olympic Park Authority.

“At the conclusion of the competition, these NSW Government organisations intend to collaborate with the winning architects for each site to deliver a built project based on their competition-winning design. Competition winners will also work with me to refine designs into patterns for inclusion in the Pattern Book,” she added.

Galvin expects the Pattern Book to be a useful resource for industry, architects, planners, councils and the community for years to come.

Learn more about the Pattern Book Design Competition.

Image: Millard Place Terraces; Image Credit: Richard Glover; Image Source: WMK Architecture

Branko Miletic

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