Home Property Australia Victorian Government Architect s Apartment Design Standards A Template for WA

Victorian Government Architect s Apartment Design Standards A Template for WA

  • February 09, 2017

Lessons From Victoria for DesignWA 

The introduction of minimum benchmarks in the Victorian Architect’s Apartment Design Standards for apartments are a welcome change and should be mirrored in DesignWA.

Notable entries in the Victorian design standards include:

  • permitting borrowed light apartments to a snorkel ratio;
  • allowing south facing apartments with the same standards applying to all apartments;
  • not requiring minimum size apartments and instead requiring minimum room depth and dimensions to ensure they can accommodate essential furniture; and
  • not requiring mandatory setbacks and instead requiring discretionary setbacks based on the site’s context and local planning provisions.

“Unless similar standards are adopted by the WA Planning Comission’s new guidelines for apartments – Design WA has the potential to stifle innovation and may limit flexible solutions that respond to market demands” said Lino Iacomella, Property Council  WA Executive Director.