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May 5, 2013

Developers offer top-end freebies

Filed under: Buildings — Tags: , — tom @ 11:34 pm

Melbourne apartment developers are resorting to giveaways of free marina berths, $40,000 furniture packages and stamp duty rebates of up to $45,000 to attract off-the-plan buyers in an increasingly flooded market.

There were 23,325 new apartments granted planning approval in the 12 months to February, driven in part by interventions by Planning Minister Matthew Guy to approve a host of new skyscrapers.

It represented a 19 per cent jump in approvals from the year before, when 19,530 apartments were given the green light, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That compares with just 11,258 five years ago under the previous government and during the credit crunch.

Andrew Perkins, of real estate group Oliver Hume, said the rush of approvals had resulted in a record number of off-the-plan sales campaigns competing for buyers.

Some of what is approved never gets built because the developer fails to get enough presales to fund construction or secure funding from a bank. Others are simply looking to onsell land with permits.

There are currently about 300 developments being marketed in Melbourne, with 35,700 proposed apartments for sale.

Independent property adviser Mark Armstrong said the glut of apartments meant current apartment owners were unlikely to have much capital growth in their asset for years to come. ”The reality for existing owners is that the value of their properties is always going to be below what developers are selling the new ones for,” he said.

The record competition has pushed even established developers such as Mirvac to resort to extra incentives for buyers.

Mirvac is offering buyers of million-dollar apartments at its proposed Docklands Yarra Point development a bonus berth at the local marina on a leasehold until 2030. A 17-year lease at Mirvac’s Yarra’s Edge marina sells on the open market for $120,000 for the smallest berth (12 metres). A large number of the 149 marina berths are still for sale.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/developers-offer-topend-freebies-20130505-2j1cx.html#ixzz2SSqLYzh2
To read full article please visit: http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/developers-offer-topend-freebies-20130505-2j1cx.html#ixzz2SSq5j9Wz

A metro-style solution for Melbourne rail growth

Filed under: Civil — Tags: , — tom @ 11:29 pm

With suburban rail traffic forecast to double over the next 20 years, Melbourne is looking at radical solutions to accommodate rising passenger volumes. Keith Barrow examines a new report from Public Transport Victoria, which provides a blueprint for developing the rail network in Australia’s second largest city.

TO those familiar with urban rail, Melbourne is a city synonymous with trams. With 27 routes and a total length of 249km, Melbourne’s network rivals other light rail giants such as Vienna in its scale, carrying around four million passengers per year. 

But the city also relies on an extensive suburban rail system, and this too has witnessed sustained growth in recent years with a 70% increase in passenger numbers over the last decade. In 2011 10% of commuters travelled into the city by train, well above the Australian average of 6.3%. With most population growth expected to occur in the north, west and east of the city over the next 20 years, and most new employment in the city centre, weekday ridership is expected to more than double to 1.7 million by 2031 with an annual growth rate of about 4%.

This means more capacity is urgently needed on a network already under pressure. On March 27 Public Transport Victoria (PTV) unveiled Network Development Plan – Metropolitan Rail, a 30-year blueprint for the development of the suburban rail network, which if implemented in full could increase peak capacity by 50% by 2023 and 100% within 20 years.

The line-by-line proposals seek to accommodate rising demand while reconfiguring the timetable to improve connections with light rail and buses, and extending the network to areas not currently served by suburban rail.

The aim is to develop what PTV terms a “metro-style” system, which is defined by the following parameters:

• simple timetables with turn-up-and-go frequencies

• stand-alone end-to-end lines which do not intersect or merge with other routes, allowing disruption to be contained

• modern high-capacity signalling to maximise track capacity and enhance reliability

• high-capacity trains designed to minimise station dwell times, and

• grade-separated level crossings where the increased service would cause unacceptable traffic delays.

To achieve this, PTV prescribes investment in new infrastructure and rolling stock, alongside steps to optimise the performance of existing resources.

The plan is split into four stages, each roughly covering a five-year period. Stage 1 will be completed by 2016 and aims to tackle immediate critical constraints in the network, while providing a basis for expansion in future stages. Key projects include the already-committed Regional Rail Link (RRL) with new stations at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale and additional platforms at Southern Cross; seven new trains and associated power supply and stabling upgrades; and 40 extra V/Locity dmu cars, which are on order from Bombardier with deliveries due to start next year.

In addition, an order for 33 new high-capacity trains will be placed, and the 2011-12 Victoria state budget has allocated $A 210m towards the procurement of the new fleet. Initially these trains will carry up to 1100 passengers but will be designed to allow extension up to 220m in length. Emus in the current fleet are 143m long, and most platforms can accommodate 155m-long trains, although “challenging” infrastructure work would be required at city centre stations such as Flinders Street and Richmond to support the introduction of 220m-long trains. The report rules out double-deck trains as a viable solution to this problem because of the impact on dwell times and the need to increase station capacity to cope with different loading patterns.

The completion of the RRL in 2016 will allow timetables to be recast on all metropolitan and regional lines, enabling the introduction of a longer peak on some lines and improved off-peak and late night services. This will segregate regional services from suburban trains on the Sunshine and Werribee lines, providing an immediate and much-needed capacity boost on these routes.

The second stage will be the first step in turning the suburban network into a metro-style system within 10 years. Central to this will be the construction of the 9km Melbourne Metro tunnel, which alongside the provision of new trains and signalling is singled out as one of the core requirements for establishing high-frequency services. Running via the city centre, the tunnel will link South Kensington and South Yarra with five new inner-city stations. The tunnel will significantly increase capacity on the Werribee, Craigieburn, Sunbury, Upfield, Sandringham and Frankston lines, and will permit the operation of 19 additional peak-hour services.

Other enhancements in stage 2 include doubling the Melton line; upgrading the Dandenong line; and resignalling the Hurstbridge, Sandringham, and South Morang lines. The latter will be a pilot project for the implementation of high-capacity signalling, although the transport plan does not identify a preferred technology. The report notes that the existing system currently operates at around 15 trains per hour (tph) and could operate at 24tph in ideal operating conditions, but it suggests that investment in high-capacity signalling could support operation at “up to or beyond” 30tph.

The launch of the revised timetables following the completion of the RRL in 2016 will put considerable strain on the train fleet, requiring all 210 existing suburban trains to be available for service at peak times. In stage 2, the fleet will be expanded with the delivery of the first batch of 33 high-capacity trains and an order for a further 70 sets will also be placed. In addition to providing additional capacity, new trains will also be required to allow the retirement of older emus.

Additional measures in stage 2 will include adaption of the timetable for metro operations, with power supply upgrades and track and signalling alterations for high-frequency services.

The completion of the Melbourne Metro tunnel will allow all lines to be segregated from one another except in locations where trains need to access stabling or depot facilities. PTV says this will increase capacity and improve the reliability of the network, which is currently prone to delays spreading between lines. Furthermore, the report notes that segregation of the network will allow trains to be dedicated to particular lines, so trains can be configured to the specific operating conditions of the route.

Stage 3 would be completed within 15 years, extending the network to areas not currently served by suburban rail, taking advantage of the additional capacity built into the system by stages 1 and 2. Proposed projects include new lines to Melbourne Airport and Rowville; the diversion of South Morang services into a new tunnel between Clifton Hill and Southern Cross, allowing construction of a new line to Doncaster; Melton line electrification; and a further order for high-capacity trains, which would displace the remaining Comeng sets.

To read full article please visit http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/metros/a-metro-style-solution-for-melbourne-rail-growth.html

 

May 1, 2013

Melbourne continues to lead nation’s population growth

Filed under: Buildings,Civil — Tags: — tom @ 5:24 am
How Victoria's population has changed.How Victoria’s population has changed.

Melbourne has again dominated Australia’s population growth, adding 77,242 people in 2011-12 to reach mid-2012 with a population of almost 4.25 million.

New estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show five of the eight municipalities recording the nation’s biggest growth were in Melbourne – three in the outer northern and western suburbs, one in the south-east, and the city of Melbourne itself.

Perth outgrew Sydney to be Australia’s second biggest growth centre, its population swelling by 65,434 or 3.6 per cent, more than twice the national growth rate, to almost 1.9 million.

Victoria added 88,966 people to close the financial year with 5.624 million people, just under 25 per cent of all Australians. Australia added almost 360,000 people, and the Bureau estimates its population hit 23 million last week.

It was the 11th year in a row that the bureau estimates that Melbourne led the nation’s growth. In that time, the city’s population has grown by more than 750,000, or almost a quarter, imposing new strains on an infrastructure designed for far fewer people.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the city’s population was growing by 1500 a week, or equal to the combined growth of Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle and Canberra.

”There is no sign of that growth slowing. That growth is continuing and has continued now for the best part of 10 years,” Mr Guy said. ”It is the policy challenge we face in planning for today and the future.”

He said many of the problems in urban areas arose because growth was not managed well in the last decade: ”We didn’t plan well on a state level for growth.”

Wyndham, centred on Werribee, had the biggest growth of any municipality in Australia, adding 12,822 people. That is more than the entire annual population growth of Victoria at one stage under the Kennett government.

Whittlesea had the second biggest growth in the nation. Melton was fifth, Casey sixth, and the City of Melbourne eighth.

The city’s population centre remained in Glen Iris, but most of its population growth came north and west of the Yarra, a dramatic change from 20th-century patterns, which saw it spread in a lopsided way to the south-east.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-continues-to-lead-nations-population-growth-20130430-2ir5m.html#ixzz2S123ADPc

Fire Protection an Overlooked Element in Sustainability

Filed under: Buildings — Tags: — tom @ 5:22 am

Sustainable design and construction practices have come a long way over the past 10 years.

Good design and smarter construction are bringing reduced carbon footprints, more efficient energy use, better natural light and ventilation, water recycling, harvesting of renewable energy supplies and reductions in plant and equipment demands, all of which contribute towards sustainable ‘green’ buildings.

What is often forgotten, however, is the challenge of achieving environmental and operational targets without experiencing a corresponding reduction in safety, amenity and property protection. I’m referring specifically to fire protection, which tends not to be considered a sustainable feature, but it should be, because it is. By ensuring suitable fire protection is designed into a building at the start, traditional objectives can be met and progressivesustainable design concepts can be achieved.

Protecting a building from fire through the use of non-combustible products and the inclusion of fire detection and suppression systems and equipment helps the building and its occupants to survive much better in the event of a fire.

The Fire Protection Association of Australia (FPAA) has been working for some time to boost recognition of the role that fire protection plays in green buildings. The FPAA is an excellent source of information for building architects, designers and construction companies and advocate that their members, if consulted early in the process, can assist in improving the environmental outcomes of a project while ensuring that life, amenity and property are protected.

Fire protection companies who are members of FPAA can assist with solutions that support sustainable properties such as:

  • Sprinkler protection to limit fire spread;
  • Recycling of test water to onsite tanks;
  • Beam, aspirating and video smoke detection to monitor large atria and connected spaces;
  • Passive protection building products such as fire rated glass, walls and floors to contain fire without the need to use water or other suppression agents;
  • Restricting use of ozone depleting substances (e.g. Halon);
  • Modifying maintenance techniques to reduce testing frequency, pump operation duration, water use, and service vehicle movements;
  • Testing of new and innovative sustainable building materials and products to confirm performance under fire conditions.

To read full article go to http://designbuildsource.com.au/fire-protection-an-overlooked-element-in-sustainability

 

A Grand Plan for Canberra

Filed under: Buildings,Civil — tom @ 5:20 am

With the launch of a new City Plan and the City to the Lake project, Canberra is looking to the future.

“As we celebrate our first 100 years, and look towards our next century, it is appropriate to talk about the role of our City centre, and how it can become a more dynamic, vibrant and sustainable place,” said ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher upon launching the projects.

The City Plan will help determine development and growth and ensure projects and infrastructure are delivered efficiently and effectively. It aims to unlock the potential of Canberra’s CBD and better integrate it with public transport, residential buildings, surrounding parklands and educational institutions in the city with the objective of stimulating local, national and international interest in Canberra to attract business and visitors and boost its economy, vibrancy and liveability.

Some of the key areas the City Plan will address include improved design of – and links between – public spaces, improved pedestrian movement around the City, transport into and around the City, including light rail, and possible sites for iconic buildings.

The City to Lake project establishes a framework to develop the broad southern flank of the City. The study area stretches from the West Basin to Anzac Parade and aims to better connect the lake and major national and regional educational and cultural institutions such as the Australian National University and National Museum of Australia with the city’s everyday life.

The public waterfront and link to the city will be the centrepiece of a new mixed use city precinct along with major new public amenities, infrastructure and cultural attractions for the Capital Region.

Proposals include a 30,000-plus seat rectangular sports stadium, a new convention centre, an aquatic facility, an urban beach and residential apartments mixed with commercial, retail and cultural facilities to cater to 15,000 to 20,000 new residents.

The project proposes a split-level ‘smart boulevard’ which will allow for free flowing traffic at the lower level and will introduce local city streets at the surface. The boulevard will also provide a lakeside anchor for the first stage of the Capital Metro light rail implementation.

To read the full article visit http://designbuildsource.com.au/fire-protection-an-overlooked-element-in-sustainability

 

Documentary Looks at City-Building on a Human Scale

Filed under: Buildings — tom @ 5:16 am

Though The Human Scale, directed by Andreas Mol Dalsgaard, is a documentary, what it offers has all the makings of a science fiction movie. The director conceived the project after studying the projects and ideas of Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl.

Gehl has studied human behavior in cities over the course of 40 years and has noted how modern cities tend to repel human interaction. He argues that urban centres can be built differently to place less emphasis on buildings and more emphasis on the human need for inclusion and intimacy.

Rather than studying buildings themselves, the architect began with an interest in human interactions in what he called Life Between Buildings.

This led to studies on how human beings use streets in urban centres, with an eye toward everything from how they walk to how they see, rest, meet and interact on streets.

Gehl took a look at statistics, examining, for instance, what percentage of people used various streets over a 24-hour period, their modes of transportation, the amount of space given to the various transportation forms and whether the street was meeting the needs of all users.

Gehl’s first studies took place in Italy and his studies laid the groundwork for the notably pedestrian and cycling-friendly city of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Gehl’s concepts helped lead to the creation of walking streets, the addition of – and improvements to – bike paths, and an improved configuration for public spaces such as parks and squares throughout Copenhagen and other Nordic cities. The work done there has helped to inspire ongoing efforts to being change to global cities such as Melbourne, Christchurch, New York, Dhaka and Chongqing.

To read the full article visit http://designbuildsource.com.au/documentary-looks-at-city-building-on-a-human-scale

By Mercedes Martty

April 28, 2013

Fears grow for rail yard park proposal

Filed under: Buildings,Civil — tom @ 10:50 pm
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A $680 million plan to create a new CBD park and public event space next to Federation Square may be doomed because of a lack of government funding and a decision to open up the site to private developers.

The company behind the Federation Square design, LAB architecture studio, has produced a detailed master plan for the Jolimont rail yards site known as Federation Square East.

The plan was commissioned by the Office of Major Projects and included an extensive park and community spaces.

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”An urban park at Federation Square East provides a rare and arguably final opportunity to link the city, Yarra River, parklands and the sports and entertainment precincts, enhancing the urban amenity and leveraging the significant investments already made by the government in adjacent precincts,” the briefing to the former government said.

The plan for Federation Square East was partially released by the Brumby government in 2010 and Fairfax has now seen detailed costings.

Stage one of the project, decking the rail yards and landscaping, it was estimated, would cost the state government $335 million, with about $3 million already spent on feasibility work. The total cost of the proposed development for Federation Square East was estimated at $680 million – Federation Square received about $450 million in state government funding.

The Napthine government will instead on Tuesday release a ”request for industry submissions” for the Federation Square East site.

Some now fear community space and parkland will be sacrificed for large commercial development to pay for the deck.

Another issue likely to arise with the site is the potential for new commercial developments to overshadow the Yarra River.

”The Victorian government wants to harness the innovation and creativity of the private sector to look at the potential development of this landmark CBD site,” Premier Denis Napthine said this month.

A senior architect with Lab Architecture, Tim Fowler, fears the new private sector model will result in less public space.

”I struggle to see how it (the new private-sector model) could produce an outcome that offers the level of civic amenity that the original model proposed,” he said.

Mr Fowler said the final result for Federation Square East could be similar to the QV development in Swanston Street or could involve the scale of commercial development now abandoned for the St Kilda Triangle site.

Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee said the ”site could be as iconic as Sydney’s Opera House but the Napthine government is so lacking in talent they contracted out delivery of a vision to the highest bidder, who will turn out the public as they turn over a profit”.

There is strong interest from the private sector for the site.

”We have long seen the development of this part of Melbourne as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a dynamic connection between the city, the park and river,” a spokeswoman for construction giant Grocon said.

The Ron Walker and Ashley Williams company Evolve Development started looking at the site 18 months ago.

”It is probably a mix-used precinct, mixture of office and residential apartments,” Mr Williams said.

Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said the project should extend past Exhibition Street towards the MCG. ”It has the real capacity to circle the city with open space,” he said.

Major Projects Minister David Hodgett said Labor’s 2010 plan was a stunt.

”It was little more than a thought bubble with minimal detail. It was not subject to feasibility or financial analysis,” he said.

He denied the government would be making ”sweetheart deals” with the private sector.

”The responses provided by the market will allow for a range of possible commercial, ownership and contractual structures and the Coalition government will explore these options,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/property/fears-grow-for-rail-yard-park-proposal-20130428-2imok.html#ixzz2RniIZQ1y

April 23, 2013

Monaco Skyscraper To House World’s Most Expensive Penthouse

Filed under: Buildings — tom @ 2:06 am

Monaco, a luxurious Mediterranean city-state renowned for being home to some of the world’s wealthiest moguls, will soon boast the world’s most expensive penthouse, a residence expected to fetch $387 Million when it goes on the market next year.

The penthouse will be housed inside Monaco’s tallest building, Tour Odeon, a double-skyscraperstanding 170 metres tall. Tour Odeon is due to be completed in July 2014 and will feature 259 units, including 73 private luxury residencies, two 1,200-square metre Sky Duplexes and the five-floor, 3,300-square metre Sky Penthouse.

The world’s current most expensive penthouse is a $212 million flat in London‘s One Hyde Park.

One of the Tour Odeon penthouse’s most talked about features is its spacious outdoor area and private circular infinity pool that can be entered via a water slide. The five-storey penthouse features interiors inspired by the French Belle Époque era, which is captured in the stencilled floors, marble, slate and earthy colour palette that reflects the surrounding landscape of the Ligurian Sea.

Practical while still exuding elegance, the penthouse features top-notch fittings and finishes. Advanced appliances have been installed in the fully equipped bathroom and kitchen and and the entire penthouse offers a centralised home automation system. Sculpturally-inspired light fittings hang in formal areas and throughout the penthouse’s private lobby while 360-degree views of the south of France just add to the incredible opulence of the space.

The city of Monaco’s real estate is estimated to be of an average of fifty thousand euros per square metre and Tour Odeon will be the first skyscraper built in Monaco since the late 1980s when high-rise construction in the city was banned due to a coastal preference for polder expansion. The ban was lifted in 2008 and construction began on Tour Odeon in 2009.

While Monaco’s coastline is made up of mainly small, flat buildings, architect Alexander Giraldi recognised the importance of high-density living and designed the mixed-use towers with a focus on residents’ enjoyment and lifestyle. In addition to residences, the tower offers retail, office and a business centre space.

While there have been concerns that the towers will cast shadows over the European cityscape, others argue the buildings will bring a much needed contemporary flair to Monaco’s coastline.

European design agency Alberto Pinto has been tasked with creating interiors that exude “exceptional elegance and comfort,” while architect Jean Mus has been chosen to complete thelandscape.

It is not only Tour Odeon’s penthouse that will benefit from panoramic views, as each apartment throughout the building features floor to ceiling windows and expansive private terraces. Natural light is abundant and the interiors have a timeless and elegant feel.

To read the full article visit http://designbuildsource.com.au/documentary-looks-at-city-building-on-a-human-scale

 

Rail plan threatens homes

Filed under: Civil — Tags: — tom @ 2:02 am
The rail plan.The rail plan.

Homes and business premises in Melbourne’s south-east could be wiped off the map to make way for extra tracks along the Dandenong railway line to carry freight trains from the Port of Hastings.

The plan to build ”an additional track or tracks” along the heavily congested rail line is contained in a briefing to Premier Denis Napthine and Transport Minister Terry Mulder, which was obtained by Fairfax Media through freedom of information.

The plan revives elements of the former Bracks government’s doomed $1 billion Dandenong triplication project. If that project had proceeded, a large number of houses and commercial premises along the rail line – particularly between Caulfield and Oakleigh stations – would have been acquired.

Illustration: Ron Tandberg.Illustration: Ron Tandberg.

The Napthine government plan, tentatively dubbed the ”Eastern Regional Rail Link”, would involve widening the Dandenong rail corridor to lay dedicated track for freight trains and V/Line trains from Gippsland. It also includes provision for a new line along the Western Port Highway from the Port of Hastings to Lyndhurst on the Cranbourne line, which connects with the Dandenong line.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure confirmed the plan but said it was too early to say whether properties would be acquired.

”That said, should any property acquisition be required, we will ensure full and proper consultation as we are required to under various acts,” he said.

The plan, outlined in a September 2012 briefing by department deputy secretary Gillian Miles, predicts the existing two tracks in the corridor between Caulfield and Dandenong will cope with freight train traffic for the next decade.

”Nearly all freight is presently carried by trucks on the M1, Dingley and other arterial roads,” the briefing says, adding that the M1 and the Princes Highway ”are already at capacity”.

By contrast, just nine freight trains currently use the Dandenong line each week, plus two trains a day on the Frankston line from Hastings that join the Dandenong line at Caulfield.

”Beyond 10 years, commissioning of new container capacity at the Port of Hastings is likely to result in a steep change in freight demand,” Ms Miles wrote.

She warned that with the advent of Hastings as Melbourne’s second major port, ”demand will outgrow the existing infrastructure and additional tracks will be needed”.

Tony Morton, of the Public Transport Users Association, said there was an argument for extra tracks to cater for more freight and regional trains, but not at the expense of private properties.

”There are ways to accommodate more trains, especially if we improve the signalling on the Dandenong line and get rid of the level crossings,” he said.

Labor’s spokesman for ports, freight and logistics, Natalie Hutchins, said the government should drop its plan for a second port at Hastings and build it in Melbourne’s west, arguing it would cost half as much and be much closer to the city’s industrial areas.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rail-plan-threatens-homes-20130422-2iasd.html#ixzz2RFQEt4XI

April 18, 2013

Up Vs Out Debate

Filed under: Buildings — Tags: , — tom @ 12:54 am

Aptus Personnel attended the Women in Property & UDIA Outlook’s Up Vs Out Debate to hear two very well conceived and extremely well delivered arguments from the Affirmative consisting of Siobhan Revill of Devine, Mark Bartley of HWL Lawyers & Jeff Garvey of ID Land and their opposition on the evening the Negative consisting of Micheal Button of RMIT, Orlando Harrison of TRACT & Jamie Kay of the evenings sponsor Oliver Hume.

 

UDIA Debate (2)The Topic:

By 2050, Melbourne’s population is likely to reach between 5.6 and 6.4 million*. Is apartment living in the inner city (complete with the latest Miele appliances and a Nespresso machine) the best way to accommodate this growth? Or, are traditional houses in our new growth suburbs the better solution?

 

Both sides delivered compelling and at times light-hearted pros and cons on the benefits of vertical growth versus the urban sprawl with both teams delivering within the allocated 4 minutes of mic time.

Highlights of the Affirmative Teams debate consisted of were our Growths Areas no more than barren wastelands with no identity? Are we simply living in replicated suburbs without the infrastructure in place to offer the trappings of metro dwelling? Does the suburban dream not = Boredom, where is the entertainment and amenities required to offer choice?  And last but not least the thought provoking idea of why can’t we grow vertically within the growth areas?

 

Not to be outshone by their opposition the Negative Team counter attacked with their own points of – the cost effectiveness of the traditional family home and its flexibility, the choice of diversity that the house offers all whilst allowing the space to extend your family and the chance to live the Australian Dream of the BBQ and of course the opportunity to be the DIY Warriors that reside in us.

The outcome? House is Grouse!* A win for the Negative Team showing the dream of the 1/4 acre lot still burns bright.

*(a slogan coined by Orlando Harrison of the Negative Team)

The win, albeit a slight one left me wondering whether this is a true reflection of the masses or merely just the demographic of the audience?

With this is mind I have started a Poll on Linkedin – The Great Debate – Up Vs Out, are apartments a better solution to Melbourne’s growth or is it the urban sprawl?

Lee McAndrews, Team Leader – Buildings, Land & Infrastructure, Aptus Personnel, Melbourne

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