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7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Can this $1 house design help solve the Australian housing crisis?
When you think of the great Australian dream, it's likely you picture a freestanding house. But as governments look to boost the amount of homes available, new visions of what that dream could look like are diversifying. This week, the NSW government launched the NSW Pattern Book of low and mid-rise designs, alongside an accelerated planning pathway, designed to speed up the delivery of new homes significantly. And for a limited time these designs are available for a mere $1. "This Pattern Book is about giving people more choice, faster approvals, and affordable, high-qualityhomes-whether you're a young person trying to get in, a family needing more space, or a downsized looking to stay close to the community you know," NSW Premier Chris Minns said at the launch. The scheme seems to me to have all the building blocks, pardon the pun, to get Australians on board with a dwelling style that is higher density, but still fits into our suburban dream. All up there are three styles of residential buildings that are available in the eight designs approved by the government architect. They are townhouses, terraces and manorhouses. What's old is new again While townhouses and terraces are easily recognised styles, the manor house is an interesting concept. Conrad Johnston, the director of architecture firm Studio Johnston, which created one of the selected manor house designs, said that they took inspiration from a style of unit blocks that already exist. "Our design reimagines the classic 'four- or six-pack' apartment buildings of the Interwar period with modern living standards and sustainability," Mr Johnston said. Manor Homes are just two storeys and contain four apartments. It seeks to be the answer to the "missing middle" - the shortfall of low and mid-rise housing options that sit between the typical detached house and high-rise apartments, according to Mr Johnson. While this is a particularly acute issue in major capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, it is also very much a concern for major centres and regional cities such as Newcastle and Wollongong in NSW and Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria. "Many people want to live in well-connected suburbs, close to jobs and services, but the traditional suburban model just isn't sustainable at our current densities," Mr Johnston says. "Manor Homes 01 is about adding gentle density and creating homes that people genuinely want to live in." Why I know this works Full disclosure here, I live in one of those six-pack style inter-war apartment blocks that Mr Johnston refers to, and the advantages of this scale of building are not lost on me. My street is a mix of freestanding homes, along with these smaller apartment blocks, and they do not jar or overwhelm, but sit harmoniously together. Similar to the suburban property that so many of us are familiar with, there is a dedicated front and back yard. Loading content... Yes these garden areas are shared but that leads to beautiful shared moments. For example children from different apartments meeting together to play in their backyard. That garden is also a great common area for people to host family and friends in the barbecue and dining area, giving them access to a large suburban-sized yard. The smaller number of apartments in a human-sized block creates a strong sense of community with residents, while also allowing privacy. Admittedly, these original apartments lack somewhat in capturing light and airflow, for example. However, a few key renovation fixes that. A modern approach The manor houses available n the pattern book, including Manor Homes 01 have been designed to prioritise sustainability and provide good access to sunlight and clean air. Passive solar design, cross-ventilation, daylight access, sun-shading and the potential for rooftop solar panels are all at the forefront. Efficient planning and simple construction systems help to contain costs, ensuring the design remains an achievable solution for diverse sites and developers. "Our goal was to create a pattern that's elegant, liveable, and replicable," Johnston explains. They are also designed to fit in with various streetscapes with flexibility in material choices,colour palettes, and dwelling mixes. Making it happen While the concept of these new home designs is good, making sure they are taken up and therefore increase housing supply, delivery is important. For the first six months, the NSW government is significantly subsidising access to these designs with each pattern being made available to everyone for $1 per pattern. After that time they will still be available at a very reasonable $1000 a design. The price for each design is a significant discount on the professional fees that potential builders or homeowners would usually pay for a custom architecturally designed home. That could be estimated to cost over $20,000. Every purchase of a design, also comes with a complimentary Landscape Pattern to help new home-owners design their own garden that maximises biodiversity and suits the climate they're living in. Most importantly a new ten-day approval pathway has been developed by the NSW Government alongside the Pattern Book to fast-track these high-quality homes, cutting major costs and delays that normally plague home-builders. It is designs like these that might help us rethink the great Australian dream.
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Finally, a women's razor that's actually as good as a man's
If you had told me as a teenager – awkward, Greek, and growing hair well before anyone else in my class – that one day I'd genuinely be excited about a razor, I would've laughed. From an early age, shaving always felt more like something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. I would eye off my dad's razor brand, only to sneak one into mum's shopping trolley when she wasn't looking. Now, as an adult, I've been known to 'borrow' my husband's men's-grade blades for myself. They've just always felt sharper, more solid, and simply better for my thick, dark hair, which I've been genetically blessed with. Women's razors, on the other hand, have always seemed more like an afterthought – ultralight and flimsy, not particularly sharp, and always a ton more expensive. The condescending 'pink tax' has never felt more obvious than when looking through the shaving aisle in the supermarket. Rows of razors in feminine shades, promising a 'smooth' and 'silky' experience, but what they actually deliver is just ingrowns. And I'm not the only one who has been fed up with this mediocrity. Georgia Geminder, the founder of Aussie personal care brand Gem, tells she saw the same gap. 'There's always been this unspoken belief that men need a 'tougher' shave, and so the industry has historically prioritised blade sharpness and durability for men's razors – while women's razors focus more on aesthetics or comfort,' she said. 'What's frustrating is that women deserve both: performance and beauty.' She wanted to bring something 'innovative, different and millennial-focused' to market, with thoughtful ingredients, beautiful packaging, while still keeping the price accessible. And she did just that. Earlier this month, Gem launched its 'category-disrupting razors' and shaving gels into Coles, after two years in the making. And fans of the brand are already going crazy for them, with one product selling every minute. When I spotted them on the shelves, I was so curious to try them out, having already been converted to their delicious-smelling deodorants. In my eyes, Gem can do no wrong, but having been burned in the past by so many women's shaving brands, I approached with caution. However, after using the Skin-Loving Shaving Kit, which retails for $20, I've fallen in love. It features a durable razor infused with Hyaluronic Acid, vitamin E, and Aloe Vera, a chic holder for the shower and a blade refill. The razor itself feels luxurious in both design and weight, and the five sharp blades and pivoting head gave me the smoothest shave I've ever had. When used with the Skin-Loving Shaving Gel, $10, which lathered generously, my shave lasted about two weeks. Usually, I'm back at it every few days. My husband even commented on how smooth my legs were, which, to be fair, is a rare occurrence (that I have smooth legs, not that he complimented me!). While you might be thinking, 'So what? It's just a razor.' For me, this feels revolutionary to my beauty routine. If you've been anywhere on TikTok recently, you'll have seen that shaving is having a moment right now and being rebranded as 'self-care'. And after using the Gem razor, I'm fully on board with this idea … that shaving can be something we can actually take pleasure in. It's one of those small luxuries that can make a world of difference to your confidence, without involving an expensive, multi-step routine. As Ms Geminder puts it: 'What once felt like a chore is now an opportunity to pause, reset, and feel good in your skin. 'The rise of self-care culture has encouraged people to romanticise the 'mundane' and shaving is the perfect example. 'When you're using beautifully-scented products, enriched with skin-loving ingredients, it becomes less about just hair removal and more about creating a moment for yourself.' It's not just Gem that has realised women want 'tougher' shaves, with other brands also reclaiming this traditionally unsexy ritual, making it feel relevant again. Recent statistics show the Australian shaving market valued at over $528 million in 2024 and expected to reach $785 million by 2034. While a survey from Philips found more than half of women (53 per cent) head to the men's aisle for their shaving needs. For me, Gem razors have made shaving less of a hassle and more of a ritual I actually look forward to. No more waiting for my 'everything shower' to feel put together – because now having smooth legs is an everyday thing. It's about time.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
Refreshing Aussie beef salad with wasabi dressing
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Japanese-speaking Australians. Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
