<
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2024/feb/01/grand-designs-kevin-mccloud-tv-australia-should-stop-building-such-big-houses>
"Kevin McCloud has a message for Australians – stop building such big houses.
The nation’s love affair with large homes – especially unimaginative McMansions
that defy their environmental surroundings – means size is coming at the
expense of exciting architecture, affordable and well-built housing supply, and
ultimately the liveability of our cities, the British host of
Grand Designs
says.
McCloud, who is visiting Australia for a speaking tour, finds himself
complaining about black roof tiles and shaking his head at examples of “spoilt
architecture”, noting one particular build he has just seen – a grand beachside
house in Sydney relying on huge concrete slabs for its construction.
“The architecture is different in New Zealand, which treads lightly, there’s an
awareness of the difficulty of building and getting materials, but Australia
says, ‘Hey, c’mon, we’ve got the planet, let’s mine it, let’s build with it,
let’s sell it, let’s create wealth,’” McCloud says, while acknowledging this is
his “caricature” from afar.
Instead, McCloud embraces the yes in my back yard (yimby) mantra as the
solution to Australia’s dire shortage of homes.
To be clear, he is not blind to the importance of heritage buildings, nor
pro-developer, nor an advocate for overly tall apartment towers devoid of
character being plonked on suburban streets – allegations levelled by critics
against Australia’s nascent yimby movement.
Rather, McCloud is scathing of large developers “who’ve shifted from delivering
volume to profits” and is adamant tight rules are needed to ensure the industry
builds quality homes and ceases its “corrosive undermining of what makes a
decent civilised society”.
When he says he is a yimby, he is talking about terraces and infill development
that “revitalises what are otherwise becoming very expensive suburbs”.
“The idea of actually seeding small-scale stuff, two-, three-bedroom homes in
between what’s there, like connective tissue, that’s exciting,” he says.
“That’s sort of happening in the UK already because we have such a huge
pressure on land.
“How can we stitch stuff into gaps that is smaller and a bit more responsive
and which revitalises?”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
