Strict design standards needed now for Melbourne high-rises: architects

Architects are demanding strict design standards be enforced on new apartments and say a generation of residents in high-rise towers are at risk of being forced to live in substandard homes.

Confidential draft design rules, leaked last week, show the Victorian government architect is preparing to recommend that all new apartment towers adhere to strict new guidelines.

The draft proposals include that apartments have minimum ceiling heights of 2.7 metres, and a minimum floor size of 37 square metres for a studio apartment or 50 square metres for a one-bedroom unit.

The guidelines also recommend all apartments above ground level have a two-metre deep balcony.

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Australian Institute of Architects national president David Karotkin said developers had claimed the new guidelines would hurt housing affordability. They say that design standards should be dictated by market forces, he said.

But developers were motivated by profit, not affordability, he said.

They seek to build as cheaply as possible and to sell for as much as possible fair enough. That is why regulation of minimum standards is essential to protect the interests of occupants ... long after the developers have taken their profits and moved on.

The institute argues that the current high demand for high-rise apartments skews market forces in favour of developers seeking quick profits, not residents seeking a place to call home.

So controls are required now more than ever to ensure we do not end up with a poor housing legacy, Mr Karotkin said.

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Strict design standards needed now for Melbourne high-rises: architects