Environmental issues such as access to natural light, indoor air quality and privacy have become important issues for Australian home-owners.
Increases in population density across Australian cities and suburbs mean that people are living closer together and this has put a premium on designing or buying properties with healthy environments. This not only applies to apartments in inner city areas but also increasingly in suburban areas where older homes are demolished and replaced with medium density developments.
People are becoming more conscious of the need for their homes to provide a healthy environment and smart design has become extremely important to delivering healthy lifestyle outcomes.
Noise has become a key consideration for homebuyers with double glazing and sound proofing becoming a high priority for renovators who want to ensure peace within their home environment by cutting out neighbourhood noise. For people moving into high density environments such as apartment towers in inner city areas, the added issue of ‘city noise’ is a major consideration in design.
Odour control within homes is also an issue, requiring adequate ventilation in the cooking areas to ensure neighbours – especially in apartment blocks – are not impacted by kitchen cooking odours either in their own premises or in public areas such as hallways and stairwells.
A lack of ventilation in a home can lead to the development of mould which should not be taken lightly as it can trigger life threatening diseases such as asthma. Mould is commonly found during Archicentre Australia’s pre-purchase house assessments, especially in older homes. Mould is also found during inspections of units and apartments where there is a lack of adequate ventilation in laundry and kitchen areas.
Designing healthy, sustainable environments within the home and surrounds is an integral part of the work of an architect, so make sure your new home or renovation is as well-designed as can be.
