NSW Housing Pattern Book

The NSW Government is developing the NSW Housing Pattern Book to accelerate the delivery of new low- and mid-rise housing.

The Government Architect NSW is leading the process, working with the best minds in the development and construction industry, the planning and architecture profession and councils.

The NSW Housing Pattern Book will contain designs and guidelines to support the construction of more high-quality housing including:

• terrace houses
• dual occupancy homes
• low-rise apartments up to 2 storeys
• mid-rise apartments from 3 to 6 storeys.

The patterns will be modest, adaptable, sustainable, affordable and beautiful designs. The homes will suit our community’s needs through all stages of life, from raising children to working from home through to ageing in place.

The pattern book will create the opportunity for more housing where it’s needed and promote greater use of low- and mid-rise housing in our neighbourhoods.

Where the designs come from

Choosing these designs gives you access to fast track planning.

To support the development of the NSW Housing Pattern Book, the NSW Government ran an international design competition inviting architects from around the world to design a terrace house or mid-rise apartment for the 21st century.

The jury selected 6 winning designs.  

The community is invited to choose their favourite designs in 2 categories: Terrace and Mid-Rise Housing. The most popular designs will be announced early next year.  

Endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects, the competition invited the best architectural minds in the world to create great housing designs for NSW and contribute to the diversity and depth of the NSW Housing Pattern Book.

The competition is intended to deliver more than just good ideas. By partnering with Homes NSW, Landcom and Sydney Olympic Park Authority, sites are being committed across Greater Sydney for the competition proposals. These organisations will collaborate with the winning architects to build a demonstration housing project on each site. 

Users of the NSW Housing Pattern Book’s designs will have access to an accelerated approval pathway. This will allow builders to get on site faster, build more efficiently and move people into homes sooner. The pre-endorsed designs will be a valuable resource for developers, architects, planners, builders, councils and the community.

Pattern books are not new, and they are used around the world. NSW has seen a pattern book approach in the past, both in Sydney and in regional centres like Newcastle, Orange, Bathurst, and Dubbo, which feature much-loved terraced houses of the 1900s and walk-up apartments from the 1920s and 1930s.

The NSW Housing Pattern Book will include:

• low-rise housing (terraces, dual occupancies, 2-storey apartment buildings)
• apartment buildings of up to 6 storeys.

The contemporary home designs will:

• be compatible with NSW’s climate
• allow for natural light and ventilation
• be efficient, affordable and cost-effective.

Our households are changing, and we need to build different types of homes to meet people’s changing needs.

• Single-person households are the fastest-growing type in the country – they currently make up 25% of all Australian households.
• More than half of households are home to just one or 2 people.

But while we want more housing choices close to cities and services, the numbers of diverse housing types including townhouses, dual occupancies and mid-rise apartments are declining.

People want the opportunity to stay in their communities through the various stages of their lives. They also want family and friends to be able to afford to live nearby.

This requires more choice of housing where we live now. Many of our old suburbs already have this diversity: think of Wollstonecraft, Waverton, Erskineville, Newcastle, or Kiama.

They have apartment buildings near train stations and town centres. They also have small apartments, terraces and townhouses near shops, high streets and parks.

To ensure the NSW Housing Pattern Book is a helpful, long-term resource for stakeholders, we are developing a detailed consultation strategy to help the industry and community to use the housing designs.

We expect the first stage of the pattern book will be available for use in mid-2025.

Government Architect NSW is currently consulting with communities to gather feedback and ensure we deliver the best outcomes for the pattern book.

We will work closely with planners throughout the process and as the designs are finalised. We want to make sure the process doesn't create more assessment work for councils. 

Government Architect NSW has been in regular discussions with peak body organisations on this and other ways to get housing moving faster. These bodies include:

• Australian Institute of Architects
• Property Council of Australia
• Planning Institute of Australia
• Master Builders Association
• Housing Industry Association
• Urban Development Industry of Australia.