The Australian housing market is set for a shakeup in 2024. The latest design trends show Australian homeowners are all about light and space, doing away with traditional, boxed-in designs in favor of open-plan living. And, with the rise of new technologies such as Ring doorbells and Amazon Alexa, builders are starting to incorporate smart home technology (link builders) into all areas of their builds. But it's not just the shape of houses that's changing. As modern lifestyles change, so too do modern conveniences. And convenience, in this case, means comfort.
Going green has become more important for buyers and builders alike. With the grim reality of the increasing global temperature, and more and more species going extinct, construction companies are holding on to their eco principles. Many eco-related features such as rainwater tanks, solar panels, and landscaping with sustainable design are becoming standard in new builds. But even with new technologies, increased standards, and new regulations, many homeowners (even first-timers!) are acutely aware of their financial situation.
Sustainability in Home Construction
In Australia, the trend to "green" new home construction is growing. An increasing number of builders are forming homes out of energy-efficient materials, like insulated panels, and recycled products. Far from the building sites, these highly engineered materials keep energy consumption low and help to shrink a global pile of waste that's quickly beginning to look Monty Python-esque. These meaningful steps signal a shift in consciousness.
Many builders are integrating solar power into their new constructions. The sun beats down on new homes during the day, and homeowners can harvest these rays to reduce their monthly bills. Cutting through one line in a budget by fighting the overuse of another depleting resource (if only figuratively)? That's a win.
Overview of the Australian Home Building Industry
The home building industry in Australia has grown a lot in recent times. This is due to Australia's booming population and increased demand for housing. This thing getting home starts. In 2022, residential construction represented close to 6% of Australia's GDP. The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that new home start approvals reached over 200,000. According to the data, despite economic consequences, the number of people needing new homes has not changed.
With this, there is not a growing industry that does not have difficulties, despite the demand for its assistance. There is a builder's catch—an impending supply build due to an increase in building material costs and labor shortages. Additionally, there is a regulation that makes it easier. The increase is expected to impact those seeking to purchase properties for the first time as a needed expense.
Key Home Building Trends for 2024
Open floor plans—Australia is increasingly seeing a push for a space that flows. Floor plans are now much more open, creating a sense of size and no longer boxing in the kitchen, living room, or dining room. Walk into the average new project or development, and you will often even see an expansive glass door that spills out onto an alfresco area or balcony. Areas of the house are no longer “rooms”—they are “spaces”—and some properties are even taking that to the extreme, with bedrooms having shared entrances to studies or homes incorporating...
...multi-functional spaces. Transforming rooms are something we’re definitely seeing in the more adaptive and creative homes as well—a new evolution of what you might see as a hidden safe room or library. A study becomes a bar or a living room becomes a play space—appropriate décor for a dinner party can have the fun knick-knacks cleanly packed up to prepare for a more classy event in a matter of seconds.
Design will be integrated more with biophilic, [or] “green” elements—this is for certain. Just as punk (loud, political, anti-establishment) is a reflection of its time, so too is our current design ethos. Our popular interior design theme of 2020 will consider our world’s natural elements in relation to the home, and to us. Built-in herb gardens. Indoor trees. Natural light. Sustainable materials we so commonly see. It is the integration of these ideas into areas of our surrounding living space that will increase further in popular use and morph this design pillar over time.