The Future of Housing in Australia Demands Vision and Innovation
The Future of housing in Australia needs VISION beyond the status quo and understanding of emerging needs and trends, the real economic environment for many of us and particularly what is coming down the track in the form of climate extremes. In many respects the housing industry in Australia is precarious for economic, sustainability, affordability and climate change. Record global temperatures are everywhere, one hundred year flood levels have recently been exceeded across the country and Category 5 Cyclone rating does not meet the reality and will be superseded by Category 6 Cyclone rating.
9 Most Important Housing Issues in Australia – Screaming for Attention
- Planning Laws – Community and Village Design – The need for MUCH greater flexibility in our planning laws to allow more innovation in land development models – example – Tiny House Estates
- Affordability – In addition to the above we need to look at innovations to alleviate the affordability issue. The economic system we have accepted has and continues to foster a subtle form of economic slavery by unrestrained encouragement to spend, spend and borrow. Our personal debt ratio the highest in the world – we are in such a precarious position. If we pat ourselves on the back because we have become wealthy through the increased value of our home we are in BIG trouble. This “wealth” is unproductive and there are many influences that could suddenly evaporate that wealth leaving a mountain range of debt.
- Compact, Low Maintenance – Demand for more compact, low maintenance housing and living systems is growing
- Community – there has never been such a longing for community among so many of us. The way we plan and build housing communities assumes continuation of the status quo and generally does not understand or cater for these emerging yet powerful driving forces for change within our communities
- Types of Materials Used – Many natural resources (timber) for building materials are getting thin on the ground. New, more sustainable materials and composite materials are becoming increasingly popular such as the use and incorporation of hemp and bamboo
- Sustainable, Recyclable – Two words that are becoming more important as people become more conscious of not harming our planet (at any cost)
- Prefabrication and Modular Connectivity – There has never been such an opportunity to innovate house design. Expectations and demands for housing are changing due to ever strengthening forces
- Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events – This is the issue about which we are most asleep. The evidence mounts up every day from record breaking extreme events in every part of the world – will our existing houses stand up to what is well on the way and going to get a lot worse much faster that we realise.
- Negative Gearing – Negative gearing in our opinion, does NOT benefit the overall community and is a significant contributor to housing unaffordability.
Australia has the reputation of building the largest homes in the world. Recent decades have seen suburbs after suburbs of McMansions (evidence of success) who’s inhabitants are well and truly caught up in the consumerism of our time. Huge floor areas, excessive space, excessive spending on gadgets and toys and racking up the highest personal debt ratios in the world. Some people think we are wealthy because land and house values are sky high. How sustainable is our negative geared speculative economy and how equitable is it for those without the means or desire to participate in such non productive investment.
There is No Excuse for Homelessness in Australia or Anywhere in the World
Too many people, including families and single parents with kids are sleeping in their cars and vans and struggling to make ends meet facing ever increasing persecution by elitist politicians (and the haves) for being at the bottom of the financial heap. What does that say about us as a society, are we so caught up in the greed of success that we allow our fellow human beings to suffer in our own back yard, is that really the world we want to live in?
Safe shelter is as necessary for human existence and enjoyment of life as air, water and food however, our collective belief system has supported land and housing to become a speculative commodity.
Innovation is the Single Most Important Factor the Future of Housing
We believe the key issues to focus are:
- Versatility and adaptability
- Compact, Prefabricated, Modular
- Sustainable, energy efficient
- Structural capability and extreme weather resistance
- Community and village housing
- Solar electricity and integrated sustainable living systems
Wake Up Australia, the Tiny Home is Here and People Want More Options
Australia well and truly missed the opportunity to become the worlds leader in solar energy, we messed up the opportunity to have the fastest broadband in the world and our politicians are still hell bent on digging out more coal with complete disregard for our environment. We have no record of being able to rely on the wisdom of our politicians.
The way houses used to be built is changing. What people expect from housing is changing. Demands on housing and accommodation have never been so great. The tiny house has become a phenomenon.
There is so much opportunity to apply innovation to meet existing needs and developing trends, for example a growing demographic who want out of the city and are looking to embrace a new future of housing and how we live within community in Australia.
The DreamDome Vision for Future of Housing in Australia
We have taken a long deep look into the future. For about 16 years we have focused on developing a system of housing and shelter that will not only look good and feel great to live in but incorporates solutions to every one of the issues above.
We have been working with the most efficient and most natural designs, the hemisphere, the dome shape. It resonates with human beings and makes them feel comfortable. The dome shape is inherently strong and uses 30% to 40% less materials than a conventionally roofed rectangular house.
We have utilized aerospace lightweight material systems incorporated with the dome shape to deliver the DreamDome. The DreamDome is designed to elegantly address all of the issues above. DreamDome is by far the leader in innovation in developing housing systems designed for the 21st Century and beyond.
Commencing with the launch of our 3.5m diameter studio sized dome in 2017 we are looking ahead to initiating novel cooperative, self sufficient housing developments integrated with sustainable living systems based on the Ubuntu concept of community living.
NOTE: DreamDome has been designed and developed by people of exceptional passion
