Jury comment
The Height of Building and FSR Alignment Study is a critical and timely piece of research that provides the basis for improved planning and urban design controls within highly urbanised contexts. The study addresses the frequent conflict between the key planning controls of height and floor-space ratio, which has widespread impacts, including prohibiting desirable housing outcomes, draining resources and contributing to a lack of housing supply more generally. The proposed built form addresses the ‘missing middle,‘ or lack of medium density housing, and provides a model based on rigorous research which has wide applicability in urban Australia.
The provision of housing is an acute social and political issue in Australia. This study demonstrates how coordination of key planning controls advances the critical goals of achieving both desirable housing outcomes and ‘density done well.’
The Height of Building and FSR Alignment Study was undertaken in New South Wales on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.
To view all the winners of the 2024 Australian Urban Design Awards, go here.
