16 Dec Better Apartment Design Standards. The ‘BADS’ not so bad?
On Tuesday the 14th of November we had a representative from our office attend a day dedicated to learning about the new Better Apartment Design Standards, or the BADS: Clause 58. The BADS are set our similarly to Clause 54, 55 and 56 in the way that they have Objectives, Standards and Decision Guidelines.
The BADS work to enhance the internal amenity of apartments – these standards have little to do with the external design of the apartment building itself. The way to apply the BADS is relatively simple:
The major difference between the BADS/Clause 58 and Clause 55 (Two or more dwellings on a lot) are the following Standards:
• Energy Efficiency (Standard B10)
• Open Space (Standard B11)
• Noise Impacts (Standard B24)
• Accessibility (Standard B25)
• Dwelling Entry (Standard B26)
• Storage (Standard B30)
Another major part of the BADS is that new proposals must consider the urban context and physical environment around them (Standard D1 of Clause 58).
To make the BADS easier to understand we have drawn up a table explaining each of the Clause 58 requirements, which you can download here Clause 58 Table
The purpose of the BADS is there was little guidance for apartment development when compared around the country. Melbourne is experiencing rapid growth and there is a need now more than ever to diversify housing options for not only first-home owners but investors and developers.
The BADS are the State Governments plan to ensure that apartments are built to a certain standard to ensure that apartment residents have satisfactory internal amenity.
Our last thoughts are:
The BADS – despite their name – are a great initiative. Apartments, as we have all noticed are going up everywhere even in suburban Melbourne. It’s great to hear that residents of those apartments are being taken care of in a sense. Of course, with these standards and guidelines it does mean more work for the developer and designer / architect. It means a lot more focus on the internal enjoyment and comfort of the dwelling.
If you have any questions about how the BADS may affect your development proposal, please contact us.