Find out more on the topic of Victoria’s Big Housing Build through expert insights, podcasts and more.
Housing Choices Australia Belmont by Kennedy Nolan.
In her spotlight on Victoria’s Big Housing Build (BHB), Rebecca Roke explores a number of projects delivered under the BHB banner that have shown how housing can be designed to be dignified and welcoming for all, including Elizabeth Street, North Richmond by Kerstin Thompson Architects and Hayball, Housing Choices Australia Belmont by Kennedy Nolan, and Merri Northcote by Six Degrees Architects, reminding us that well-designed social housing “creates key infrastructure for the city.”
Find out more on the topic of designing housing for all through expert insights, podcasts, projects and more below:
Summerhill Village by Tandem Design Studio, interview by Tania Davidge
This interview with architect and founder of Tandem Design Studio Tim Hill delves into the firm’s involvement in designing a new village in Footscray, Melbourne, delivered under the BHB program. As interviewer Tania Davidge observes, “At a time when discussions about density in Australia are often fraught, the project offers a convincing example of how thoughtful design can not only create more homes, but better homes with a strong sense of belonging and generosity to the surrounding neighbourhood and community.”
Bangs Street, Prahran by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, review by Andy Fergus
In this Architecture Australia (July/August 2025) article, Andy Fergus reviews Bangs Street public housing renewal in Melbourne’s Prahran as a test-case of a potential pathway for social housing delivery through public-private partnership. Bangs Street is part of the first phase of Housing Victoria’s Ground Lease Model (GLM), a “strategy that aims to deliver mixed-tenure estate regeneration while maintaining long-term public ownership of land,” he writes, noting that “the project offers a number of critical lessons for the next generation of estate regeneration.”
Tarakan Street Social and Affordable Housing by NH Architecture and Bird de la Coeur Architects with Openwork and Tract, review by Alexis Kalagas
Alexis Kalagas reviews a complex of dwellings in north-east Melbourne ( Architecture Australia (July/August 2025) that was delivered as part of the BHB, noting that by “exceeding expectations of dwelling adaptability, Tarakan Street not only sets a new baseline for future Homes Victoria projects but also demonstrates how a brief is capable of being pushed and stretched.” He reflects on how architects play a critical role in shaping the design brief for social housing, not just on individual sites, but across a broader portfolio of projects.
Shiel Street North Melbourne, Community Housing Project by Clare Cousins Architects, review by Rebecca Roke
As part of the Architecture Australia (July/August 2025) issue on housing, Rebecca Roke reviews Clare Cousins Architects’ design for a new medium-density community housing project in North Melbourne, praising the way it demonstrates how practical, dignified dwellings can be achieved at scale and within ambitious timeframes.
State of the nation: Tackling Australia’s housing crisis by Brendan Coates
In this article from June 2025, Brendan Coates, housing and economic security program director at Grattan Institute, provides an overview of the crisis in Australia and outlines how the built environment industry can contribute to the pursuit of affordable and desirable housing.
‘Monumental injection’ of social housing in Victoria by ArchitectureAu Editorial
This 2020 news article sets the scene for the launch of Victoria’s BHB program, and its promise to deliver more than 12,000 new homes throughout metro and regional Victoria before 2025, boosting the state’s social housing supply by 10 percent.
55,000 extra social housing homes are being built – but a new study shows that boom still falls short by Hal Pawson
In an article from earlier this year, emeritus professor Hal Pawson evaluates social housing targets against delivered projects. He notes that despite their being plans for an extra 55,000 new social homes across Australia by 2030 (“almost triple the increase of 20,000 homes in the previous decade”), “we’re still not building enough to cut the backlog of need.” According to Pawson, “437,000 households had an ‘unmet need’ for social housing on census night in 2021.” He argues we need greater action and commitment from governments to extend recent investment into the next decade.
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