Livable Housing Design Guidelines

This week’s blog post comes from our Project Architect Howard Siow; a brief discussion and update of the Livable Housing Guidelines and National Construction Code (NCC) by the Australian Building Codes Board.

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At BY Projects Architecture, we continuously aspire to create and improve the quality of homes and inclusive spaces for all Australians. We hold ourselves to high standard and ensure we keep up and adapt to the changing needs of occupants.

The National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 includes some of the biggest changes to the National Construction Code since the merge of the Building Codes of Australia and the Plumbing Code of Australia in 2011.

One of the major changes is the Livable Housing Design Guidelines, which will apply to Class 1a buildings (houses and townhouses) and Class 2 sole-occupancy units (individual apartments). These new livable housing requirements commence in Victoria on the 1^st of October, 2023. Under NCC 2022, all new homes have to comply with the minimum Silver Standard.

This guideline is designed to meet the changing needs of occupants across their lifetime, particularly for older people and people with mobility limitations. We must practice good design to ensure that more homes are accessible for everybody, every day, and at all stages of life. The Silver Standard guideline mainly includes providing step-free access to the home, making doorways and hallways more accessible for people with reduced mobility, providing more space in the bathroom and toilet, and providing wall reinforcing in the bathroom and toilet so that grabrail installation can be completed easily in the future.