The Brief
The Victorian Government’s Housing Statement set an ambitious target for new housing delivery across the state. To support it, the Department of Transport and Planning and the Office of the Victorian Government Architect developed the Great Design Fast Track – an accelerated planning pathway for townhouses and apartment buildings of two to eight storeys with eight or more dwellings. To be eligible, proposals must meet a comprehensive set of design and sustainability principles. The brief was to make those principles legible and practical for the architects, developers and planners who would need to apply them. The benefits to using the Great Design Fast Track pathway are faster approvals, increased certainty and regulatory flexibility including increased building height.
Our Response
Fieldwork created the guiding document and contributed the visual and explanatory content for the Great Design Fast Track Design Principles – the core reference guide for the pathway. Working with hand-drawn and digital diagrams, alongside practical explanatory text, we translated each principle into something that could be understood and applied on real projects. The content covers outcomes including community-focused design, healthy buildings, adaptability and affordability. Real-world local and international project examples sit alongside the diagrams to show some of the ways these principles can be realised.
Impact
The Great Design Fast Track Design Principles document is the first instalment of the State Design Book – a resource showcasing great examples of medium density housing. By making best-practice design principles accessible and visual, the document lowers the barrier to high-quality housing delivery at scale across the state. Decisions under this pathway are being expedited through the Development Facilitation Program, and industry support is strong. This is a positive push towards prioritising healthy homes, sustainability and modern methods of construction.
Great Design Fast Track
Victorian Department of Transport and Planning / Office of Victorian Government Architect
The Brief
The Victorian Government’s Housing Statement set an ambitious target for new housing delivery across the state. To support it, the Department of Transport and Planning and the Office of the Victorian Government Architect developed the Great Design Fast Track – an accelerated planning pathway for townhouses and apartment buildings of two to eight storeys with eight or more dwellings. To be eligible, proposals must meet a comprehensive set of design and sustainability principles. The brief was to make those principles legible and practical for the architects, developers and planners who would need to apply them. The benefits to using the Great Design Fast Track pathway are faster approvals, increased certainty and regulatory flexibility including increased building height.
Our Response
Fieldwork created the guiding document, and contributed the visual and explanatory content for the Great Design Fast Track Design Principles – the core reference guide for the pathway. Working with hand-drawn and digital diagrams, alongside practical explanatory text, we translated each principle into something that could be understood and applied on real projects. The content covers outcomes including community-focused design, healthy buildings, adaptability and affordability. Real-world local and international project examples sit alongside the diagrams to show some of the ways these principles can be realised.
Link: Great Design Fast Track
(planning.vic.gov.au)
Published
06.04.2025