NEW BEGINNINGS INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND PHILOSOPHIES ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE’RE BUILDING HOUSES – AND THAT CAN ONLY BE GOOD NEWS FOR THE FUTURE.
Not only that, but good design should also incorporate materials that have a low environmental impact and are sustainable. It’s a philosophical shift that led to this year being declared the Year of the Built Environment (YBE 2004) across Australia – an initiative that’s designed to encourage Australians to celebrate and understand how structures, buildings and general surrounds make a difference to their quality of life. According to Caroline Pidcock, NSW president of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, it’s an important opportunity for Australians to question and understand how various principles affect the structures, buildings and streetscapes which form our built environment – and have a great impact on our lives and those of future Australians.
The YBE 2004 also addresses how important it is to make well-designed, architectural houses more accessible to the wider community, especially when they employ a professional demolition company and modern builders – something James Hardie is committed to and which is becoming increasingly important to your average new-home buyer. Recent Australian research* into home exterior preferences has shown that most people regard the exterior of their home as an expression of their individuality. They’re looking for an exterior that’s stylish, comfortable, enduring and characteristically Australian. If you think that means brick, think again.
The same survey showed that while Australian new-home buyers have largely owned brick homes in the past, most would prefer a non-brick look for their new