Back to the Past: future challenges for better, safer, building design and construction

Abstract

The growth of modern cities has led to an increase in high-rise, high-density living, challenging building regulation throughout the world. The challenges have manifested in incidents such as the Lacrosse Apartments fire in Melbourne and the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire in the United Kingdom. This article looks at the evolution of the built environment in Melbourne, and considers the origins and appropriateness of the current system of building regulation in Australia. It proposes – in light of why, how and what is being built in Australia – that reform is needed to the very foundations of building regulation. What is considered is the implementation of a nationally consistent two-tiered "system-based" approach to building regulation; an approach that would mandate performance outcomes for "cookie cutter" construction, while permitting performance-based design and construction for certain classes of complex buildings that demonstrate innovation and which uphold safety approved by a nationally-based expert peer review body tasked with ensuring consistency, safety, and compliance nationally.