The NightingalNightingale effect

“More is more” seems to be a guiding principle in urban development in Australia. Think of suburbs stuffffed with McMansions groaning under the weight of multiple ensuites, media rooms and multi-car garages – dwellings pushed to the very borders of their crowded blocks.

It’s not for everyone. Melbourne-based not-forprofifit developer Nightingale Housing promotes a model of sustainable, lower-cost accommodation that is exquisitely designed. The fifirst thing to go is the cost of marketing – oftften a big-ticket item for new apartment developments. Nightingale projects are architect-led and have capped profifits to keep costs down. The building operation is 100 per cent fossil fuel-free, producing developments that have a minimum 7.5-star NatHERS thermal effifficiency rating, plus rainwater harvesting and productive gardens.

The original example is a residential complex in Brunswick known as The Commons, designed by Breathe Architecture. This building has won more than a dozen design awards, including the 2014 Australian Institute of Architects Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing.

The Nightingale building model is spreading its wings towards Sydney and Brisbane and proves that beautiful housing can be affffordable and sustainable.