NSW Housing Pattern Book

Low- and mid-rise homes fill the housing gaps in existing suburbs. They increase housing supply without disrupting the character of a neighbourhood.

Low-rise housing generally has 1–2 storeys and contains at least 2 homes.  

Low-rise housing comes in many shapes and sizes, including manor houses, mews, row houses, and multi-dwellings, such as sets of 4 or 6 apartments.

Mid-rise housing includes apartments ranging from 3 to 6 storeys and can accommodate between 6 and 60 homes, depending on the location.

Our households are changing, and we need to build more housing to meet these changing needs.

The NSW Government is focused on supporting the development of homes where people want to live. Building up, rather than out, not only saves money but helps create a housing supply which promotes affordability. We need more well-designed low- and mid-rise housing to fill the gap between detached homes and high-rise apartment buildings to suit people's changing lifestyle needs.

Building homes in well-located areas, close to transport hubs and town centres, can help reduce the cost of living by improving access to walkable amenities, cost-effective transport options, and a variety of housing and employment opportunities.

Each pattern includes a version adapted for low- and mid-rise housing areas, as well as a version for other residentially zoned land (zones R1, R2 and R3) across NSW.

The NSW Housing Pattern Book will include designs for:

• semi-detached or dual occupancy homes
• terraces
• manor homes
• row homes
• mid-rise apartment buildings up to 6 storeys.

The mid-rise pattern book includes apartment designs for buildings ranging from 3 to 6 storeys and will launch in late 2025. The low-rise designs are being released first, as they already align with the NSW Government’s low-rise policy, while the mid-rise pattern book requires further development due to its greater complexity.  

The mid-rise housing types included in the pattern book are:

• compact apartments
• infill apartments
• corner lot apartments
• greenfield area developments.

The patterns were created for the various NSW climates, using sustainable design principles. Passive design techniques, such as strategic shading, sunlight orientation and planting, have been integrated into the pattern designs to improve comfort and decrease reliance on artificial climate control. The pattern designs are compact, reducing their overall footprint and the energy and material needed to build and run the homes.

We have chosen sustainable construction materials for their thermal performance and low carbon footprint. The patterns will achieve a 7-Star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating for water usage, energy usage and thermal performance. Optional additions, such as solar panels and rainwater tanks, lower your energy and water bills.

The NSW Housing Pattern Book Design Competition was held from August to November 2024. The jury chose 5 professional and one student winner across the 2 categories, terrace and mid-rise housing. The competition attracted 212 entries from Australia and around the world. A total of 21 entries were then shortlisted to move to the design phase of the competition. 

The low-rise terraces by Other Architects and Officer Woods are competition winning schemes.

Find out more about the NSW Housing Pattern Book International Design Competition.