Industrialised, Integrated, Intelligent sustainable Construction - I3con

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK 2
However, an integrated model of sustainable and affordable housing might need to be underpinned by
key drivers or enablers. There is a cardinal need to identify what needs to be in place to bridge the gap
between the separate components of sustainable housing and affordable housing. In identifying the
factors conducive for the affordable housing aspects, attention should be paid to the structural
problems in Australia’s housing systems, such as a growing gap between housing supply and demand.
Other key drivers are generic factors in the broad environment such as the political environment
which in essence governs housing policy.
56
Conclusion
This chapter has addressed the debate over affordable and sustainable housing in the Australian
context and discussed work on an embryonic model that might offer conceptual and practical
direction for the construction of affordable and sustainable housing. It has been argued here that
sustainable housing and affordable housing, at least in the Australian context, are merit goods with a
degree of conceptual convergence albeit with evident tensions. Convergence was discussed in relation
to the Ecocents Living project, a research project that is seeking to develop a conceptual and practical
model to guide the development of affordable and sustainable housing. Illustrations were offered of
areas where the objectives of sustainable housing and affordable housing converge but where there
are also evident tensions. It has been suggested that integration might only be achieved when
affordable housing is a secondary objective to achieving truly sustainable housing. Albeit attention
should be paid to structural issues such as the relationship between housing supply and demand and
generic factors in the broad environment, which include the political environment and its impact on
environmental and housing policy. The model discussed here is embryonic and we welcome
contributions to a debate on how the integration of sustainable and affordable housing might be
advanced.
Acknowledgements
The research for this paper was funded by a grant from the South Australian Government Department
for Families and Communities and Hindmarsh as part of a broader research program into Affordable
and Sustainable Housing Building Systems. The authors are grateful for their support.
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