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Three Australian experts will come together at the Affordability by Design forum to discuss the housing affordability problem in the country.

To be held on 24 November, the Affordability by Design event will feature three well-known speakers including leading architect James Legge of Six Degrees Architects; sustainable building expert Caitlin McGee; and award-winning architect Adam Russell of RAW Architecture.

Australia is currently one of the most expensive countries in the world to buy a house, with residential house prices going through the roof. It costs nearly 5 times more to buy a house or apartment today than it did 23 years ago. Housing affordability is a major topic of discussion with various solutions being offered from social, policy and economic perspectives. Inclusionary housing policies, progressive design and planning are some of the solutions being discussed to address the affordability issue.

The Affordability by Design panel

James Legge

James is one of the founding directors of Six Degrees Architects, a well-established nationally recognised design firm with several urban and hospitality projects in the city of Melbourne to their credit. Six Degrees is widely recognised for their engaging and rich design in hospitality, tertiary education and civic fields, as well as multi-residential, urban design, place-making and precinct development. James has taught at the University of Melbourne, regularly undertakes guest lectures and has served on a number of AIA awards juries.

On behalf of the practice, James is currently running the second Nightingale Model project. A model for triple bottom line developments, i.e., apartments that are environmentally, socially and financially sustainable, Nightingale aims to provide quality urban housing at an affordable price by simplifying both the development process and the building itself. Initiated by Jeremy McLeod from Breath Architecture, the Nightingale Model is an architect-led housing model that creates well-designed, affordable housing as an alternative to business-as-usual development.

Caitlin McGee

An expert in sustainable built environments, Caitlin has been at the forefront of several high profile projects in this area, including the award-winning ‘Your Home’ series of sustainable housing guides for the building industry, the award-winning ‘Green Lease Guide’ for commercial tenants, and innovative policy research into the barriers to 'mainstreaming' sustainable development.

Adam Russell

Adam Russell is a registered architect in NSW, Australia and founding director of RAW Architecture. He is recognised for a number of award-winning works of architecture.

Affordability by Design will be held on Tuesday 24 November at 6.30pm. Venue: Tusculum, 3 Manning Street, Potts Point, NSW 2011.

Bookings can be completed online.