The Australian Government’s Design For Place housing plans have been updated to comply with the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 requirements for accessibility, liveability and energy efficiency.
Design For Place offers free home plans that were made in collaboration with an architect and an energy assessor. There are nine places across Australia that has been focused on and the plans can be used as is/a basis for home owners to work with their builder, architect or designer to adapt the home to the owner’s needs.
One of the updates to Design For Place is two new home plans (total of five designs now available) that include two, three and four bedroom options. There are also the new features of an accessible bathroom, step-free access and extra space in doorways and hallways to meet the new livability and accessibility requirements.
Every plan is provided with a predicted nationwide house energy rating scheme (NatHERS) energy performance rating. The star ratings indicate the efficiency of a new home to heat and cool, while the NatHERS whole home (WoH) rating measures the energy use of the whole home.
The NCC requires majority of new homes to achieve a rating of at least seven stars and at least 60/100 WoH.
