Less may be more, but try telling that to Australians designing their dream homes. A new exhibition now aims to start a conversation around why we all want big.
The average Australian home is 236m2, the largest in the world, with a new exhibition asking the question: could smaller be better, perhaps even more beautiful?
Home Truth by Melbourne-based architecture and design studio Breathe is the winner of the NGV Architecture Commission 2024. It's a house within a house, with audiences invited to enter through a grand garage of the larger dwelling to navigate a maze of corridors and rooms before arriving in a 50m2 timber haven, equivalent to a small apartment.
Home Truth by Melbourne-based architecture and design studio Breathe is the winner of the NGV Architecture Commission 2024. Picture: Derek Swalwell
This wooden retreat, enhanced by ambient music, offers a reflective space where visitors can imagine an alternative housing future, explained Ewan McEoin, NGV's senior curator of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture.
"We are told that big houses are a better investment. But here you can sit on a bench, look out into the garden and reflect that smaller may actually be better, that less could be more if it was done beautifully."
Mr McEoin added that Home Truth doesn't aim to judge or lecture people on big houses – which can be ideal for multi-generational or big families.
"We simply want them to consider the ethical and ecological impact of very large houses, and to envision new and sustainable ways of building homes – and the positive lifestyle changes smaller homes may enable."
The space allows visitors to consider an alternative housing future. Picture: Derek Swalwell
The problem with big houses
Large houses have ecological, economical and social implications, explained Sydney-based architect Andrew Donaldson.
Smaller homes, by contrast, can provide more affordable housing, reduce suburban sprawl, minimise environmental impact and create a better quality of life.
"Housing construction is high in carbon emissions so we have an obligation to build smaller," Mr Donaldson said. "Denser, community-focused housing is also good for us socially, encouraging diversity, opportunities for cross-pollination, and the looking after of people in the community."
A garage and larger dwelling with a maze of corridors and rooms surround a 50m2 timber haven. Picture: Installation view of the 2024 NGV Architecture Commission: Home Truth by Breathe photo by Derek Swalwell
Architectus principal Oliver Mayger said we need to get more creative with smaller spaces.
"We are designing homes that can be adaptable and multi-functional, change with our needs and requirements throughout the day and allow us to ‘live better in fewer rooms’," he said.
"This contributes to affordability, more socially and environmentally sustainable use of land and resources, and is more in tune with our lifestyles and mixed-use cities."
From small to supersized – and back again?
Home Truth, though forward-focused, also draws from Melbourne’s 20th-century housing solutions, such as the terrace houses of the 1900s that promoted density and community, and the small-scale Cairo apartment complex in Fitzroy.
"Families lived quite happily in much smaller houses in Australia in the 1960s. And we had bigger gardens," Mr McEoin said.
Our fascination with large homes began in the post-war era when space was abundant and costs were low, said Mr Donaldson. And over time, we've become obsessed with supersized homes.
"They're become part of our culture and identity. Our properties are also our largest asset, so financially we try to put as much as we can into them."
Architects have seen a shift toward smaller home designs due to budget. Picture: Installation view of the 2024 NGV Architecture Commission: Home Truth by Breathe photo by Derek Swalwell
Mr Donaldson said he's already seeing a shift towards smaller home designs, driven by budget constraints.
"Homes are about 40% more expensive to build than before the pandemic, so projects with similar budgets have to halve, more or less.
"And as younger Australians design homes, ecological concerns are coming to the fore."
He believes homes will – and should – continue to shrink.
"At the moment there's still a choice based on financials, but the ecological limitations of large houses are becoming clearer.
"Ideally, we shouldn't be building anything new, instead reconfiguring and repurposing existing structures to make them smaller to accommodate more families."
Shifting away from the desire for large homes is a challenge. Picture: Installation view of the 2024 NGV Architecture Commission: Home Truth by Breathe photo by Derek Swalwell
The problem is, our lifestyles have adapted to larger homes. Kids play inside rather than on the streets. Many of us now work in our homes.
"We do everything in our homes now," Mr McEoin said.
This shift has led to increased separation both from our communities and also within our families, he added.
"Children now spend more time in individual bedrooms rather than in shared spaces. So the way we live is influenced by the houses we live in.
"And there's a sense that this may not be all that it purports to be."
The NGV Architecture Commission 2024: Home Truth will be on display from 13 November 2024 to April 2025 at NGV International, Melbourne.
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