Navigating the High-Rise Housing Crisis: A Call for Quality in Construction

The last decade has seen an unprecedented boom in high-rise apartment construction. Yet, this growth has been shadowed by an increasing number of construction defects and quality issues, casting a long shadow over the industry’s standards. 

Recent findings from the Office of the Building Commissioner and Strata Community Association (SCA) NSW bring to light a worrying trend: over half of the newly registered strata buildings since 2016 are marred with serious defects, costing an average of $331,829 per building. Despite these alarming statistics, the Albanese government has ambitious plans to construct 1.2 million dwellings over the next five years to accommodate population growth, with a focus on high-density apartments. However, with buyer confidence at an all-time low due to these quality issues, it's crucial that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past decade. In a positive turn, Building Commissioner David Chandler has significantly expanded his building defects inspection team. Will this be enough to turn the tide and restore faith in our construction industry? 




 

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