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Victoria's best architecture on display at 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards

The 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards winners were announced last week, revealing a focus in the state on designing healthy and highly liveable buildings.

National

Design

GBCA appoints Frasers Property CEO, Rod Fehring as new chair

Rod Fehring says developers must embrace building practices that deliver healthy buildings.

Queensland (Qld)Brisbane

Featured Property

Reclaimed brick brings character and charm to this Norman Park executive family home

This four-bedroom executive family home in Brisbane's Norman Park, designed by Craig Webster of Monster Ideas, is for sale by auction through Simon Dean of Place Bulimba.

Western Australia (WA)

People

Tom Esze takes home the main prize, again: REIWA 2017 Auctioneering Championship

Tom Esze is this year's REIWA Auctioneering Champion. Runner up was David Vitale, and the winner of this year's rookie award was Prash Nayar.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Politics

Victoria establishes taskforce to fast-track flammable cladding probe

Architect and former premier Ted Baillieu will head up the new Victorian Cladding Taskforce, which has been established to investigate how widely flammable cladding has been used on Victorian high-rise buildings.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

People

Former real estate agent Joseph Ngo pleads guilty to 163 charges

A former agent for LJ Hooker has pleaded guilty to 163 charges associated with transferring money held for clients in trust funds into an account managed by his wife.

Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

Featured Property

A converted factory apartment in Collingwood's 'Bohemia' is for sale

A converted apartment in Collingwood's former Foy & Gibson factory, close to cafes and trams, is for sale through Sam Goddard and Simon Curtain of Abercromby's Armadale.

National New South Wales (NSW)Sydney Victoria (Vic.)Melbourne

The Economy

Weekend auctions litmus test of new first-home-buyer benefits

New stamp duty concessions in New South Wales and Victoria added some heat to otherwise wintry auction market conditions on the weekend.

National

Design

What should you do if you are concerned about flammable products in your building?

The Australian Building Codes Board has launched a new web site where you can report concerns about non-conforming building products.

New South Wales (NSW)

People

McGrath goes west with new office in Mudgee

John McGrath expects strongth growth in regional, "semi-rural" areas of NSW.

Pages

News Roundup

http://www.afr.com/p/national/push_to_grant_pensioners_assets_AXT3GoPCP651BGpULUz9HL

Push to grant pensioners assets-test reprieve for downsizing

A proposal being promoted by the Property Council of Australia, understood to be under serious consideration by Welfare Minister Scott Morrison, would allow people 75 and older to continue receiving the pension as long as they moved into a cheaper retirement home within 12 months.

The Australian Financial Review

http://businessnow.theaustralian.com.au/2015/03/04/sydney-beats-melbourne-for-living-standards/

Sydney beats Melbourne for living standards

Melbourne might have the best art and music in the land but when it comes to quality of living, Sydney has the cultural capital covered. The latest Mercer 2015 Quality of Living Survey ranks Sydney as the Australian city with the best living standards.

The Australian

http://www.afr.com/p/national/union_wins_per_cent_pay_rises_with_qU7RSwbM89wyBb685FJlNN

Union wins 5 per cent pay rises with no trade-offs

The construction union has secured wage deals delivering above-inflation pay rises of 5 per cent a year for the employees of up to 200 contractors, who now risk being blacklisted from federal government building projects. The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and Master Builders Australia said the union had negotiated new workplace agreements with 150 to 200 companies that did not contain any trade-offs by the union.

The Australian Financial Review

http://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/2015/03/04/depreston-song-highlights-real-estate-problems/

Melbourne singer on first home buyer woes

Melbourne singer Courtney Barnett has written a song about Australia’s housing bubble called ‘Depreston’.The song is inspired by the lack of affordability in Melbourne’s mid-ring suburb Preston, with many of Barnett’s friends struggling to find homes within 20kms of the city’s CBD.

The New Daily

http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/houses-awards-2015-now-looking-for-australia-s-bes

Houses Awards 2015 now looking for Australia’s best residential designs

Houses Awards 2015, an annual program celebrating Australia’s residential architecture, is now open for entry. Submissions will be accepted until Friday 27 March, 2015. Houses Awards recognises excellence in architecture across nine categories, with the best architecturally designed house receiving the premier title of ‘Australian House of the Year’ along with a $5,000 cash prize.

Architecture & Design

http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/government-shelves-plan-to-insure-firsttime-mortgages-31042189.html

Ireland shelves mortgage insurance scheme

A government plan to introduce a mortgage insurance scheme in Ireland to protect banks and allow first-time home buyers to borrow more has been shelved.

Irish Independent

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/lease-for-your-first-year-in-new-york?mbid=social_facebook

Humorous take on young renter's life in New York

"By signing this contract, Renter agrees to inhabit 5 GROVE ST., BROOKLYN, N.Y., for twelve months of increasing disillusionment with lifelong dream of being a writer in the city."

The New Yorker

http://www.afr.com/p/business/property/chinese_mega_developer_aoyuan_joins_H4RzkcDWoGhh3OJkuJpioN

Chinese mega developer's plans for $400 million residential tower

Mega Chinese developer Aoyuan Property has made its first foray into the Australian market announcing its plans to develop a $400 million residential tower in the heart of Sydney. The Hong Kong-listed developer has a land bank of more than 12 million square metres across China and has partnered with local developer Ecove to convert an aging office tower at 130 Elizabeth Street into 148 luxury apartments, designed by architects Bates Smart.

The Australian Financial Review