August 18, 2023 • 31 mins
Ever wondered how architectural design could shape our future? Imagine a world where houses aren't just commodities, but sustainable spaces that nourish our lives and the planet.
Join us as we explore this potential world with our guest Antony DiMase, of DiMase Architects. Antony champions the belief that good design has the power to enhance our lives and environment, and he delves into the essence of sustainable architecture in this episode - highlighting the importance of small footprint buildings suffused with natural light, good ventilation, and adaptable spaces.
Did you know that even as a renter, there are ways to make your home more energy-efficient? Antony shares some nifty tips on how to keep your house warm and minimise drafts. We also discuss the importance of regular maintenance in ensuring the longevity of a building.
We also dive deeper into more complex solutions to reduce carbon emissions and create sustainable housing, discussing everything from green loans and subsidies to the potential of creating a logbook system to track energy efficiency progress in dwellings.
Join us to envision the future of sustainable housing with Antony DiMase, where every home could be a sanctuary that complements our planet.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ludwina Dautovic (00:01):
Welcome to the Rimm Exchange podcast helping
you rent better.
In this podcast, we're havingconversations with industry
leaders in the rental market,along with everyday renters,
sharing fascinating stories,insights and tips to help you
rent better.
Welcome to the Rimm Exchangepodcast.
(00:28):
I'm Ludwena Dordovic and todayI'm speaking with Antony Demase
from Demase Architects.
Antony advocates thesustainability, public urban
space, better education andsupporting local community.
He believes that good designcan make a difference in
people's lives and contribute toa better environment.
For many years, he and his teamhave provided architectural
(00:49):
services to residential,education and commercial clients
.
He regularly attendsprofessional development courses
and is active on various socialmedia platforms.
Thank you, antony, for joiningus today.
Antony Dimase (01:02):
Thank you, Ludwena.
It's a pleasure to be here.
Ludwina Dautovic (01:04):
I'm really excited to talk to you today
because the Rimm Exchange hasactually just won the Australian
PropTech Award forEnvironmental, Social and
Sustainability category.
I'm so excited about it.
Antony Dimase (01:16):
Congratulations.
It sounds like it's welldeserved, so well done to you.
Ludwina Dautovic (01:20):
Yeah, thank you so much.
So there's a lot that's goinginto this conversation today,
with that in the back of my mindas well, because obviously the
Rimm Exchange is all aboutsustainability as well, because
we're utilising resources thatalready exist.
So, for those that arelistening, you're wondering why
we're actually talking aboutthis topic today.
Because we need to really befocusing I think in the future
more so in sustainability whenit comes to housing.
(01:42):
So, to get started, antony, whydon't you tell us where your
passion for designsustainability came from?
Antony Dimase (01:50):
Well to say where it came from.
I think the issue is that goodarchitecture and sustainability
go hand in hand.
I think historically we canpaint a picture, we can draw on
the really good architects, thefamous buildings, historically,
that always have a connectionwith nature, with the
environment and people.
So sustainability andarchitecture go hand in hand.
Probably only more recentlythat we've strayed from that
(02:12):
where we've developed a sort ofan architecture perhaps that
doesn't put people first,doesn't really care for the
environment.
So it's not so much where itcame from.
I think it's always been thereand, as an architect, the
training, really, if youundertake the training and the
education properly, thatsustainability is just really
embedded in the work that we do.
(02:32):
So I'm passionate about itbecause obviously we're facing
some challenges in the futureand I believe that by going back
to the very heart and soul ofwhat architecture represents,
what good architecturerepresents, we create
sustainable buildings,sustainable spaces, healthy
spaces and, apart from anything,it's the right thing for us to
(02:53):
do right here, right now.
Ludwina Dautovic (02:55):
Yeah, I agree with you on that.
I was thinking yesterday thatif you look at the architecture
of old, apart from the fact ofhow well it was built, it was
also built to be beautiful, likebuildings used to be beautiful.
And you look around sort ofsuburban streets now and it
feels to me like we've built abunch of boxes that have just
got some slight alterations onthe outside so that one house
(03:19):
can be differentiated from thenext, but really there's no
beautiful design to them likethey used to have.
Antony Dimase (03:25):
Yeah, I mean in simple terms.
A well-designed building lastsa long time.
It can last centuries.
It can last for an incredibleamount of time.
So the notion that if we wantto create a sustainable building
is actually we build well, webuild small footprint buildings,
natural light, good ventilation, spaces that can be adaptable
(03:46):
for a multitude of uses.
So it's not sort of designedfor the here and now but can be
adapted for future uses.
Historically, I think we'vebeen able to do that, not always
, I mean.
I think we can sort of paint apicture that you know everything
was great in the past.
That's not always the way, butit does provide some really
valuable lessons about whatsustainable architecture
actually looks like.
(04:06):
If you look at a terrace house,you look at a well-designed
building.
Generally speaking, it's ableto be adapted to different
situations and differentconditions so that people can
inhabit those spaces for muchlonger and really, at its very
core, it's a sustainableapproach to architecture.
Ludwina Dautovic (04:27):
Let's talk about current housing design
limitations.
How did we get here, like, howdid that shift happen from what
was designed, what well-designedin the past to what we have
today?
Antony Dimase (04:41):
Well, we could spend a long time talking about
this.
Essentially, housing was serveda need, you know, and
historically I mean, it was aform of shelter, of the warm
place where we could hunker down, stay warm, had a sense of
community.
Increasingly today we seehousing as a kind of an
investment.
We also see we tend to thinkabout the technology, the
(05:05):
add-ons, the desirable aspectsthat we want to put into our
houses.
So we've sort of shifted awayfrom the basic idea that housing
provides us with shelter,comfort and community to
something more like that.
It is an investment that we'reworried about, the home theater
we want to have all the latestand greatest technologies, the
best cooking equipment, you know, the most up-to-date fridge.
(05:28):
So we've kind of moved awayfrom what is essentially housing
to something more like aconsumable object.
I sometimes joke that houses arekind of things that get plugged
into the internet now ratherthan actually providing us with,
you know, something that we canactually live in.
So in a way, the building, theactual fabric of the building,
(05:50):
has become less important andthe features that that building
contains, you know, be it.
You know, the fancy kitchen,the stone benchtops, and those
things become more importantthan the roof, the walls, the
windows, the back garden andthose sorts of things.
So we've moved more from, youknow, housing, providing us with
a need, and it's more connectedwith you know, it being a
(06:13):
status symbol, like a car wedrive and a bit like how much
can we resell this house or thisinvestment at some future date.
So it's really it's a changethat parallels what changes have
occurred in society really.
Ludwina Dautovic (06:31):
So it sounds like housing has become the bank
, in a way.
When you're talking about it asan investment, we're making
decisions based on not howfeasible, sustainable or
suitable the house is.
What's the resale value of itgoing to be?
Antony Dimase (06:45):
I believe that's the case particularly here in
Australia.
The house prices, as youprobably know, have become
extraordinarily high, so it'svery difficult for young people,
for a whole lot of people, toactually enter into the market,
because we're effectivelyinvesting a large amount of our
capital into housing with theview that it is a safe bet.
It may well be, but it's becomeout of reach for a whole
(07:07):
generation of people and that'sproblematic.
So just the amount of moneythat people are spending on
housing is quite incredible.
The size of housing is muchgreater than what we need.
Here in Australia we arebuilding houses that per person,
much bigger than anywhere inthe world that includes the
United States.
So we are obsessed with theamount of space that we have and
(07:30):
the amount of things that thatspace contains.
Ludwina Dautovic (07:35):
With that space actually comes the cost of
running it.
One of the things I often jokeabout with my husband is that
people go out and make decisionsabout buying a car based on
what the running costs are goingto be of the car as well as the
function of that car.
We don't seem to do that whenit comes to houses.
We build or we buy or we moveinto houses based on the society
(07:57):
and the space, but we don'treally think about the cost of
running that house.
Antony Dimase (08:02):
Well, there are good reasons for that.
That's primarily that,basically, energy was very cheap
.
To run a gas heater, to run acooling system, a reverse cycle
air conditioning system, wasactually very inexpensive
because the cost of energy wasactually very low.
That's now changing and houseshave become bigger and people's
expectations about comfort havebecome much more acute.
(08:23):
So in fact, energy costs arerising and the cost of running a
house is becoming much greater.
So it is actually becoming aconsideration in people's
thinking.
But historically the reasonthat wasn't the case is that we
were basically had cheap energyavailable to us in here in
Australia.
That actually tells us why thehouses are designed the way they
(08:45):
are.
They're big houses because itwas relatively easy to keep them
warm and cool.
Ludwina Dautovic (08:53):
I understand that Even in the design of the
design, elements go intobuilding houses that one that I
live in, for example.
So we rent buses, we rent thehouse that we own in Newport and
we rent the house that we livein in the Outer Worcestershire
suburbs of Melbourne.
These houses probably onlyabout 10 years old, but it's a
huge double story house and ithas one remote unit for the
(09:17):
entire heating and evaporativecooling.
So if we're in one room to heatthat room with that system, we
have to be heating the entirehouse.
Now I don't know on what planetanything like that could get
passed.
Antony Dimase (09:34):
Well, it's a curious thing.
I mean, you're talking aboutthe design of your specific
house.
Yes, it would be better if youcould individually heat and cool
rooms.
There is an inefficiency tothat as well, unfortunately,
because, the truth be known, thelarger the unit, the more
efficient it actually is.
Comparably.
So, if you had one large unitlet's say, one large unit
(09:57):
heating a whole house versus awhole lot of individual units
heating individual rooms well,the large unit would be more
efficient than the individualrooms.
However, to your point, if youonly need to heat and cool one
room, obviously it would bebetter to have a unit that only
(10:18):
heats and cools that one room.
That would obviously be moreeffective.
And this is really where designcomes into it.
You have to kind of thinkthrough the design aspects of a
house in order to get to thatkind of level of efficiency that
you're talking about, andthat's not easy, let me tell you
.
It's not easy because you'retrying to design something for
all situations.
(10:39):
What I would suggest to you issomething that I'm really
passionate about is that designactually can make a real
difference.
So if you're designing a housewith good insulation, good cross
ventilation, you're notdesigning a house that's too big
for what it needs to be andyou've got good landscaping in
and around the building.
The need for heating andcooling it's much reduced, and
(11:02):
that's the thing that we reallyneed to be looking at the
passive heating and cooling ofdwellings.
Increasingly, we're going tohave more severe weather.
You know heat and cold, so weneed to rely more and more on
natural systems in order to beable to heat and cool our
properties.
So, I'd really advocate for allyour listeners how important
(11:25):
good design is in relation tobuildings.
If you're living sorry, I'lljust if I may if you're living
on an existing building and youcan't make those changes, then
maintenance is a reallyimportant thing Ceiling windows,
making sure that the insulationis up to date, having double
glazing, making sure that thereare no gaps so that all that
(11:47):
heating and cooling is notescaping.
So these are the sorts ofthings that every one of us can
be doing.
Ludwina Dautovic (11:53):
And if you own the home, there are things that
obviously people can do.
A lot of our listeners arerenters and they're living in
homes that have been obviouslydesigned.
They can't do much about it.
There's a few things that we'vedone around our house and then
I'd like you to share some justsome tips before we move on.
We've actually closed off ourducted evaporative cooling vents
(12:13):
with a piece of board cut tosize and it just sits in that,
so that's helped.
We've put bubble wrap actuallyon our bottom part of our
windows, just sprayed the windowwith some water and then put
the bubble wrap side attached tothe glass, and that actually
helps to keep the cold out inthe morning, and also putting
those strips underneath doorswhere the drafts come in.
(12:35):
So those three things thatwe've done are quite simple that
we're able to do in a rentalproperty.
Are there any other tips thatyou'd recommend that people do a
renting for Bubbubble to do atthe moment?
Antony Dimase (12:44):
Look, I think you've almost nailed it, but I
think window furnishings areunderestimated as to the effect
that it can actually have.
So having a good blind andcurtain system actually can keep
a lot of the heat in.
I would advocate, like I wouldlove to see the laws change.
To be honest with you, this isgoing a little bit away from
what you're asking and Iapologize, but I really believe
(13:04):
landlords have an obligation toprovide good systems to renters.
I think this is an area of themarket that is really lacking.
So if I were renting, I'mfortunate enough to be living in
my own home, but I would besaying to tenants to be really
advocating to their landlordsthat maintenance is absolutely
(13:24):
necessary.
I've been sent to some rentalaccommodation which are really
really not very good, and Ibelieve landlords have an
obligation to provide a minimumstandard of accommodation to
their tenants and this is nothappening at the moment and I
would like to see more advocacyand activism in this area
because I do believe they have aresponsibility.
(13:44):
So I'm sorry I moved away alittle bit from the question.
Ludwina Dautovic (13:47):
No, I'm actually glad to do that, I'm
really glad you brought that upbecause, as a landlord myself
and a renter, so I understandboth sides of the equation.
And look, I just got an emailfrom my electricity supplier
saying that to expect anadditional $500 increase in the
next 12 months in ourelectricity bill, and you know,
that's actually quite a jump.
(14:08):
We can manage that, fortunately, but a lot of people are not
going to be able to and I think,thinking of doing which perhaps
some of our business can do aswell as it's going to negotiate
with our landlord and just saylook, you know, if we were to
put an additional unitdownstairs, this is what it
would cost.
We pay for half of it.
Would you be happy to matchthat and that perhaps paying
half of it would reduce our youknow running costs over the next
(14:30):
12 months, which we will thenbenefit the following year.
You know, I think being able tonegotiate with them on things
that they can do would behelpful, because obviously the
cost of running the house iscausing people to be reluctant
on what they rent, but at thesame token, we're in the midst
of a rental crisis, so it'salmost like you can't be too
fussy, in a way.
So I think there are somethings that you can do.
That's probably probably goodto do an episode topic on that
(14:52):
down the road, but I'm sorryGone.
Antony Dimase (14:54):
Oh well, I was just going to say.
If you think about a building,any building, essentially a
certain proportion of money hasto be dedicated to the
maintenance of that building.
You know the paintings.
Let's say, every 10, 15 years.
Carpets probably need to bereplaced every seven or eight
years.
You know the hot water serviceprobably needs to be replaced,
you know, let's say every 10years.
(15:16):
So in any sort of life cyclethat occurs, you know, for a
building, there is maintenancethat has to be had for that
building.
That has to be done, otherwisethat building will slowly
deteriorate and there'll be apoint at which it will be
actually more costly to repairthat building than it is to
replace.
The building sort of ends upbecoming virtually derelict.
(15:38):
So if we assume that a certainportion of money has to be
invested in that building everyyear, it makes sense to me that
landowners or owners Reallythink about where that money
goes and rather than sort ofputting in sort of additional
features here and everywhere, Iwould contend that it would be
(15:59):
makes much more sense to belooking at ways of making that
building more energy efficientand healthier, because then that
building is going to last for alot longer.
And I think that's the trendthat we'll start to see over the
next five years as we start tomove towards a net zero carbon
economy, because increasingly weknow that that's where we've
(16:19):
got ahead.
Ludwina Dautovic (16:21):
That's actually a really good segue
where I was heading next.
So what, in your opinion, mustwe be doing to start reducing
our carbon emissions in ourhomes to get to that net years
by 2050?
Antony Dimase (16:32):
Well, it's pretty easy.
It's really about reducing theamount of energy that we use.
So we need to be making ourhouses much more efficient.
Now, most houses that we visitlet's call it one or two star
rating, so they're fairly leaky,they're poorly insulated and
they use a lot of energy toconsume.
So really easy way is look atthe energy bill and think about
(16:53):
ways in which we can reduce thatenergy consumption and
insulation, reducing the gaps,all those things that we talked
about earlier other way in whichwe go about it.
Once you do that, then you canstart to think about active
systems like solar panels,rainwater, getting off gas,
doing all those sorts of things.
(17:13):
If you are getting your energyfrom an energy provider, by all
means go with a green energyprovider rather than a fossil
fuel system.
Also, get good landscapingaround the building, because
that will actually make thehouse much more efficient and
also a much more pleasant placeto live in.
So just quickly, there arereally three reasons why we
(17:33):
should make our houses moresustainable.
The first is that all reduceenergy costs.
That's really really critical.
So it doesn't matter whetheryou believe in climate change or
you don't.
Making the house more efficientis just a good idea because it
reduces energy costs.
Second thing is that itactually creates a more healthy
space for you to live in.
So, generally speaking,sustainable houses have much
(17:55):
better fresh air, natural light,connection with nature, so you
get the benefit of a healthylifestyle within those spaces.
And the third thing is thatit's really the right thing to
do.
It's the right thing that weare reducing our need for fossil
fuels, because we just can'tkeep consuming our way out of
this problem, and so it comesdown to doing the really basic
(18:19):
things really well.
That will create a healthy home.
Ludwina Dautovic (18:23):
So let's talk about the environmental, social
and governance reportingstandard for housing.
When do you think that thiswill become a standard benchmark
in the housing industry?
Antony Dimase (18:32):
Well, it's an area that I'm interested in.
I can't say I can speak withany great authority about it,
but what I am understanding isthere are predictions that there
will be subsidies given tohomeowners in the not too
distant future to make theirhouses more efficient, and part
of making the houses moreefficient will be reporting back
(18:53):
to whoever is providing thosesubsidies.
What energy efficiencies havebeen calculated, have been put
into place.
So, for instance, if you do putsolar energy and money is
contributed towards that, then,be it the subsidy, whoever gave
the subsidy, or if there's abank that's given a green loan,
(19:14):
they will actually want to seehow those changes have actually
reduced carbon emissions.
So I think we'll see somethinglike that emerge over the next
four or five years as we move toa more low energy economy.
We've committed to a 43%reduction by 2030 and 100%
reduction by 2050.
(19:35):
So these are big changes thatare going to occur in the way we
live.
Ludwina Dautovic (19:41):
Can you tell me a bit more about that green
loan?
I haven't heard that before.
Antony Dimase (19:45):
Well, it's something that I'm investigating
, but my understanding is thatthere are.
I'm not going to speak withgreat authority about this
because I don't know enoughabout it, but my understanding
is that places like BankAustralia and other banks will
offer green loans to members ofthe community or to businesses
(20:07):
to put into place more efficientfeatures into their buildings,
be it commercial or residential.
But one of the features ofthose green loans is that they
definitely want carbon emissionsto be part of that.
It has to be reported back tothe bank and then the bank
provides that data to whoevertheir lenders are, to wherever
(20:28):
they're getting their money, sothat they can actually report
those reductions in emissions towherever they get their money
from, from overseas.
So it's something that I'minvestigating because I think
it's a really big change that'sgoing to occur because we're
effectively trading on theefficiency of buildings.
That's what I'm understanding.
Ludwina Dautovic (20:47):
So it's basically something to look into
in regards to subsidies orbenefits that are available to
landlords.
How would they find out aboutthat?
Where would they get that kindof information from?
Antony Dimase (21:00):
Well, a group that I've been working with is a
group called Evatat and they'relooking into having like a
logbook kind of system where youput into place certain
efficiencies and then you'reable to kind of create a logbook
of all the changes that you'remaking within your building to a
future homeowner, to a futurepurchaser and to yourselves.
(21:22):
And my understanding that'searly days yet, but my
understanding is that the banksare quite interested in this
kind of logbook approach to theenergy efficiencies of dwelling.
So they're actually looking atthis model as a way of making
sure that the buildings thatthey're giving loans to are
actually efficient.
Because if you think about it,the banks have got a vested
(21:43):
interest in homeowners nothaving to pay huge amounts of
money for their energyconsumption, because it affects
the ability for that homeownerto repay the mortgage.
So increasingly as we go to amore high interest rate sort of
scenario and then the cost ofenergy is actually also
increasing, then those twothings are not working very well
(22:06):
for the person who's actuallyhaving to pay for all this.
So having an energy efficienthouse means that that occupant
is more likely to meet theirrepayments.
Ludwina Dautovic (22:14):
That's a great concept.
It almost sounds like some formof a directory as well, where
people can list what they'vedone on their home and have that
logbook, kind of like a car.
When you buy a car, you'veactually got a technical log of
what you've done to maintain thecar.
That's what you're talkingabout here, isn't it?
Absolutely yeah.
Antony Dimase (22:34):
And, as I say, it's a group called Evatat.
They're a relatively new playerin this area, but they're
looking at promoting this ideathat you make changes to your
building, let's say you putinsulation in, and then you can
actually record that and thenadd on this logbook so you have
a kind of visual dashboard andyou can see what the benefits
have been for doing that andthen you sort of that kind of
(22:57):
gives yourself a little bit ofencouragement to keep going down
this track.
So it's kind of a bit techie.
It's a bit, you know, forpeople who are really interested
in this kind of thing, and youknow they've also tried to build
a community of people that areengaged in this sort of thing.
So there's learnings from otherpeople and seminars and so on
and so forth.
So it's a way of kind ofcreating a movement across a
(23:20):
number of different communitiesand people who are interested in
sustainability and energyefficiency, and so there's a
learning from each other, whichI really like.
Ludwina Dautovic (23:29):
That sounds great.
I'd like to get in touch withthem actually, well, for the
listeners.
Antony Dimase (23:34):
The group's name is Evitat, e-v-i-t-a-t, and yeah
, they're sort of an emerginggroup that are really looking at
the retrofitting of existingspaces, be it housing and also
commercial, to make the housesmore energy efficient.
So, you know, as an architect,for instance, you know I might
design one building that mightbe, you know, energy efficient
(23:56):
and that's great, but we allknow that there's a whole lot of
buildings out there that arereally energy inefficient, that
we need to contend with, and Ithink that's going to be the
challenge over the next five to10 years.
Ludwina Dautovic (24:08):
And with sustainability, it's not just
about the efficiency of runninga home or the aesthetics of it
or the design.
It's also about affordability,and I know that it's an area
that you're also reallypassionate about, as you know
that we've got so much wastedspace in all of these large
rooms that we're accessing, youknow, to help homeowners reduce
their multiple interest ratehikes, they can rent out this
(24:30):
bare route to a verifiedhousemaid, and we've got lots of
people in the rental market whoare trying to find accessible
and affordable housing.
So that holds to sustainability.
Pride of it is, you know, grownup to the core of what we do.
What are some of the challengesthat you're seeing in terms of
the affordability of housing?
Antony Dimase (24:48):
Well, again, it's really.
I guess the housing market isreally market driven, so there's
a whole lot of things that aresort of feeding against each
other.
So we've gone through asubstantial change in the last,
let's say, 12 months, 18 months.
Whatever you want to talk about, you know COVID really affected
the housing industry, reallyaffected the building industry.
(25:10):
We saw a number of liquidations, a lot of companies going into
receivership, which is reallyunfortunate.
You know large players PorterDavis and other groups, the
supply chains of materials havebeen choked.
People talk about the Ukrainewar being the reason for that.
I don't know, but I do know thatyou know, if you specify a
(25:31):
material that's coming fromEurope, you can expect a 16 week
wait is not unheard of.
Quite often you don't know whenthe material is.
You know product is going toarrive.
Interest rates have beenincreasing and so the cost of
building has, you know, jumpedvery significantly.
So it's not a good time to bebuilding, truth be known, at the
(25:55):
moment, and it's sort of laidbare some of the problems, I
think, that exist within theindustry, the way that the
industry works, and I thinkconsumers are rightly concerned
and I guess it's leading to adownturn in construction
activity.
So all of these things aremaking affordability just that
much more difficult.
(26:16):
I do think that during the COVIDperiod a lot of money was put
into the building economy, intothe, you know the home loan
subsidies for people who arebuilding houses, and governments
were putting a lot of moneyinto schools and other projects
to basically keep the economygoing.
So it was essentially kind oflike a stimulus package across
(26:38):
you know a variety of differentareas and I suspect what's
happened is that it's kind ofoverheated the market and that
also contributed to this currentdownturn.
So it's not good, I guess, tosay the very least, that you
know, house prices have jumped,the cost of construction has
jumped and the level ofcertainty that we once would
(26:59):
have had in the constructionindustry is less, less.
So I don't know whether I'veanswered your question, but it's
not a great time.
Ludwina Dautovic (27:07):
I guess, yeah, and people who'd never would
have seen themselves as beingrenters are now becoming renters
, and people are renting for alonger period of time as well,
and I keep hearing that the onlyway to solve this is to build
more housing.
But the building industry is inthe state of disarray, as you
said, and even then if theybuild, it's like four or five
(27:29):
years before it's built.
It just seems to be thisongoing problem that's in this
continual circle that needs tostop at some point, and one of
the things that we talk a lotabout is that it's our, I guess,
a civic duty, in a way, ofindividuals in the country who
can look at what is it that wecan do on a grassroots level to
(27:52):
help curb the negative impact ofthis, and it's very much what
we're about.
But the discussion aroundsustainability, affordability in
housing, needs to continue,because, don't know how it got
here.
I've been in the housing marketnow, back since when the
interest rates were 18%, but ourmortgage was 80,000, not the
(28:13):
kind of sizes that it is today,so there's a lot of issues there
.
Look, antony, we've covered alot here in this conversation
and I really appreciate yousharing your knowledge, and even
from those areas that you'renot an expert in, but it's just
really interesting where theconversation went at points, and
I think design isn't reallyimportant in terms of moving
(28:33):
forward, and I just actually gotan email announcing you on your
website it's just been launched.
Antony Dimase (28:39):
Yes, that's correct.
Yeah we've been very proud ofthe work that we've done.
We've tried to make a websitethat's really informative to
prospective clients I meanpeople who are generally
interested in architecture.
So by all means I hope peoplevisit it.
Wwwdemasearchitectscomau.
As I say, we put a lot ofeffort and energy into it to
(28:59):
sort of try and reflect the kindof values that we aspire to.
Ludwina Dautovic (29:03):
And that's Demase D-I-M-A-S-E.
And the link to that will alsobe in the show notes on
therimexchangecom on our blog.
Now how else can people get intouch with you, anthony?
Antony Dimase (29:15):
Well, they're welcome to call me.
They're welcome to call ourphone, 9482-514, that's a
Melbourne number.
They're welcome to call me onmy mobile, 0419-505-608.
Always happy to have a chat andsee where I can contribute
meaningfully.
I just would like to say,before you do close, what I
think you guys are doing isfantastic.
(29:37):
You know it is.
I think one of the ways that wecan meet the challenges of our
time is through that small scaleintervention that you're doing.
I know it's not small scale,but that sort of community-based
sort of initiative is what canI do?
How can we help?
You know, I've got a spare room.
I can rent that out.
There's an opportunity overhere.
Let's look at that.
I think more and more that'swhere I see the future of how we
(30:00):
meet the challenges of whatwe're facing today, because we
can lend a hand to people whoare in need and we can find ways
to solve this problem.
We don't need to necessarilylook to governments or
corporations or banks toactually solve the problems.
We've actually got everythingthat we need to be able to solve
these problems.
So I just want to congratulateyou on what your initiative is
(30:21):
doing, because I think it'sreally, you know, working in the
right way.
Ludwina Dautovic (30:25):
Well, thank you very much, Anthony.
That's just such a lovely thingto say and a wonderful note to
end this incredible conversation.
So thank you very much for yourtime and we look forward to
getting you back on the show inthe future.
Antony Dimase (30:38):
Thanks a lot, really appreciate it.
Ludwina Dautovic (30:39):
OK, bye for now.
Thanks for listening.
If you're looking for your nextrent tool, head over to the
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.
Our profiles make it easy tomatch you based on personality,
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To find out more, go totheroomexchangecom.
(31:00):
You can connect with us acrossour social media platforms at
theroomexchange, or email adminat theroomexchangecom.
Welcome to the Rimm Exchange podcast helping
you rent better.
In this podcast, we're havingconversations with industry
leaders in the rental market,along with everyday renters,
sharing fascinating stories,insights and tips to help you
rent better.
Welcome to the Rimm Exchangepodcast.
(00:28):
I'm Ludwena Dordovic and todayI'm speaking with Antony Demase
from Demase Architects.
Antony advocates thesustainability, public urban
space, better education andsupporting local community.
He believes that good designcan make a difference in
people's lives and contribute toa better environment.
For many years, he and his teamhave provided architectural
(00:49):
services to residential,education and commercial clients
.
He regularly attendsprofessional development courses
and is active on various socialmedia platforms.
Thank you, antony, for joiningus today.
Antony Dimase (01:02):
Thank you, Ludwena.
It's a pleasure to be here.
Ludwina Dautovic (01:04):
I'm really excited to talk to you today
because the Rimm Exchange hasactually just won the Australian
PropTech Award forEnvironmental, Social and
Sustainability category.
I'm so excited about it.
Antony Dimase (01:16):
Congratulations.
It sounds like it's welldeserved, so well done to you.
Ludwina Dautovic (01:20):
Yeah, thank you so much.
So there's a lot that's goinginto this conversation today,
with that in the back of my mindas well, because obviously the
Rimm Exchange is all aboutsustainability as well, because
we're utilising resources thatalready exist.
So, for those that arelistening, you're wondering why
we're actually talking aboutthis topic today.
Because we need to really befocusing I think in the future
more so in sustainability whenit comes to housing.
(01:42):
So, to get started, antony, whydon't you tell us where your
passion for designsustainability came from?
Antony Dimase (01:50):
Well to say where it came from.
I think the issue is that goodarchitecture and sustainability
go hand in hand.
I think historically we canpaint a picture, we can draw on
the really good architects, thefamous buildings, historically,
that always have a connectionwith nature, with the
environment and people.
So sustainability andarchitecture go hand in hand.
Probably only more recentlythat we've strayed from that
(02:12):
where we've developed a sort ofan architecture perhaps that
doesn't put people first,doesn't really care for the
environment.
So it's not so much where itcame from.
I think it's always been thereand, as an architect, the
training, really, if youundertake the training and the
education properly, thatsustainability is just really
embedded in the work that we do.
(02:32):
So I'm passionate about itbecause obviously we're facing
some challenges in the futureand I believe that by going back
to the very heart and soul ofwhat architecture represents,
what good architecturerepresents, we create
sustainable buildings,sustainable spaces, healthy
spaces and, apart from anything,it's the right thing for us to
(02:53):
do right here, right now.
Ludwina Dautovic (02:55):
Yeah, I agree with you on that.
I was thinking yesterday thatif you look at the architecture
of old, apart from the fact ofhow well it was built, it was
also built to be beautiful, likebuildings used to be beautiful.
And you look around sort ofsuburban streets now and it
feels to me like we've built abunch of boxes that have just
got some slight alterations onthe outside so that one house
(03:19):
can be differentiated from thenext, but really there's no
beautiful design to them likethey used to have.
Antony Dimase (03:25):
Yeah, I mean in simple terms.
A well-designed building lastsa long time.
It can last centuries.
It can last for an incredibleamount of time.
So the notion that if we wantto create a sustainable building
is actually we build well, webuild small footprint buildings,
natural light, good ventilation, spaces that can be adaptable
(03:46):
for a multitude of uses.
So it's not sort of designedfor the here and now but can be
adapted for future uses.
Historically, I think we'vebeen able to do that, not always
, I mean.
I think we can sort of paint apicture that you know everything
was great in the past.
That's not always the way, butit does provide some really
valuable lessons about whatsustainable architecture
actually looks like.
(04:06):
If you look at a terrace house,you look at a well-designed
building.
Generally speaking, it's ableto be adapted to different
situations and differentconditions so that people can
inhabit those spaces for muchlonger and really, at its very
core, it's a sustainableapproach to architecture.
Ludwina Dautovic (04:27):
Let's talk about current housing design
limitations.
How did we get here, like, howdid that shift happen from what
was designed, what well-designedin the past to what we have
today?
Antony Dimase (04:41):
Well, we could spend a long time talking about
this.
Essentially, housing was serveda need, you know, and
historically I mean, it was aform of shelter, of the warm
place where we could hunker down, stay warm, had a sense of
community.
Increasingly today we seehousing as a kind of an
investment.
We also see we tend to thinkabout the technology, the
(05:05):
add-ons, the desirable aspectsthat we want to put into our
houses.
So we've sort of shifted awayfrom the basic idea that housing
provides us with shelter,comfort and community to
something more like that.
It is an investment that we'reworried about, the home theater
we want to have all the latestand greatest technologies, the
best cooking equipment, you know, the most up-to-date fridge.
(05:28):
So we've kind of moved awayfrom what is essentially housing
to something more like aconsumable object.
I sometimes joke that houses arekind of things that get plugged
into the internet now ratherthan actually providing us with,
you know, something that we canactually live in.
So in a way, the building, theactual fabric of the building,
(05:50):
has become less important andthe features that that building
contains, you know, be it.
You know, the fancy kitchen,the stone benchtops, and those
things become more importantthan the roof, the walls, the
windows, the back garden andthose sorts of things.
So we've moved more from, youknow, housing, providing us with
a need, and it's more connectedwith you know, it being a
(06:13):
status symbol, like a car wedrive and a bit like how much
can we resell this house or thisinvestment at some future date.
So it's really it's a changethat parallels what changes have
occurred in society really.
Ludwina Dautovic (06:31):
So it sounds like housing has become the bank
, in a way.
When you're talking about it asan investment, we're making
decisions based on not howfeasible, sustainable or
suitable the house is.
What's the resale value of itgoing to be?
Antony Dimase (06:45):
I believe that's the case particularly here in
Australia.
The house prices, as youprobably know, have become
extraordinarily high, so it'svery difficult for young people,
for a whole lot of people, toactually enter into the market,
because we're effectivelyinvesting a large amount of our
capital into housing with theview that it is a safe bet.
It may well be, but it's becomeout of reach for a whole
(07:07):
generation of people and that'sproblematic.
So just the amount of moneythat people are spending on
housing is quite incredible.
The size of housing is muchgreater than what we need.
Here in Australia we arebuilding houses that per person,
much bigger than anywhere inthe world that includes the
United States.
So we are obsessed with theamount of space that we have and
(07:30):
the amount of things that thatspace contains.
Ludwina Dautovic (07:35):
With that space actually comes the cost of
running it.
One of the things I often jokeabout with my husband is that
people go out and make decisionsabout buying a car based on
what the running costs are goingto be of the car as well as the
function of that car.
We don't seem to do that whenit comes to houses.
We build or we buy or we moveinto houses based on the society
(07:57):
and the space, but we don'treally think about the cost of
running that house.
Antony Dimase (08:02):
Well, there are good reasons for that.
That's primarily that,basically, energy was very cheap
.
To run a gas heater, to run acooling system, a reverse cycle
air conditioning system, wasactually very inexpensive
because the cost of energy wasactually very low.
That's now changing and houseshave become bigger and people's
expectations about comfort havebecome much more acute.
(08:23):
So in fact, energy costs arerising and the cost of running a
house is becoming much greater.
So it is actually becoming aconsideration in people's
thinking.
But historically the reasonthat wasn't the case is that we
were basically had cheap energyavailable to us in here in
Australia.
That actually tells us why thehouses are designed the way they
(08:45):
are.
They're big houses because itwas relatively easy to keep them
warm and cool.
Ludwina Dautovic (08:53):
I understand that Even in the design of the
design, elements go intobuilding houses that one that I
live in, for example.
So we rent buses, we rent thehouse that we own in Newport and
we rent the house that we livein in the Outer Worcestershire
suburbs of Melbourne.
These houses probably onlyabout 10 years old, but it's a
huge double story house and ithas one remote unit for the
(09:17):
entire heating and evaporativecooling.
So if we're in one room to heatthat room with that system, we
have to be heating the entirehouse.
Now I don't know on what planetanything like that could get
passed.
Antony Dimase (09:34):
Well, it's a curious thing.
I mean, you're talking aboutthe design of your specific
house.
Yes, it would be better if youcould individually heat and cool
rooms.
There is an inefficiency tothat as well, unfortunately,
because, the truth be known, thelarger the unit, the more
efficient it actually is.
Comparably.
So, if you had one large unitlet's say, one large unit
(09:57):
heating a whole house versus awhole lot of individual units
heating individual rooms well,the large unit would be more
efficient than the individualrooms.
However, to your point, if youonly need to heat and cool one
room, obviously it would bebetter to have a unit that only
(10:18):
heats and cools that one room.
That would obviously be moreeffective.
And this is really where designcomes into it.
You have to kind of thinkthrough the design aspects of a
house in order to get to thatkind of level of efficiency that
you're talking about, andthat's not easy, let me tell you
.
It's not easy because you'retrying to design something for
all situations.
(10:39):
What I would suggest to you issomething that I'm really
passionate about is that designactually can make a real
difference.
So if you're designing a housewith good insulation, good cross
ventilation, you're notdesigning a house that's too big
for what it needs to be andyou've got good landscaping in
and around the building.
The need for heating andcooling it's much reduced, and
(11:02):
that's the thing that we reallyneed to be looking at the
passive heating and cooling ofdwellings.
Increasingly, we're going tohave more severe weather.
You know heat and cold, so weneed to rely more and more on
natural systems in order to beable to heat and cool our
properties.
So, I'd really advocate for allyour listeners how important
(11:25):
good design is in relation tobuildings.
If you're living sorry, I'lljust if I may if you're living
on an existing building and youcan't make those changes, then
maintenance is a reallyimportant thing Ceiling windows,
making sure that the insulationis up to date, having double
glazing, making sure that thereare no gaps so that all that
(11:47):
heating and cooling is notescaping.
So these are the sorts ofthings that every one of us can
be doing.
Ludwina Dautovic (11:53):
And if you own the home, there are things that
obviously people can do.
A lot of our listeners arerenters and they're living in
homes that have been obviouslydesigned.
They can't do much about it.
There's a few things that we'vedone around our house and then
I'd like you to share some justsome tips before we move on.
We've actually closed off ourducted evaporative cooling vents
(12:13):
with a piece of board cut tosize and it just sits in that,
so that's helped.
We've put bubble wrap actuallyon our bottom part of our
windows, just sprayed the windowwith some water and then put
the bubble wrap side attached tothe glass, and that actually
helps to keep the cold out inthe morning, and also putting
those strips underneath doorswhere the drafts come in.
(12:35):
So those three things thatwe've done are quite simple that
we're able to do in a rentalproperty.
Are there any other tips thatyou'd recommend that people do a
renting for Bubbubble to do atthe moment?
Antony Dimase (12:44):
Look, I think you've almost nailed it, but I
think window furnishings areunderestimated as to the effect
that it can actually have.
So having a good blind andcurtain system actually can keep
a lot of the heat in.
I would advocate, like I wouldlove to see the laws change.
To be honest with you, this isgoing a little bit away from
what you're asking and Iapologize, but I really believe
(13:04):
landlords have an obligation toprovide good systems to renters.
I think this is an area of themarket that is really lacking.
So if I were renting, I'mfortunate enough to be living in
my own home, but I would besaying to tenants to be really
advocating to their landlordsthat maintenance is absolutely
(13:24):
necessary.
I've been sent to some rentalaccommodation which are really
really not very good, and Ibelieve landlords have an
obligation to provide a minimumstandard of accommodation to
their tenants and this is nothappening at the moment and I
would like to see more advocacyand activism in this area
because I do believe they have aresponsibility.
(13:44):
So I'm sorry I moved away alittle bit from the question.
Ludwina Dautovic (13:47):
No, I'm actually glad to do that, I'm
really glad you brought that upbecause, as a landlord myself
and a renter, so I understandboth sides of the equation.
And look, I just got an emailfrom my electricity supplier
saying that to expect anadditional $500 increase in the
next 12 months in ourelectricity bill, and you know,
that's actually quite a jump.
(14:08):
We can manage that, fortunately, but a lot of people are not
going to be able to and I think,thinking of doing which perhaps
some of our business can do aswell as it's going to negotiate
with our landlord and just saylook, you know, if we were to
put an additional unitdownstairs, this is what it
would cost.
We pay for half of it.
Would you be happy to matchthat and that perhaps paying
half of it would reduce our youknow running costs over the next
(14:30):
12 months, which we will thenbenefit the following year.
You know, I think being able tonegotiate with them on things
that they can do would behelpful, because obviously the
cost of running the house iscausing people to be reluctant
on what they rent, but at thesame token, we're in the midst
of a rental crisis, so it'salmost like you can't be too
fussy, in a way.
So I think there are somethings that you can do.
That's probably probably goodto do an episode topic on that
(14:52):
down the road, but I'm sorryGone.
Antony Dimase (14:54):
Oh well, I was just going to say.
If you think about a building,any building, essentially a
certain proportion of money hasto be dedicated to the
maintenance of that building.
You know the paintings.
Let's say, every 10, 15 years.
Carpets probably need to bereplaced every seven or eight
years.
You know the hot water serviceprobably needs to be replaced,
you know, let's say every 10years.
(15:16):
So in any sort of life cyclethat occurs, you know, for a
building, there is maintenancethat has to be had for that
building.
That has to be done, otherwisethat building will slowly
deteriorate and there'll be apoint at which it will be
actually more costly to repairthat building than it is to
replace.
The building sort of ends upbecoming virtually derelict.
(15:38):
So if we assume that a certainportion of money has to be
invested in that building everyyear, it makes sense to me that
landowners or owners Reallythink about where that money
goes and rather than sort ofputting in sort of additional
features here and everywhere, Iwould contend that it would be
(15:59):
makes much more sense to belooking at ways of making that
building more energy efficientand healthier, because then that
building is going to last for alot longer.
And I think that's the trendthat we'll start to see over the
next five years as we start tomove towards a net zero carbon
economy, because increasingly weknow that that's where we've
(16:19):
got ahead.
Ludwina Dautovic (16:21):
That's actually a really good segue
where I was heading next.
So what, in your opinion, mustwe be doing to start reducing
our carbon emissions in ourhomes to get to that net years
by 2050?
Antony Dimase (16:32):
Well, it's pretty easy.
It's really about reducing theamount of energy that we use.
So we need to be making ourhouses much more efficient.
Now, most houses that we visitlet's call it one or two star
rating, so they're fairly leaky,they're poorly insulated and
they use a lot of energy toconsume.
So really easy way is look atthe energy bill and think about
(16:53):
ways in which we can reduce thatenergy consumption and
insulation, reducing the gaps,all those things that we talked
about earlier other way in whichwe go about it.
Once you do that, then you canstart to think about active
systems like solar panels,rainwater, getting off gas,
doing all those sorts of things.
(17:13):
If you are getting your energyfrom an energy provider, by all
means go with a green energyprovider rather than a fossil
fuel system.
Also, get good landscapingaround the building, because
that will actually make thehouse much more efficient and
also a much more pleasant placeto live in.
So just quickly, there arereally three reasons why we
(17:33):
should make our houses moresustainable.
The first is that all reduceenergy costs.
That's really really critical.
So it doesn't matter whetheryou believe in climate change or
you don't.
Making the house more efficientis just a good idea because it
reduces energy costs.
Second thing is that itactually creates a more healthy
space for you to live in.
So, generally speaking,sustainable houses have much
(17:55):
better fresh air, natural light,connection with nature, so you
get the benefit of a healthylifestyle within those spaces.
And the third thing is thatit's really the right thing to
do.
It's the right thing that weare reducing our need for fossil
fuels, because we just can'tkeep consuming our way out of
this problem, and so it comesdown to doing the really basic
(18:19):
things really well.
That will create a healthy home.
Ludwina Dautovic (18:23):
So let's talk about the environmental, social
and governance reportingstandard for housing.
When do you think that thiswill become a standard benchmark
in the housing industry?
Antony Dimase (18:32):
Well, it's an area that I'm interested in.
I can't say I can speak withany great authority about it,
but what I am understanding isthere are predictions that there
will be subsidies given tohomeowners in the not too
distant future to make theirhouses more efficient, and part
of making the houses moreefficient will be reporting back
(18:53):
to whoever is providing thosesubsidies.
What energy efficiencies havebeen calculated, have been put
into place.
So, for instance, if you do putsolar energy and money is
contributed towards that, then,be it the subsidy, whoever gave
the subsidy, or if there's abank that's given a green loan,
(19:14):
they will actually want to seehow those changes have actually
reduced carbon emissions.
So I think we'll see somethinglike that emerge over the next
four or five years as we move toa more low energy economy.
We've committed to a 43%reduction by 2030 and 100%
reduction by 2050.
(19:35):
So these are big changes thatare going to occur in the way we
live.
Ludwina Dautovic (19:41):
Can you tell me a bit more about that green
loan?
I haven't heard that before.
Antony Dimase (19:45):
Well, it's something that I'm investigating
, but my understanding is thatthere are.
I'm not going to speak withgreat authority about this
because I don't know enoughabout it, but my understanding
is that places like BankAustralia and other banks will
offer green loans to members ofthe community or to businesses
(20:07):
to put into place more efficientfeatures into their buildings,
be it commercial or residential.
But one of the features ofthose green loans is that they
definitely want carbon emissionsto be part of that.
It has to be reported back tothe bank and then the bank
provides that data to whoevertheir lenders are, to wherever
(20:28):
they're getting their money, sothat they can actually report
those reductions in emissions towherever they get their money
from, from overseas.
So it's something that I'minvestigating because I think
it's a really big change that'sgoing to occur because we're
effectively trading on theefficiency of buildings.
That's what I'm understanding.
Ludwina Dautovic (20:47):
So it's basically something to look into
in regards to subsidies orbenefits that are available to
landlords.
How would they find out aboutthat?
Where would they get that kindof information from?
Antony Dimase (21:00):
Well, a group that I've been working with is a
group called Evatat and they'relooking into having like a
logbook kind of system where youput into place certain
efficiencies and then you'reable to kind of create a logbook
of all the changes that you'remaking within your building to a
future homeowner, to a futurepurchaser and to yourselves.
(21:22):
And my understanding that'searly days yet, but my
understanding is that the banksare quite interested in this
kind of logbook approach to theenergy efficiencies of dwelling.
So they're actually looking atthis model as a way of making
sure that the buildings thatthey're giving loans to are
actually efficient.
Because if you think about it,the banks have got a vested
(21:43):
interest in homeowners nothaving to pay huge amounts of
money for their energyconsumption, because it affects
the ability for that homeownerto repay the mortgage.
So increasingly as we go to amore high interest rate sort of
scenario and then the cost ofenergy is actually also
increasing, then those twothings are not working very well
(22:06):
for the person who's actuallyhaving to pay for all this.
So having an energy efficienthouse means that that occupant
is more likely to meet theirrepayments.
Ludwina Dautovic (22:14):
That's a great concept.
It almost sounds like some formof a directory as well, where
people can list what they'vedone on their home and have that
logbook, kind of like a car.
When you buy a car, you'veactually got a technical log of
what you've done to maintain thecar.
That's what you're talkingabout here, isn't it?
Absolutely yeah.
Antony Dimase (22:34):
And, as I say, it's a group called Evatat.
They're a relatively new playerin this area, but they're
looking at promoting this ideathat you make changes to your
building, let's say you putinsulation in, and then you can
actually record that and thenadd on this logbook so you have
a kind of visual dashboard andyou can see what the benefits
have been for doing that andthen you sort of that kind of
(22:57):
gives yourself a little bit ofencouragement to keep going down
this track.
So it's kind of a bit techie.
It's a bit, you know, forpeople who are really interested
in this kind of thing, and youknow they've also tried to build
a community of people that areengaged in this sort of thing.
So there's learnings from otherpeople and seminars and so on
and so forth.
So it's a way of kind ofcreating a movement across a
(23:20):
number of different communitiesand people who are interested in
sustainability and energyefficiency, and so there's a
learning from each other, whichI really like.
Ludwina Dautovic (23:29):
That sounds great.
I'd like to get in touch withthem actually, well, for the
listeners.
Antony Dimase (23:34):
The group's name is Evitat, e-v-i-t-a-t, and yeah
, they're sort of an emerginggroup that are really looking at
the retrofitting of existingspaces, be it housing and also
commercial, to make the housesmore energy efficient.
So, you know, as an architect,for instance, you know I might
design one building that mightbe, you know, energy efficient
(23:56):
and that's great, but we allknow that there's a whole lot of
buildings out there that arereally energy inefficient, that
we need to contend with, and Ithink that's going to be the
challenge over the next five to10 years.
Ludwina Dautovic (24:08):
And with sustainability, it's not just
about the efficiency of runninga home or the aesthetics of it
or the design.
It's also about affordability,and I know that it's an area
that you're also reallypassionate about, as you know
that we've got so much wastedspace in all of these large
rooms that we're accessing, youknow, to help homeowners reduce
their multiple interest ratehikes, they can rent out this
(24:30):
bare route to a verifiedhousemaid, and we've got lots of
people in the rental market whoare trying to find accessible
and affordable housing.
So that holds to sustainability.
Pride of it is, you know, grownup to the core of what we do.
What are some of the challengesthat you're seeing in terms of
the affordability of housing?
Antony Dimase (24:48):
Well, again, it's really.
I guess the housing market isreally market driven, so there's
a whole lot of things that aresort of feeding against each
other.
So we've gone through asubstantial change in the last,
let's say, 12 months, 18 months.
Whatever you want to talk about, you know COVID really affected
the housing industry, reallyaffected the building industry.
(25:10):
We saw a number of liquidations, a lot of companies going into
receivership, which is reallyunfortunate.
You know large players PorterDavis and other groups, the
supply chains of materials havebeen choked.
People talk about the Ukrainewar being the reason for that.
I don't know, but I do know thatyou know, if you specify a
(25:31):
material that's coming fromEurope, you can expect a 16 week
wait is not unheard of.
Quite often you don't know whenthe material is.
You know product is going toarrive.
Interest rates have beenincreasing and so the cost of
building has, you know, jumpedvery significantly.
So it's not a good time to bebuilding, truth be known, at the
(25:55):
moment, and it's sort of laidbare some of the problems, I
think, that exist within theindustry, the way that the
industry works, and I thinkconsumers are rightly concerned
and I guess it's leading to adownturn in construction
activity.
So all of these things aremaking affordability just that
much more difficult.
(26:16):
I do think that during the COVIDperiod a lot of money was put
into the building economy, intothe, you know the home loan
subsidies for people who arebuilding houses, and governments
were putting a lot of moneyinto schools and other projects
to basically keep the economygoing.
So it was essentially kind oflike a stimulus package across
(26:38):
you know a variety of differentareas and I suspect what's
happened is that it's kind ofoverheated the market and that
also contributed to this currentdownturn.
So it's not good, I guess, tosay the very least, that you
know, house prices have jumped,the cost of construction has
jumped and the level ofcertainty that we once would
(26:59):
have had in the constructionindustry is less, less.
So I don't know whether I'veanswered your question, but it's
not a great time.
Ludwina Dautovic (27:07):
I guess, yeah, and people who'd never would
have seen themselves as beingrenters are now becoming renters
, and people are renting for alonger period of time as well,
and I keep hearing that the onlyway to solve this is to build
more housing.
But the building industry is inthe state of disarray, as you
said, and even then if theybuild, it's like four or five
(27:29):
years before it's built.
It just seems to be thisongoing problem that's in this
continual circle that needs tostop at some point, and one of
the things that we talk a lotabout is that it's our, I guess,
a civic duty, in a way, ofindividuals in the country who
can look at what is it that wecan do on a grassroots level to
(27:52):
help curb the negative impact ofthis, and it's very much what
we're about.
But the discussion aroundsustainability, affordability in
housing, needs to continue,because, don't know how it got
here.
I've been in the housing marketnow, back since when the
interest rates were 18%, but ourmortgage was 80,000, not the
(28:13):
kind of sizes that it is today,so there's a lot of issues there
.
Look, antony, we've covered alot here in this conversation
and I really appreciate yousharing your knowledge, and even
from those areas that you'renot an expert in, but it's just
really interesting where theconversation went at points, and
I think design isn't reallyimportant in terms of moving
(28:33):
forward, and I just actually gotan email announcing you on your
website it's just been launched.
Antony Dimase (28:39):
Yes, that's correct.
Yeah we've been very proud ofthe work that we've done.
We've tried to make a websitethat's really informative to
prospective clients I meanpeople who are generally
interested in architecture.
So by all means I hope peoplevisit it.
Wwwdemasearchitectscomau.
As I say, we put a lot ofeffort and energy into it to
(28:59):
sort of try and reflect the kindof values that we aspire to.
Ludwina Dautovic (29:03):
And that's Demase D-I-M-A-S-E.
And the link to that will alsobe in the show notes on
therimexchangecom on our blog.
Now how else can people get intouch with you, anthony?
Antony Dimase (29:15):
Well, they're welcome to call me.
They're welcome to call ourphone, 9482-514, that's a
Melbourne number.
They're welcome to call me onmy mobile, 0419-505-608.
Always happy to have a chat andsee where I can contribute
meaningfully.
I just would like to say,before you do close, what I
think you guys are doing isfantastic.
(29:37):
You know it is.
I think one of the ways that wecan meet the challenges of our
time is through that small scaleintervention that you're doing.
I know it's not small scale,but that sort of community-based
sort of initiative is what canI do?
How can we help?
You know, I've got a spare room.
I can rent that out.
There's an opportunity overhere.
Let's look at that.
I think more and more that'swhere I see the future of how we
(30:00):
meet the challenges of whatwe're facing today, because we
can lend a hand to people whoare in need and we can find ways
to solve this problem.
We don't need to necessarilylook to governments or
corporations or banks toactually solve the problems.
We've actually got everythingthat we need to be able to solve
these problems.
So I just want to congratulateyou on what your initiative is
(30:21):
doing, because I think it'sreally, you know, working in the
right way.
Ludwina Dautovic (30:25):
Well, thank you very much, Anthony.
That's just such a lovely thingto say and a wonderful note to
end this incredible conversation.
So thank you very much for yourtime and we look forward to
getting you back on the show inthe future.
Antony Dimase (30:38):
Thanks a lot, really appreciate it.
Ludwina Dautovic (30:39):
OK, bye for now.
Thanks for listening.
If you're looking for your nextrent tool, head over to the
Room Exchange, australia's firstverified house sharing platform
.
Our profiles make it easy tomatch you based on personality,
values and lifestyle, and youcan choose to rent or offset
your rent, saving you time andmoney.
To find out more, go totheroomexchangecom.
(31:00):
You can connect with us acrossour social media platforms at
theroomexchange, or email adminat theroomexchangecom.
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