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Knight Frank, the leading independent global property consultancy, today announced that its Knight Frank Property Search App is now available from the App Store. The app enables users to search across more than 6,000 of the world’s best properties for sale or rent using their iPhone or iPod touch.

The Knight Frank Property Search App has been developed as part of the evolution of Knight Frank’s award winning online Global Residential Search, in recognition of the many media through which Knight Frank’s clients instigate their property searches.

Patrick Ramsay, head of Residential, Knight Frank, said: “The Knight Frank App is a mobile window to more than 6,000 of the best properties around the world. It is part of our integrated global coverage giving immediate access to our international network of more than 200 offices in over 34 countries. The quality of properties are reproduced beautifully giving an extraordinary and effective way of showcasing houses on iPhone and iPod touch.”

Jason Leven, partner, web development manager, Knight Frank, said: “We have extended our award winning Global Residential Search to help iPhone and iPod touch users around the world find the highest quality property available. Using location-based services users can find their nearest property regardless of where they currently are. It only takes one tap to search for all properties that match a chosen lifestyle like water views, skiing, equestrian, golfing, vineyards or sporting properties around the world. If you find a property you like you can save it, email it to a friend or even publish it directly to Facebook©. It couldn’t be easier or more fun to browse the best local or global properties on the move.”

Features:
• Search by lifestyle such as water views, vineyards, ski, golf and equestrian.
• Integrated global residential property search by country, region or postcode.
• Locate nearest properties for sale or rent using the global GPS search function.
• View images, floor plans and full brochures.
• Save favourite property searches for future use.
• E-mail results to friends and family or link properties to Facebook.
• Shake to refresh search.
• Locate nearest Knight Frank office and either call or email with the touch of a button.
• Unlimited search results.

The Knight Frank Property Search App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

For further information please visit www.knightfrank.com/iphone

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The Age, Melbourne

The boy handed Greg Inglis his match programme to sign, only he did not have a clue it was the big Melbourne Storm superstar. “Who was that?” asked the young Harlequins rugby league fan across the road from England’s rugby union headquarters of Twickenham.

Who was that? Well that was arguably the best rugby player in the world in either code. To be fair the Storm centre was wrapped in several layers of tracksuits, with a beanie pulled down to keep out the biting cold of what has been a long, white winter in England.

Cold? This was London; positively tropical compared to the snowy North of England and Leeds, where tomorrow morning (5.30am) the NRL champions take on Leeds Rhinos, kings of English Super League, in the Gillette World Club Challenge.

First port of rugby call for the Storm, after taking in the Houses of Parliament, a Premier League soccer game at Arsenal and a West End Musical, was the Twickenham Stoop - home to Harlequins rugby league side, who share the ground with their far more famous union counterparts.

Union and league in commercial partnership in the shadow of Twickenham Stadium, where not so long ago anybody playing the 13-man code would have been carted to the Tower of London and pelted with rotten fruit along the way.

Inglis, recovering from a hip complaint, stretched his legs for 40 minutes in a convincing hit-out win for Storm, as a warm-up for the bigger challenge tomorrow.
Warm-up was pushing it, as the rain lashed down. When the fireworks went off at the start of the match - we are not talking Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year’s Eve here - it would have been no surprise to see Craig Bellamy’s side plunge their hands into the flames for warmth.

“We may have come from 35 degrees heat, but the weather does not bother me. We are here to win the World Club Challenge and keep it on Aussie soil, especially after losing to the Rhinos here two years ago,” said Inglis.

There is a steelier sense of purpose this time; a realisation that this is the seminal cross-hemisphere battle for global club supremacy, rather than a very long journey for a spot of game time before the start of the NRL season.

“It is a chance for us to take on the best the English Super League has to offer. If we are going to moan about the cold, we might as well go home. We are here to win the trophy,” said Storm full-back Billy Slater.

Elland Road, home to the Leeds United soccer side who sensationally knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup this season, proved a happy hunting ground for Storm players last November when Australia beat England in the final of the Four Nations, including a hat-trick from Slater and tries from Inglis and Cameron Smith.

Inglis in full flight is one of the great sights in all sport, combining pace, power and athleticism. He seems to be in another place, when he runs - and he is.

“I just find a zone when I run and nothing else matters. It becomes clear to me what I need to do. I am sure every athlete has those moments,” said Inglis. I am sure they do not. Inglis is Forrest Gump with a sledgehammer fend-off and a fluidity and balance that could sidestep chocolates in a box.

As one great rugby player from afar temporarily lights up England; another is heading the other way to play for the Melbourne Rebels in the union code. Inglis looks blank when you mention Danny Cipriani, the young England outside-half, and has to be reminded.

“It is great to have a Super 15 side and adds to Melbourne’s reputation as the sports capital of Australia. Obviously AFL is still the main sport and the Rebels are going to be competing with us for ticket sales and the marketing dollar,” said Inglis.

Would he ever consider switching codes, or just countries and a spell in the English Super League?

“I am very happy where I am at the Storm. I am only 23, so a move is not out of the question. It is an option down the track to come over to England and then return home.”

Now is about the World Club Challenge, with the match up between Smith, if he plays hooker and Danny Buderus, the former Kangaroos captain now with the Rhinos, one of the clashes to savour, while the young Englishman in Storm colours Gareth Widdop is back in his native Yorkshire.

“It is always intense against Melbourne. Cameron has brought his own set of skills to the game and changed the style of play across the sport. I am looking forward to facing him again,” said Buderus.

Leeds Rhinos (from): Brent Webb, Brett Delaney, Keith Senior, Ryan Hall, Danny McGuire, Rob Burrow, Kylie Leuluai, Danny Buderus, Jamie Peacock, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Ali Lauiititi, Kevin Sinfield, Matt Diskin, Greg Eastwood, Ryan Bailey, Ian Kirke, Luke Burgess, Jay Pitts, Kallum Watkins.

Melbourne Storm (from): Billy Slater, Gareth Widdop, Luke MacDougall, Dane Nielsen, Anthony Quinn, Greg Inglis, Brett Finch, Aiden Tolman, Jeff Lima, Jesse Bromwich, Adam Blair, Ryan Tandy, Cameron Smith, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hoffman, Kevin Proctor, Todd Lowrie, Rory Kostjasyn, Hep Cahill.

Referee: Richard Silverwood

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The April issue of Show House magazine will include a special Eco House supplement, focusing on all aspects of sustainable construction, featuring groundbreaking products and services and talking to key housebuilders, as the industry strives to deliver the zero-carbon homes of tomorrow.

“Eco House, produced by one of housebuilding’s leading trade titles, is the perfect forum to debate and analyse the key issues and for industry suppliers to advertise their pioneering products and services,” said Rupert Bates, editorial director of Show House.

“When it comes to housebuilders and suppliers helping to create a low carbon economy you sense 2010 is absolutely critical - the year when legislation and targets must be clearly defined, the marketing messages properly delivered and the construction sector given the necessary carrots to deliver the sustainable housing agenda.”

“The energy efficiency of homes is literally the building block of a low carbon economy. A house is the consumer’s biggest purchase. Get the builders who build the things and the people who live in them to buy into a green future is a good start,” added Bates.

“There are some fantastic sustainability initiatives and projects going on in this industry, from both builders and suppliers, but what about the costs? Housebuilders are the guinea pigs to the global warming gods.”

ECO HOUSE - APRIL 2010 - FROM SHOW HOUSE MAGAZINE

- Eco House will feature the best new products and suppliers in the increasingly competitive Eco construction market place.

- Eco House will highlight the best work of those housebuilders who are already embracing sustainable living on their developments.

- Who are the key movers and shakers in the Eco-housebuilding industry? Who will shape our new homes and communities to meet the carbon challenge?

- What’s in it for the developers? Maximum incentive? Or minimum compliance?

- Cracking the Code for Sustainable Homes. Government legislation and targets assessed.

- Eco Marketing. As the industry gets to grips with the green revolution, what about the consumers? How to spread the zero carbon message.

- Green Wash. The facts and myths behind the eco-homes debate - from climate change to low-energy light bulbs and all things in-between.

- Energy Panel at Ecobuild 2010. Have you say at the Show House stand. Visit us on stand 1167 at Earl’s Court. Meet the Show House team, including editorial director Rupert Bates.

Ecobuild Review. A look back at the world’s biggest event for sustainable construction.

Eco House, edited by Rupert Bates, will be written by top journalists, including Show House sustainability editor Roger Hunt, leading experts and key influencers.

There are a limited number of advertising opportunities in this special supplement.

For editorial opportunities email Rupert Bates rb@globespanmedia.com. (features list subject to change).

For sales opportunities email Adrian Talbot at@globespanmedia.com or Tom Stone ts@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-73242800.

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Google’s mission is “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Larry, Sergey, where’s your ambition for goodness – or Google’s - sake?
We were in Google’s offices in London Victoria, rather than the sanctum sanctorum in Mountain View, California. The event: an exclusive Google Property Masterclass for the Gold winners from the 2009 What House? Awards, in association with www.whathouse.co.uk.
The housebuilders gathered were certainly no digital dinosaurs, but were intrigued by what the search engine giant and world’s most powerful brand had to say.
The gags came early. One developer, claiming he knew nothing about Google, said he had done his homework the previous night by googling to find out about the business. One absentee said he could not cross the threshold of Google’s UK headquarters as the motto ‘Don’t be evil’ contradicted everything his company stood for.
‘Googol’ is the mathematical term for a one followed by 100 zeros – soon perhaps to equate with the personal wealth of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
The housebuilding ‘students’ – mostly mature – were not too fussed about the world’s information; just property related information, tools and advice on selling more houses through online and keeping on top of consumer behaviour.
But first, what of all the chatter about Google’s plans to enter the property portal market? A lot of it is misinformed; a lot of it in danger of becoming self-fulfilling prophecy for those websites worried about losing acres of market share to the search engine leviathan.
Also while the web offers plenty of options for private sales, cutting out estate agents, it is naïve to assume the latest digital activity spells the death of the middle man anytime soon, although if it helps to sort the wheat from the chaff so much the better.
Ben Wood, Head of Property at Google, was hosting the Masterclass, but could not comment on the latest digital rumour mill. Rightmove’s recent announcement that all its properties will now be displayed on Google Maps comes as no surprise to readers of Showhouse. The magazine raised the issue six months ago.
Google has the maps; Rightmove the content, so this was a marriage, or monster, waiting to happen. It is when Google in the UK have both the maps and their own content that property portals will worry, but with the likes of Rightmove providing the search engine with plenty of digital advertising revenue, Google can bide its time and test the market.
Back to the Masterclass. Wood kicked off with a look at how to use online to sell houses. The consumer journey to buying a new home has changed, with 90 percent of the UK preferring the internet to search for property. A surprising 67 percent of online property searchers are over 35. Google drives 36 percent of all web traffic in the UK property sector.
The buyer is also, if he knows where to look, far better informed, knowing what the current owner paid for a house, planning applications that may have been refused, quality of schools, levels of crime and a far better idea of comparables elsewhere in the area.
“The housebuilding sector has seen a major shift of advertising investment to online media,” said Wood. In the United States that online spend went up from 25.7 percent in 2007 to 38.5 percent last year, with a fall in press advertising from 38.7 percent to 26.3 percent in the same period.
The recent snow was good for Google and the internet in general. “With the web you can keep your shop open. Online enquiries were up in the bad weather, but how quickly are those leads being followed up?” said Wood.
You need to be found and you need to understand value, in terms of where the traffic is coming from; the time spent on site, pages visited and the bounce rate. A high bounce rate may not be due to a lack of interest in the product, but simply a poor website and user experience.
“Make registration as pain-free as possible. A long registration may make for a good lead if they have taken all that trouble. Or do you want a bigger number of less targeted leads through a simpler and quicker registration process?” said Wood.
Test your pages, as sometimes the slightest tweak to the design or content, especially if you have paid for AdWords, can lead to a big increase in traffic.
Mobile will be the next big thing and continual multi-platform innovation is key, with video (Google owns YouTube) creating viral links and helping to share new products with family and friends.
James Bacon, account manger at Google and Bickey Russell, senior industry analyst, then looked at current property industry trends and explained some of Google’s tools to track consumer behaviour.
New homes searches rose 15 percent in 2009, with more searches when prices are falling than rising and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday the most popular days to search.
“55 percent of people now use three or more words when searching for new homes,” said Bacon, but rarely does a user put a developer’s URL in the web browser.
The announcement of Government initiatives, such as HomeBuy Direct, causes significant spikes in searches, highlighting the advantages of an up-to-date website, with top quality editorial, featuring and explaining the housing issues of the day.
Russell compared the popularity of search terms, such as restaurants and recipes – the argument being that in a recession recipes – cooking from home – are likely to rise against restaurant searches, with people looking to save money by not going out. Rising searches also give an indication of trends, be it searches by region, or term.
The ‘Options’ tool on the Google search page, news to most of the Masterclass, allows builders to track the ‘noise’ about their brands; be it mentions on blogs and forums, or timelines to monitor news. The Wonder Wheel too shows how searches relate; a fascinating tool that confirms the ‘six degrees of separation’ theory.
Paul Vallone, managing director of Berkeley Homes (Urban Renaissance), said: “The whole day was very stimulating and thought-provoking and delivered in a very user-friendly way. The breadth and depth of information out there is astounding and incalculable. There are huge digital opportunities for the housebuilding industry and we must embrace them.” The Berkeley Group won Housebuilder of the Year at the 2009 What House? Awards, as well as seven other awards throughout the group.
Chris Coates, managing director of Oakford Homes, Gold winner in the Best Starter Home category, said: “It is only when you sit down with the experts you realize the speed of change the industry is about to go through over the next two years.”
“To have the opportunity to talk to market leaders like Google is a treat. The fact they invited What House? Awards winners to demonstrate how they see the future shows how seriously they take the sector and their intentions to be a very important part of this,” added Coates.
“Developers will have to become e-retailers to compete against each other and the second-hand market. Finding customers will be web based first and the successful sales teams will be those who recognize a web enquiry is as valuable as a telephone call from a potential buyer.”
The Masterclass of 2010

Michael Alden, commercial director, Weston Group
Ian Brown, senior analyst, L & Q
Philip Brown, sales director, Millwood Designer Homes
Roseanne Bullen, regional sales and marketing manager, Linden Homes
Chris Coates, managing director, Oakford Homes
Beverley Davey, marketing manager, A2 Dominion Group
Steve Glover, director, Consero Homes
Harry Handelsman, chief executive, Manhattan Loft Corporation
Michelle Harris, sales director, Dandara
Daniel Hill, director, www.whathouse.co.uk
Paul Vallone, managing director, Berkeley Homes (Urban Renaissance)

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The UK’s longest established new home brand What House? is relaunching its consumer facing portal www.whathouse.co.uk, featuring new homes listings and editorial content, covering all aspects of the property market.

A test site has been running for seven months, with key word research, pay-per-click campaigns and an SEO consultancy used to ensure the site’s performance through organic non-paid traffic. Focus groups have also been held to ensure the functionality works correctly, easily and efficiently and that the design and content of the site and the user experience are of the highest quality.
Enhanced features, such as video content, will also add value and interest to the customer journey.

In terms of advertisers, with meetings taking place with leading housebuilders, housing associations and estate agencies, each client account allows for content to be uploaded simply and delivers a comprehensive tracking system for click-throughs, page impressions, brochure downloads and enquiries to be easily monitored.

The new site has been developed under the project management of Globespan Media director Daniel Hill. Globespan Media owns www.whathouse.co.uk and also runs the What House? Awards, the most prestigious event in housebuilding, showcasing the best new homes in Britain. Globespan Media publishes Show House, one of the most popular trade magazines in the new homes sector.

“This is the right time to re-launch the product. We recently carried out an MBO of the business and after a full review of all our products felt that this brand needed to be more than the highly successful Awards ceremony once a year. With the position the brand holds in the market, we wanted to continue the heritage of What House? and its commitment to and support for the new homes industry. We believe that a portal, updated daily and offering consumers the ability to view new homes nationwide, along with expert specialist advice and up-to-date editorial is what the homebuyer is crying out for,” said Hill.

“The market place is extremely competitive, but having looked at each one, we found that consumers are faced with such a diverse range of products within each search that they cannot often find what they are looking for. The internet consumer is now well-informed and unforgiving. We have a simple offer to the consumer, backed by unrivalled editorial. If you want to view a new home in your chosen area, come to What House?” added Hill.

The site will also feature affordable homes from developers and housing associations, explaining the various schemes on offer and eligibility criteria.
Daily new homes news, with features and interviews with key players in the housebuilding industry, will be uploaded by specialist property journalists with many years experience in the market, led by Globespan Media editorial director Rupert Bates.
All content and advertisements on www.whathouse.co.uk will be duplicated on affiliate site www.tailoredhome.net for no extra charge to the advertiser.

“Tailored Home sponsored the What House? Awards in 2009 and are supporting us this year, both in terms of award sponsorship and Show House advertising. They are keen to be as aggressive as us to help housebuilders sell new homes. If the advertiser is paying one price for two audiences there is twice the opportunity for the development or banner to be clicked on,” said Hill.

During the seven months of testing, the content on Whathouse.co.uk attracted around 50,000 visits a month. The aim is to exceed 100,000 per month and this will be achieved through strategic PPC, SEO, PR, social media and natural listings, as well as advertising campaigns.
“50 percent of our revenue for 2010 will be re-invested into the site. To achieve more qualified visits, we have commissioned industry specialists to build the site so that it is SEO friendly, functional and user friendly. A top class SEO consultancy is on board and with the pedigree of our editorial team and contacts, led by Rupert Bates, we feel we are perfectly positioned to make the site grow. What House? has a heritage dating back 100 years. The term What? holds enormous value in the eyes of both consumer and trade,” said Hill.

To advertise or receive more information on whathouse.co.uk please contact Laura Thompson on 0207 324 8000 or ljt@globespanmedia.com

Whathouse.co.uk to sponsor Scottish Home Awards
Whathouse.co.uk has announced a two-year sponsorship deal with the Scottish Home Awards to extend the promotion of the What House? brand into Scotland and drive more Scottish new homebuyers to the website.
“What House? already has the premier awards in UK housebuilding the What House? Awards and is delighted to sponsor the Scottish Home Awards and help promote outstanding developments being built in Scotland,” said Rupert Bates, editorial director of Globespan Media.
“We have always enjoyed an excellent relationship with the Scottish builders; many of whom have won What House? Awards over the years. We feel supporting such a prestigious event as the Scottish Home Awards will raise our profile in Scotland still further and we wish all entries the very best of luck,” added Bates.
The Scottish Home Awards were founded in 2007 to recognise excellence in the Scottish housebuilding industry. The entry deadline is April 1, with the awards ceremony taking place in June. www.scottishhomeawards.com.
Kirsten Speirs, Director of KDMedia, which operates the Scottish Home Awards, said: “This is further evidence that the Scottish Home Awards is the most prestigious property event north of the border. We are delighted to have What House? on board and look forward to celebrating with them at the event in June.”
To find out more about listing new homes on www.whathouse.co.uk or to register interest in entering the 2010 What House? Awards please contact Laura Thompson. 020-7324-2800. Email: ljt@globespanmedia.com.

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A full tribute has been to Alan Cherry, the founder of Countryside Properties, elsewhere in this magazine, but, to give us a chuckle at this very sad time and to remind ourselves how Alan was game for a laugh when it came to promoting his products, we reproduce this picture of Alan, taking at New Broughton, Salford. Which is shorter? The grass, or the skirt?

Stood up

There was me all trussed up in my suit; shoelaces ironed to meet Berkeley Group bosses Tony Pidgley and Rob Perrins for a huge rump of steak in The Rib Room at the Carlton Tower hotel in Knightsbridge. Suddenly a call from Cobham HQ. A big deal going down, I thought. The boys are delayed. I’ll have to help myself to several vodka martini aperitifs and await their arrival. Not the case at all. Pidgley was very apologetic, but Perrins had gone down with flu, so could we reschedule? Flu? Berkeley? I thought Are they going soft? Next thing you know they’ll be getting into the office after 6am.

‘Answer the question Minister!’

Now I get invited to many industry conferences each year; most of which, although I am sure very worthy and useful, my eyes tend to glaze over at. However I like the look of the HBF Policy Conference General Election Special. It is not so much the prospect of housing minister John Healey, shadow housing minister Grant ‘can I tweet during the conference?’ Shapps and Sarah Teather of the Liberal Democrats locking horns on the critical housing issues and what the various parties have planned. No my interest is in watching Stewart Baseley, HBF executive chairman, chairing the Question Time debate. Now Basher is a man of impeccable manners and character, but I hope he takes to the role with Paxman-esque relish and gives any obfuscators among the panel a bloody nose, which considering Baseley is a man of Harlequins, would be very apt. Make them squirm Basher. The conference is in London on March 10.

Ben Wood alien force

Some very lucky housebuilders from among the gold winners at the last What House? Awards learnt all sort of digital nuggets at the Google masterclass event (see pp65-67). The boys from Google made very clear, engaging presentations, not blinding us with geeky technology. Ben Wood, head of property at Google, at one point, referring to some wondrous web tool, mistakenly called it an Omnitrix, before correcting himself. Omnitrix, as every father of little boys knows, is the magic watch of TV character Ben 10, which allows him to transform into various alien forms to fight the bad guys. Google may be a Humongousaur taking over the world, but it is gratifying to know the search engine giant is actually made up of normal human beings with kids.

Value added by Cheryl

TV property expert Phil Spencer’s book is out in April, published by Vermilion, and it was written with the help and scribbling expertise of our very own Cheryl Markosky. The book is called Adding Value to Your Home. Now as ghost writer for many sportsmen over the years, including South African Rugby World Cup winning captain Francois Pienaar - currently being played by Matt Damon in the film Invictus - I know it is sometimes difficult to subjugate your style to that of the named author. So I do hope the book has a fair smattering of Cheryl’s great sense of humour, not to mention awful puns. I doubt any sexual innuendo got past the editor, but you never know. Incidentally Phil Spencer, currently starring in Channel 4’s Phil Down Under, looking at the Australian housing market, is only the second most famous, good-looking, charismatic property expert with a lovely wife from Melbourne.

Cold dragons not discrete

I missed this when it aired about 17 months ago, but just seen the episode of BBC’s Dragons Den on YouTube, where Martin Wadsworth of DiscreteHeat and the man behind the innovative and eco-friendly central heating system ThermaSkirt, took on Dragon fire with fire. Martin put Duncan Bannatyne in his place, firmly and funnily, with Bannatyne dismissing ThermaSkirt as “not a business proposition.” Martin wanted £150,000 for 10 percent of the company, but all the Dragons declared themselves ‘out’. The warmest to investing was James Caan, who later visited Wadsworth’s Atherton factory in Manchester to find business booming and Caan regretting that this was definitely “the one that got away.’ Housebuilders, far smarter than Bannatyne, are happy to invest in the product and more than 6,500 systems have already been installed in the UK.

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Rebuilding lives

The pretty mountain town of Marysville, two hours north of Melbourne in Australia, has embarked on an exciting urban regeneration project. There are plans to peruse, a range of designers involved and public consultation in full swing.
Last September I sat in on a council meeting as local residents went through agenda items over a cup of coffee. I also heard about plans for ‘The World’s Longest Lunch’. My kinda town, you would think.
So just another scheme we are all too familiar with over here in the UK, with all the usual hoops to jump through before the development is delivered? No this is something different; tragically, desperately different.
When bushfires as tall as skyscrapers, generating monstrous heat and at speeds straight out of a disaster movie, swept through Marysville (resident population 500) on Black Saturday last February, they destroyed the town, leaving 34 people dead and just a handful of buildings standing.
Across the state of Victoria 173 people died; victims of around 1300 fires. Several thousand homes and properties were destroyed and a million acres damaged in the Australian State’s worst-ever natural disaster.
The depth of grief and trauma is unimaginable, but devastated areas are trying to re-build, both spiritually and physically. The Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA) was immediately set up and funds from around the world came in with the Victorian Bushfire Appeal alone raising A$386 million.
“You would not recognise Marysville since you were here last. Houses and buildings are springing up all over the place and there is a great sense of optimism in the community,” said Melissa Arch from VBRRA.
Marysville is a tourist town and the gateway to the ski resort of Lake Mountain. Before hell came visiting, the surrounding forests with their towering Eucalyptus trees and beautiful flowers and vibrant seasonal colours in and around the town, saw Marysville dubbed ‘God’s own garden’.
Also set up in response to the disaster was The Bushfire Homes Service, a joint initiative between the Australian Institute of Architects and the Victorian Government, giving victims of the bushfires free access to architectural expertise, as well as guidance on stringent new fire safety building standards.
One of the practices selected was Donovan Hill, whose Happy Haus is “a ready-made home solution, adaptable, transportable and climatically sensitive in its design.”
Brian Donovan said: “We are very pleased to be involved in the post fire rebuild. We feel that the DHAN Happy Haus presents a low cost, flexible and sustainable design solution that can feasibly work as a mass model for reconstruction.”
The Happy Haus is designed so each module can be easily transported to a new site, or relocated from an existing address as living requirements change. The flexible design of the modules means the Happy Haus is able to be accommodated by most sites.
Next month sees Marysville host ‘The World’s Longest Lunch’ as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, with trout from the local rivers and wines from the Yarra Valley served on one long table. Let’s hope it stretches all the way down the famous Black Spur to support this stricken community. www.wewillrebuild.vic.gov.au.
www.donovanhill.com.au

The resi view from here

The Residential Development Council is Australia’s equivalent of the UK’s Home Builders Federation. It is part of the Property Council of Australia and led by senior executives of Australia’s top developers.
The RDC gives policy guidance to government and its agenda resonates 12,000 miles away, looking at the lack of property finance, improving housing delivery in the affordable sector, hitting sustainability targets and planning reform.
The First Home Owners Boost, with RDC lobbying of government, saw first time buyers of brand new homes eligible for a A$21,000 grant until the end of 2009, but the A$7,000 grant remains in place.
Meanwhile the government’s sustainability push means residential properties will need Six Star energy efficiency ratings by May 2011, amid industry fears this will cripple the delivery of affordable stock in Australian cities, with the new rating likely to cost A$10,000 – A$20,000 an apartment.
Australia, for all its lifestyle benefits, has just been named the world’s most unaffordable housing market in the latest Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, largely due to the country’s over-prescriptive land use regulations.
An average household in an average Sydney or Melbourne home pays more than 50 percent of its income in mortgage repayments. But the industry remains confident.
“Local property developers and the Housing Industry Association predict growth in new residential work this year, buoyed by low mortgage rates and government first home buyer grants. Developers in Australian capital cities are seeing unprecedented ‘sell throughs’ in project designed apartment complexes where space is compact and smart, savvy design is at a premium,” said RDC executive director Caryn Kakas.
Just before Christmas, Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that the country’s major cities will have strategic plans by 2012 to tackle housing, affordability, sustainability and transport.
“These city planning strategies will get each state and territory on track to tackle the chronic shortage of housing supply around the country,” said Kakas. “Previous planning regimes have failed as they have been short-term and unrealistic. They have failed to have targets regularly reviewed to ensure delivery and not linked the delivery of infrastructure to the delivery of housing supply. It is only through the delivery of significant planning reform and long-term agreement on land use that we will meet the needs of a growing Australia,” she added. It sounds all too familiar.
The RDC publishes Residential Developer magazine, Australia’s equivalent of Showhouse. www.propertyoz.com.au/RDC.

Australian Supplier news (pix of made living kitchens plug mugshot of Mark Selway)

Cliché demands that Australian dining is limited to throwing snags and shrimps on the barbie, while fizzing the ring-pull off a cold beer. But one cutting edge company is putting the kitchen at the centre of the Australian home, both as functioning space and living space.
“The market is calling for smaller design-driven projects with clever use of floor space and an eye to sustainability at a mid-level price,” said Andrew Vidor, director of Melbourne-based made.living, supplying European designed and manufactured kitchens to the Australian market.
Made.living is in partnership with leading German kitchen brand Nolte Kuchen, one of the What House? Awards sponsors, with made.living the exclusive Nolte distributor for Australia and New Zealand.
“Many estate agents rely on the impact of a beautiful European kitchen to sell a residence,” said Vidor. “We are also right up there with the consumer on their insistence that homes be as sustainable as they are elegant.” www.madeliving.com.au

Boral, Australia’s largest building and construction materials company, has appointed Mark Selway as its new chief executive.
Australian-born Selway previously headed up Scottish based engineering business Weir Group. Boral, with A$5 billion sales, is a major global player. It is the largest brick and roof tile manufacturer in the United States and the biggest plasterboard manufacturer in Asia, through its joint venture with Lafarge.
Boral produces and distributes a range of materials, including quarry products, cement, clay bricks and pavers, concrete masonry, windows and timber. www.boral.com.au

Brightfox is a leading provider of IT solutions to the property industry. Headed by founder Cameron Black and with offices in Brisbane and Dubai, it offers sales and marketing software, CRM and website design to both developers and agents.
“Brightfox is committed to working with partners to deliver outstanding software solutions and services to the property industry around the world,” said Black.
www.brightfox.com.au

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The industry has paid tribute to Alan Cherry, the founder and chairman of Countryside Properties and hailed as “the most significant housebuilder of his generation.”
Cherry, who founded Countryside in 1958, died last month from cancer, aged 76.
It is a long way from the sprawl of Dagenham and other Essex environs where Cherry
grew up, leaving school at 15, to the helm of one of Britain’s most innovative and admired housebuilders, a company that created an enviable reputation for sustainable communities and urban regeneration.
Cherry leaves his wife Fay and two sons Graham and Richard, who have both been part of the Countryside senior management team for many years. Graham Cherry, Countryside’s chief executive, said: “My father’s pioneering vision has showed the way for many and in the future we will see a lot of what Alan Cherry championed become the accepted standard for UK housebuilding. His legacy is already there on site in so many places and Countryside Properties will continue to create sustainable communities in the way that my father has shown us.”
Michael Hanson, Showhouse financial editor and one of the most respected property journalists in the UK, said: “Alan Cherry was the most significant housebuilder of his generation. Not only because of his commitment to good design but also because of his genuine belief in social integration in all Countryside’s developments over the years. In everything he did he was ahead of his rivals, not only in winning ten Building for Life awards, but also in being the first to win the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize for a housing development with Accordia at Cambridge.”
“Alan also gave a lot of his time and energy to public duties, being the only housebuilder on the Government’s Urban Task Force, as well as the only one on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Inquiry into Housing in the 1980s. He was also the only housebuilder to write a chairman’s blog, published regularly on the company’s website, which was full of perceptive insights into the achievements and failings of an increasingly embattled housing industry.”
Some of Countryside’s greatest developments deserve a seat in any pantheon of new homes. Greenwich Millenium Village in London, Great Notley Garden Village, Braintree and St Mary’s Island, Chatham, are all part of his rich legacy. In 2005 Countryside Properties was crowned What House? Awards Housebuilder of the Year.
Tony Pidgley, chairman of the Berkeley Group, said: “Alan was, first and foremost, a true gentleman, who always had time for you and was an inspiration to everyone he met. His contribution to the industry, and to those who were lucky enough to know him, cannot be adequately expressed in words. I. and many others, have a great deal to thank him for, and I feel privileged to have known him. Alan was an example to us all. A great man and the industry will miss him hugely.”
Nick Raynsford, the former Housing minister, worked closely with Cherry on Greenwich Millennium Village. “Alan never lost his common touch and his sympathy for those less fortunate than himself. While some housebuilders stubbornly resisted demands to mix affordable and social homes with those for market sale, Alan showed that mixed income developments could work very successfully and took great pride in the fact that at Greenwich Millennium Village housing for rent and for sale is indistinguishable,” said Raynsford.

Cherry was awarded an MBE in 1984 and a CBE in 2003 for services to housing and regeneration. In 1991 he was elected an Honorary Member of The Royal Town Planning Institute.

He held a large number of outside directorships that focused his genuine wish and commitment to assist with regeneration and development activity wherever he could. Widely respected throughout the development industry he was a past national president of The Home Builders Federation and chairman of the New Homes Marketing Board.

Before establishing Countryside Properties, Cherry was a founder partner and managing director of estate agency Bairstow Eves.

In 1972 he floated Countryside Properties and it remained a quoted company until, with sons Graham and Richard, he completed a management buyout in 2005.
Bob Barlow, of the Bob Barlow Consultancy, said: “What a great loss he is. I knew Alan well and worked with him on the Royal Docks Housing group, Church Langley and indirectly on several other multi-partner projects. He was an incredibly impressive leader who knew the business inside out and had a real passion for it. I always found Alan immensely likeable and very charming with those piercing eyes and that 100 kilowatt smile. A great man.”

A memorial service for Alan Cherry is to be held at Chelmsford Cathedral on March 18th at 2.30pm. Donations in Alan’s memory can be made to Saint Francis Hospice via www.justgiving.com/alancherry

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