Good design is for everyone: new homes to celebrate World Architecture Day

World Architecture Day falls on the first Monday of October, which this year is today, the 5th! Created by the International Union of Architects (UIA) in 1985, it’s a day to recognise the people who design the places we live, work, and gather.

This year’s theme is “Housing is a Human Right. Build It.”, a call for architects to help make safe, adequate, and affordable homes possible for more people. It’s a big idea, and it shows up in the details: homes priced for people buying their first place, buildings designed to cost less to run, and old structures given new life instead of being knocked down.

So we’ve rounded up new homes on A&D, from Sydney to the Gold Coast and Perth, where design is doing real work.

One Darling Point: Edgecliff, NSW

We're starting in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, where One Darling Point shows how a premium home can still give back to its neighbourhood. Delivered by global real estate group Lendlease, headquartered in Sydney and built on a 60-year reputation for world-class residential benchmarks, this premium harbour address of just 41 homes is 5 Star Green Star rated and fully electric.

At street level, a publicly accessible through-site link will connect the heritage-listed 1941 Commonwealth Bank building to new retail, dining, and commercial spaces for residents and the wider neighbourhood alike. Above, architecture studio Tzannes has used brick-on-brick craftsmanship that nods to the Eastern Suburbs’ classic brick apartment buildings, and every home takes in Sydney Harbour and city skyline views.

Three- and four-bedroom homes start from $6.5 million, with completion expected in late 2028.

Harbour Shores: Biggera Waters, QLD

On the Gold Coast, Australia’s oldest private property developer Lewis Land is tackling affordability head-on at Harbour Shores, its waterfront master-planned community. Within it sits Solis, the first building in the masterplan’s second stage, where around 30% of homes are priced under $1 million, aimed squarely at people buying their first home.

“First home buyers have been priced out of many parts of the Gold Coast and we saw a clear opportunity to address this and play our part in a longer-term housing solution,” said Michael Long, Lewis Land’s head of development.

Designed by BDA Architecture, Harbour Shores is the Gold Coast’s highest-rated 6 Star Green Star community, with solar power, EV charging, and water retention built in, plus a 1.2-kilometre waterfront boardwalk and parklands.

Solis’ one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes start from $788,000, with stage one over 75% sold. Completion is expected in mid-2028.

Collins Wharf: Docklands, VIC

In Melbourne, Lendlease is bringing a Collins Street address within reach at Collins Wharf. Designed by architecture practice Warren and Mahoney, the all-electric development is built to 5 Star Green Star standards, with EV-ready infrastructure.

Set between the Yarra River and Victoria Harbour, it also gives back more than 5,000 square metres of green and open space, designed by landscape architects Openwork, that connects to Melbourne’s Greenline for walking and cycling.

Priced from $581,000, studios to four-bedroom homes are selling, with completion expected next year.

The Tannery: West End, QLD

In Brisbane, The Tannery, developed and built by McNab, is a reminder that new homes don’t have to start from scratch. Rather than clearing the site for extra homes, McNab and Cottee Parker Architects preserved the original 1893 Dixon’s Tannery and transformed it into The Retreat, a wellness space shared by residents. Materials salvaged from the site are being reused throughout, including an original concrete slab turned into a water feature.

“We wanted to ensure the site’s industrial heritage was a defining feature of the development, not simply a reference to its past,” said Dee Passenger, principal at Cottee Parker.

The 87 two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes start from $1.56 million, with completion expected in late 2027.

Kings Bay Village: Five Dock, NSW

Back in Sydney, Kings Bay Village by property development and construction company Deicorp shows what a well-planned new village can offer people buying their first home. Designed by architects Turner, it brings 14,700 sqm of retail anchored by a full-line Woolworths, a marketplace of providores and fresh produce, resident-only rooftop gardens, and green space at ground level. It all sits minutes from the upcoming Burwood North and Five Dock metro stations, with city and bay views from above.

One-, two-, and three-bedroom homes are selling here, priced from $800,000, with Stage 1 and the retail expected in Q4 2028.

Stockland Nara: Beaconsfield, WA

Over in Perth, Stockland’s Nara is designed to keep running costs down from day one. Every townhome is all-electric with a minimum 7-star NatHERS energy rating, and comes with an 8.8kW solar system and 20.1kWh battery. Designed by Plus Studio to draw on Fremantle’s character, the community sets aside 26% of the site as landscaped open space, and select homes are green title, meaning no strata fees. It’s 900 metres from South Beach, and selected lots are eligible for the WA Government’s off-the-plan duty concession.

Three-bedroom townhomes start from $1,295,000, with move-in from end of this year for stages 1 and 2.

For the architecture lovers

These last two are all about design, and they’re too good to leave out on World Architecture Day.

Kilburn Mansion: East Melbourne, VIC

Part of East Melbourne’s streetscape since 1878, Kilburn Mansion is being restored rather than replaced. Developer Abadeen and architect Studio Kennon have kept its original façades, ornate cornicing, and historic fireplaces, with heritage conservation by Lovell Chen.

Inside, just nine homes each have their own floorplan shaped by the original architecture, some with ceilings of up to 4.5 metres.

MYST: North Burleigh, QLD

On the Gold Coast, MYST by Frank Developments takes its shape from the ocean it faces. Designed by BYculprit., its soft, sculpted curves are inspired by the mist that rises as a wave breaks. With just two four-bedroom homes per floor, each gets bookend balconies looking to the ocean in the east and the hinterland in the west - it’s the Gold Coast beach house, reimagined.

Homes start from $5.9 million, with completion expected in late 2027.

Good design for every kind of home

From a $581,000 studio in Docklands to a beautifully restored 1878 mansion, these homes show architecture working at every price point: opening doors for people buying their first home, lowering the cost of running one, and keeping much-loved buildings standing. That’s worth celebrating this World Architecture Day.

Ready to find yours? Explore new homes across Australia on A&D.