7 Separation + Building Depth BUILDING SEPARATION The NSW ADG sets quite specific building separation dimensions that require 24 metre separation over 25 metres in height. This is listed as a requirement between habitable rooms/balconies. The ADG however had added a clause that says ‘office windows’ should be considered to be habitable space which makes mixed use development difficult. The Victorian standard states: “The built form of the development must be appropriate to the urban context and the site. A building should be setback a reasonable distance from side and rear boundaries and other buildings within the site.” Clearly the Victorian standards are far less detailed than the NSW standards. BUILDING DEPTH The NSW Apartment Design Guide states that the maximum apartment depth from glass line to glass line should be 18 metres. This tight dimension makes it difficult provide building articulation and forces buildings to be longer which can require extra lifts. When combined with the ADG maximum of 8 units per lift core a thinner building will require more lift cores and a potential reduction in the number of apartments per floor. 2B 2B 1B 3B 1B 1B 2B 2B 2B 1B 2B 2B 22m 2B 2B 2B 1B 3B 1B 1B 2B 24m 24m Residential or Commercial Use Residential or Commercial Use Primary Outlook Inflexible building separation does not recognise differences between primary and secondary outlooks of habitable rooms, different occupation of 'habitable' spaces and doesn't recognise alternative ways of achieving visual and acoustic privacy Inflexible building separation treats residential and commercial use the same. Primary outlook living/ bedrooms Secondary outlook bedroom BUILDING SEPARATION N ADG above 8 storeys ADG above 8 storeys 22m 3B 1B 1B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 1B 3B 1B 1B 2B 2B 2B 1B 2B 2B 22m max 18m NSW compliant building depth limits units to 10 per floor NSW building separation is excessive Victorian compliant building depth accommodates 12 units per floor