Defence Housing Australia (DHA) has won an Engineering Excellence Award for its future development at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Tindal in the Northern Territory.
The Engineering Excellence Award was presented to consultants Craig & Rhodes and Roberts Day, on behalf of DHA and the Department of Defence, who are working together to redevelop the housing precinct for future Defence members and their families.
Subject to approval by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, the RAAF Tindal masterplan comprises the development and construction of 100 tropically designed homes, showcasing world class approaches to community-oriented design.
“We take great care in planning all of our developments to ensure that we make them as liveable, sustainable and future-proof as possible,” DHA Managing Director Peter Howman said. “We are in the business of building communities, so when we plan a residential development we look at the whole picture, not just the houses.”
The Engineering Australia award recognised the project’s multi-disciplinary design approach. This included civil and geotechnical engineering, urban and landscape design, built form development and environmental assessments. Integral to the delivery of the construction plan is the application of best engineering practice and forward-thinking urban design.
“DHA strives to be at the forefront of innovative construction design,” Mr Howman said. “There is now more interest in future-proof dwellings, low or zero carbon housing and best practice community building – and we are looking to outline the direction housing will take in the next 10 to 15 years.”
Defence Housing Australia (DHA) was established in 1988 to provide housing for Defence members and their families. In the past 25 years DHA’s business has expanded and it is now also known as an award-winning residential developer who is focussed on providing high-quality and sustainable housing. DHA manages more than 19,000 properties Australia-wide, worth around $10 billion and has a development pipeline of more than $1 billion.