Home Australia Artist’s impression versus reality: Developer Bathla called out over latest construction project in Box Hill, Sydney

Artist’s impression versus reality: Developer Bathla called out over latest construction project in Box Hill, Sydney

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Before developer Bathla completed a major project in Box Hill, northwest of Sydney, the artist's drawings showed leafy scenes with trees, gardens and rocky landscapes.

Australians are furious at the stark difference between a leafy artist’s impression of a development in Sydney’s west and the dismal reality once it was built.

Before Sydney developer Bathla completed the project at Box Hill in the city’s northwest, the artist’s drawings showed leafy scenes with trees, gardens and rocky landscapes.

Photos of the finished project, however, tell a different story: the new suburb looks more like a prison, an austere row of terraced houses with no trees, no gardens and just a line of dead grass on the sidewalk.

Sydney architect Philip Thalis shared the “before” and “after” photos in September, aiming to highlight “the gap between the promise of the planning application and the disappointing disappointment of delivery.”

“In Australia we have huge problems with the design, construction, environmental performance and cost of our housing,” Mr Thalis said.

“Beyond planning, it’s just not built well or enough.”

Social media users were horrified by the contrast shown in the images.

“Wow, it looks a lot like a correctional facility,” said one.

Before developer Bathla completed a major project in Box Hill, northwest of Sydney, the artist’s drawings showed leafy scenes with trees, gardens and rocky landscapes.

Photos of the finished project, however, tell a different story: the new suburb looks more like a prison, an austere row of terraced houses with a line of dead grass on the berm.

Photos of the finished project, however, tell a different story: The new suburb looks more like a prison, an austere row of terraced houses with a line of dead grass on the berm.

‘They are completely different! If you bought the plan you would have to be pretty angry? asked another.

“That’s like thinking they’re going to give you a hamburger with the lot and instead they’re going to give you a hot dog,” joked a third.

Box Hill is a high and medium density housing area surrounded by rural land, one of the areas rezoned for urban development as part of the New South Wales Government’s North West Growth Area.

Box Hill residents previously told Daily Mail Australia they want to see more trees and parks in their suburb.

And they described the intense heat that occurs in houses without shade, which makes them resort to using the air conditioning 24 hours a day and staying in the lower level of their houses.

Although house prices in Box Hill are below the Sydney average of $1.5 million, many Australians wouldn’t consider them cheap: the median price is $1.2 million.

Surya Durai, 34, is one of Box Hill’s residents and says he would prefer to live elsewhere, but has had to make compromises with a long commute, lack of infrastructure and extreme heat, in exchange for more affordable housing.

Academics have criticized the urban design of developments such as Box Hill, saying they need more vegetation, which helps mitigate the heat.

Surya Durai, 34, and his young family are residents of the new Box Hill development.

Surya Durai, 34, and his young family are residents of the new Box Hill development.

Box Hill, in Sydney's northwest, is an area of ​​high and medium density housing surrounded by rural land.

Box Hill, in Sydney’s northwest, is an area of ​​high and medium density housing surrounded by rural land.

Without shade, dark asphalt and roofs create a heat island effect, forcing residents to rely on their air conditioners, which pump indoor heat outside and only exacerbate the problem.

Sebastian Pfautsch, professor of urban planning at Western Sydney University, has urged state governments to impose more regulations on developers, namely banning dark roofs.

A light-colored roof costs the same as a dark-colored one, but could save customers $700 on electricity bills a year, he told Daily Mail Australia.

“There is still this lack of knowledge because people are very busy with their lives: when you live in the West, your work is very likely to be in the East, you travel and you have little time to listen to scientists.”

“To some extent I blame the developers, but to another extent it comes down to personal information.”

Professor Pfautsch said a complete ban was the only way to see “change on a larger scale”.

“Every house that has a dark roof will contribute to heat island effects and urban overheating.”

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Bathla for comment.

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