Origins
In 2007, the Breathe team observed the broken state of Melbourne’s housing system. It was unfair, environmentally unsustainable, and damaging the very community it was supposed to serve. Their response was to acquire a plot of land in Brunswick, situated between Sydney Road and the Upfield train line, and design a groundbreaking building that would later inspire Nightingale Housing: The Commons.
Initially, Breathe aimed for The Commons to be their first architect-funded project, but the plans were disrupted by the Global Financial Crisis. Small Giants, an ethical developer, stepped in to support the project and saw it through to completion in 2013.
The project achieved remarkable success, attracting widespread attention and earning prestigious accolades such as the 2014 National Architecture Award for Housing and the National Architecture Award for Sustainability. The building opened its doors for tours, attracting thousands of Melbournians. As interest grew, Breathe started receiving inquiries about future projects similar to The Commons.
In response to the evident demand for high-quality medium-density housing and the shortage of willing property developers, Breathe developed the Nightingale approach. Initially, it was a design-focused approach where architects invested in sustainable housing for their city and community, but Nightingale later transitioned to managing projects internally.
Nightingale aimed to revolutionize the housing system by prioritizing homes over real estate as mere commodities. It fostered community to combat social isolation and designed buildings that proactively addressed climate change instead of exacerbating the problem.
Nightingale 1
In 2014, driven by their vision for a new Nightingale building, Breathe acquired a site across the street from The Commons. They secured investor funds from renowned Melbourne architects like Architecture Architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Clare Cousins Architects, MRTN Architects, Six Degrees Architects, Wolveridge Architects, and 17 other impact investors.
Like its predecessor, Nightingale 1 received recognition, winning both a National Architecture Award for Housing and a National Architecture Award for Sustainability. It also received the prestigious Melbourne Prize.
With Nightingale 1, Breathe aimed to embed transparency and equity throughout the planning, execution, and sales processes. Homes were sold at cost through a fair ballot system, which has remained the method for ensuring equal access to Nightingale homes. Breathe also shared the intellectual property for Nightingale 1 with other architects, hoping to encourage the emergence of similar projects.
Nightingale’s Independence
Subsequently, Nightingale went through a phase of internal change and growth. As an outlier in the profit-driven property sector, Nightingale aimed to establish a governance structure that would best serve its expanding resident community.
By 2016, two more Nightingale projects were underway: Nightingale 2 by Six Degrees and Nightingale 3 by Austin Maynard Architects. Nightingale Housing became an independent entity, capable of operating separately from Breathe. An independent team and Board were appointed to establish Nightingale Housing.
While the company’s motivation had always been to design “for people, not profit,” the board opted for a social enterprise structure instead of a traditional non-profit, as it would be more appealing to potential project investors. However, Nightingale ultimately achieved non-profit status in 2021.
To enact meaningful change in the housing industry, Nightingale recognized the need to revise its operational structure and reduce risk for individual architects. By 2017, Nightingale had granted 33 licenses to architects for Nightingale projects through an independent committee of industry experts and state government architects. However, with architects shouldering all the financial and development risk, only a few projects materialized.
In 2019, Nightingale transitioned to in-house management of project delivery, moving away from the licensing model. Nightingale Housing now handles site acquisition, financing, construction delivery, community engagement, and the entire process until handing over the keys. This ensures that each design adheres to Nightingale’s principles, reduces overall costs, and ensures timely delivery of projects.
Nightingale Today
Since Nightingale Housing was established in 2016, it has made significant progress. Hundreds of current and future Nightingale residents have joined the growing community in Melbourne, as well as in regional Victoria, Adelaide, Sydney, and Perth.
In April 2021, Nightingale regained its original not-for-profit status, cementing the founders’ and directors’ ethos for generations to come.
From the beginning, Nightingale’s goal has been to lead by example and reshape the housing market to prioritize positive housing outcomes for those traditionally excluded from homeownership. To assist those in greatest need, Nightingale aims to allocate up to 20% of its housing to community housing providers and another 20% to key community contributors.
The Future of Nightingale
Nightingale is deeply committed to the well-being of its residents and the positive impact on communities. With a team driven by a mission, Nightingale tirelessly works towards realizing its vision: an Australia where housing is socially, financially, and environmentally sustainable.
