Lyrian Daniel – The Conversation

Carl Oberg/Shutterstock

February 18, 2025

More than half of Australia’s homes were built before fire standards came in. Here are 5 ways to retrofit them

Subha Parida, University of South Australia; Lyrian Daniel, University of South Australia, and Michaela Lang, Monash University

Older homes are more at risk from bushfires. Retrofitting can make your house more likely to weather a fire.

South Australian Home Builders’ Club members at work. SAHBC collection S284, Architecture Museum, University of South Australia

January 14, 2025

Nothing new under the sun: Australia’s long history of missed chances to build sustainable homes

Julie Collins, University of South Australia and Lyrian Daniel, University of South Australia

When Australia faced a housing crisis 80 years ago, the government was urged to promote the building of more climate-responsive homes. So why are so many homes today still not made for our climate?

Luke Costin/AAP

September 5, 2024

How to get the housing we need: healthy, affordable and resilient to climate change

Lyrian Daniel, University of South Australia; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide; Ian Hamilton, UCL; Michaela Lang, Monash University, and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

We know what needs to be done, but it depends on the political will to act. And some states and territories have failed to adopt actions to improve housing quality that were agreed in 2022.

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June 6, 2024

Victoria is raising minimum rental standards – it’s good news for tenants and the environment

Trivess Moore, RMIT University; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide; Lyrian Daniel, University of South Australia, and Nicola Willand, RMIT University

Victoria is leading the way in ensuring poor-quality rental housing is upgraded to be safe, comfortable and energy-efficient.

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May 16, 2023

Feeling frozen? 4 out of 5 homes in southern Australia are colder than is healthy

Cynthia Faye Barlow, University of Adelaide; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide, and Lyrian Daniel, University of South Australia

Throughout last winter, 81% of homes in a new study were colder than the recommended minimum – the coldest fell to a minimum hourly average of 5 degrees. Cold homes can have deadly consequences.

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June 15, 2022

If you’re renting, chances are your home is cold. With power prices soaring, here’s what you can do to keep warm

Cynthia Faye Barlow, University of Adelaide; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide; Lyrian Daniel, University of Adelaide, and Trivess Moore, RMIT University

It’s been unusually cold, and energy prices are soaring. That spells trouble for the quarter of Australians who have very cold homes.

The damaging effects of housing disadvantage on people’s mental health can persist even years after their housing situation improves. Lovely Bird/Shutterstock

July 28, 2019

Poor housing leaves its mark on our mental health for years to come

Ankur Singh, The University of Melbourne; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide; Lyrian Daniel, University of Adelaide, and Rebecca Bentley, The University of Melbourne

The difficulties for people facing housing disadvantage don’t end as soon as their situation improves. They are at higher risk of poorer mental health years or even decades later.

Housing is just one of the essentials in household budgets and it’s when there’s no way to manage all these costs that financial stress really sets in. Emma Baker

May 21, 2018

Housing affordability stress affects one in nine households, but which ones are really struggling?

Lyrian Daniel, University of Adelaide and Emma Baker, University of Adelaide

Housing affordability is one of Australia’s great unsolved problems. Some households can make adjustments to cover high housing costs, but the ones deprived of essentials are under real stress.

Soaring heating costs mean many vulnerable Australians endure cold houses and the associated risks to their health. Paul Vasarhelyi from www.shutterstock.com

August 30, 2017

Forget heatwaves, our cold houses are much more likely to kill us

Lyrian Daniel, University of Adelaide and Emma Baker, University of Adelaide

The idea of a hot and sunny land is so baked into our thinking about Australia that we’ve failed to design and build houses that protect us from the cold.

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