Not sure about that apartment purchase? Check out the new digital tool bringing surety back

A new digital tool is providing surety for would-be apartment buyers in NSW. Here, Laszlo Peter, partner at KPMG Origins, explains how the Building Trustworthy Indicator works — and why it’s essential for investors and homeowners alike.

What is the Building Trustworthy Indicator? When was it introduced?

The Building Trustworthy Indicator is a unique digital product, developed by KPMG Origins in conjunction with the property industry, universities and the NSW Government that provides greater transparency of apartment buildings in NSW. The Building Trustworthy Indicator (BTI) provides consumers, financiers and insurers with information on who was involved in creating the apartment buildings, what materials were used, and what certifications were achieved for critical elements, such as waterproofing, fire systems and structure. The Trustworthy Indicator enables differentiation between trustworthy and non-trustworthy apartment buildings and brings greater transparency to construction processes.

It was launched in July 2022, focused on apartment buildings in NSW.

How did it come about?

KPMG Origins BTI was developed as a response to Building Commissioner David Chandler’s six-pillar agenda to bring back trust to the residential construction sector.

The aims of the agenda are to restore confidence to the multi-storey residential market to ensure buildings are safe throughout their life and defects, if they are identified, are addressed by the developers. Going forward, this enables the regulator to be empowered and strengthened by data for impactful compliance activities across the sector.

BTI contributes to this agenda by bringing greater information about the built asset, creating a building DNA for everyone to access.

Why is it necessary?

Residential construction in NSW faces a unique challenge with significant defects appearing post-completion with many owners left to deal with expensive remediation. The Building Trustworthy Indicator helps consumers understand the trustworthiness of the asset by highlighting the involvement of trustworthy players (WHO) compliant use of materials (WHAT) and appropriate quality documentation (HOW). This highlights the potential risks associated with an asset and showcases lower risk buildings informing consumers, investors and insurers in their key decisions.

What are the benefits of having it in place?

Access to the BTI helps would-be buyers better understand the riskiness of the apartment they are buying. Combining this data with other decision-making factors such as location, price and size enables informed decisions and consumers are reassured that any defects found will be addressed by the developer. Developers can differentiate their assets in market, highlighting best construction practices and quality documentation. Demonstrating trustworthiness throughout the lifecycle from design to completion helps with pre-sales and greater market access. The BTI also helps developers streamline data collection required to meet regulatory obligations prior to completion.

How does it work?

Property developers, builders and contractors upload documents to the BTI product, such as the details of the contractors, documents showing the materials used in each building element and inspections certificates, that are ultimately used to create a BTI score for that building. Using a risk-based methodology developed in collaboration with universities, the BTI score weighs the trustworthiness of each element and calculates the aggregate output, giving buyers confidence that best practices have been used. The higher the number of stars, the higher the trustworthiness.

How will they access it?

A developer receives acknowledgement of their BTI result in the form of official BTI badges to market their project. A specific landing page is created to promote the result, and market the apartment building to consumers.

Property developers can use these assets in their own marketing initiatives across print, digital and out of home (signage outside the property) as well. Access to BTI badges helps with promotional materials across pre-sales and sales and has even been known to help with secondary market resale.

We are also hearing of stories where current apartment owners are requesting the information from developers in order to utilise the positive results for future resale opportunities.

What does a trustworthy building look like?

There are 4 levels of BTI scores. Prior to construction commencing and to support pre-sales, developers are able to obtain a Trustworthy as Designed indicator.

BTI Trustworthy as Designed — Demonstrates support has been provided for design requirements to be met, designs have been reviewed to verify the design process and materials are suitable for the design. Once the construction process has been completed, three levels of of trustworthiness are available for the as-built asset.

BTI 3 Stars Trustworthy as Built – Confidence in the design and construction to a trusted level of standard beyond regulatory practice has been achieved.

BTI 4 Stars Leading as Built — Confidence in the design and construction processes and certifications equal to the highest levels of trust in the industry.

BTI 5 Stars Benchmark as Built — Confidence in the design and construction to an industry-benchmark level of excellence

How does the BTI fit in with the iCIRT and Latent Defects Insurance products to provide surety for buyers?

BTI, iCIRT and LDI are three pillars of Building Commissioner David Chandler’s agendas to support improved trust and transparency in the construction sector. They work as follows:

BTI – Focuses on the trustworthiness of the asset (an apartment building in this case)

iCIRT – Focuses on the history and financials of the developer

LDI – Enables insurance for the asset to cover any defects that may occur after completion

Why should developers and builders seek BTI approval?

It’s the only way to provide confidence in a finished project and the underlying asset. This allows developers and builders to market and promote the trustworthiness of the building for pre-sales purposes.

What does it mean for the quality of residential development going forward?

Property developers risk being left behind when consumers are demanding these initiatives are in place before they purchase a property. Consumers are now asking sales offices and property developers to provide as much information as possible to ensure that the property they are buying is trustworthy. With the increased transparency, and consumer awareness of such tools, developers are working harder to ensure that the right materials and processes are followed to produce a trustworthy building/project.

What opportunities exist for BTI in the future?

As the BTI is evolving, and developers, consumers, financiers and insurers begin to embrace these new measures, there are new opportunities arising.

In recent projects, owners are now asking for the BTI data to help present their apartment for resale. Insurers are also beginning to ask for benchmarking reports and developers are beginning to use ‘templates’ of a trustworthy project to brief builders and contractors and issue tenders.

These use cases for BTI and the associated data are beginning to introduce efficiencies and greater productivity in the sector.

Sponsored by KPMG Origins

For Jack Freeman, a compelling interior should not look as though it was completed in a single shopping trip.

The founder and designer behind FREEMAN & CO prefers rooms that develop through art, travel, commissioned furniture and objects collected over time. It is an approach that treats the home less as a decorative project and more as an evolving portrait of its owner.

“I am a true believer in collecting versus decorating,” Freeman says.

That distinction underpins the international practice he has built across private residences, hotels, property developments, yachts and private aviation. Its projects stretch from Point Piper, Vaucluse, Circular Quay and Toorak to Mayfair, Bel Air and the Caribbean.

Although the locations and architecture vary considerably, the work is connected by a restrained design language. Natural stone, warm timbers and sculptural furniture establish the foundation, while art, bespoke lighting and individual objects give each interior its identity.

The objective is not to overwhelm a room with obvious symbols of expense. It is to create an environment that feels calm, layered and particular to the people living within it.

“The greatest luxury isn’t about excess,” Freeman says. “It’s about creating an oasis where you come home and feel immediately grounded — effortlessly chic and deeply personal.”

Collecting instead of decorating

Decorating can imply the completion of a room: selecting the required furniture, filling the available walls and producing a coherent finished image.

Collecting is less conclusive.

A collected interior has room to change as its owners travel, discover artists, inherit pieces or reassess how they use their home. Its character comes from the relationship between objects rather than adherence to a single brand or season.

That does not mean placing unrelated pieces together without discipline. The designer must understand scale, proportion, material and provenance well enough to create a dialogue between them.

A contemporary artwork might sit beside a historic piece of furniture. A precisely detailed new interior may be interrupted by an irregular object made by hand. Smooth stone can be balanced by timber, textiles or a patinated metal surface that becomes richer with age.

The tension between those elements is part of the appeal.

For Freeman, art is not an accessory to be added once the furniture plan is complete. It forms part of the architecture and atmosphere of the room from the beginning.

Lighting is considered in the same way. Beyond its practical purpose, a bespoke fitting can operate as a suspended sculpture, changing both the room’s composition and the way its materials are experienced after dark.

A design perspective shaped by travel

International travel plays a significant role in Freeman’s creative process.

Design fairs such as PAD Paris and Salone del Mobile in Milan provide opportunities to encounter emerging designers, established galleries, new materials and collectible furniture away from the filter of social media.

More spontaneous discoveries can prove equally important.

“Sometimes it’s the simple things,” Freeman says. “That piece found on a shopping trip with a client in Paris, stumbling across an artisan’s workshop, or a special memory that forms the narrative of the story.”

Objects selected during travel bring more than visual interest into a home. They carry an association with a place, maker or experience, giving the client a connection that cannot be reproduced by ordering an entire interior from a catalogue.

Freeman’s influences are international, but his projects are not conceived as replicas of Parisian, Milanese or Californian style. Each commission responds to its architecture, setting, natural light and the daily lives of its occupants.

A waterfront Sydney residence demands a different treatment from a Mayfair townhouse. A Caribbean estate shaped by brutalist architecture and reflecting pools calls for another response again.

The designer’s role is to absorb those references without allowing them to overwhelm the individual qualities of the property.

Designing the complete experience

FREEMAN & CO extends beyond conventional interior decoration.

The practice’s stated services include interior design and architecture, project management, property acquisition, development advice, concept design, documentation, furniture and lighting design, procurement and art curation.

That breadth allows the team to become involved before a room’s dimensions and finishes are fixed.

Early participation can be important at the top end of the residential market, where architecture, landscape, interiors, technology and art must operate as one environment. Decisions about ceiling heights, wall dimensions, sightlines and lighting can directly affect where art is installed or how custom furniture is proportioned.

The practice can then carry those decisions through to procurement and final installation, maintaining the design narrative as a project moves between architects, builders, specialist craftspeople, dealers and suppliers.

Its residential portfolio includes a South Coast retreat conceived as an escape from urban life, a Caribbean estate with reflecting pools, an East Coast-inspired Palm Beach residence and a Mayfair townhouse organised around an expressive drawing room.

The studio also says it has worked on highly tailored Sydney residences with values exceeding $100 million, although the private nature of such commissions means individual addresses and clients are not always disclosed.

A home that can keep changing

The risk in creating a perfectly resolved interior is that it can become too static — a composition that looks exceptional in photographs but leaves little room for life.

Freeman sees the home as something that should evolve with its owners.

“I love the evolution of design,” he says. “We are talking about people’s lives, and as they evolve, so too should their private sanctuaries.”

That evolution might involve adding art, reupholstering a significant piece, adapting rooms as a family changes or making space for objects gathered through future travels.

The original design needs to be strong enough to accommodate those layers.

This may be the clearest expression of Freeman’s approach to luxury. It is not simply access to rare stone, collectible furniture or commissioned craftsmanship. It is the creation of a personal environment whose meaning deepens rather than diminishes with time.

Fact box

Designer: Jack Freeman

Role: Founder and managing director

Practice: FREEMAN & CO

Base: Australia, with international projects

Project locations named by the practice: Point Piper, Vaucluse, Circular Quay, Toorak, Palm Beach, the NSW South Coast, Mayfair, Bel Air and the Caribbean

Sectors: Private residences, hotels, residential developments, private aviation and superyachts

Services: Interior design and architecture, property development, project management, property acquisition, documentation, furniture and lighting design, FF&E procurement, interior dressing and art curation

Design philosophy: Collected, personal interiors shaped by art, craftsmanship, travel and enduring materials

Website: free-man.co

Not sure about that apartment purchase? Check out the new digital tool bringing surety back

The Building Trust Indicator is the latest tool bringing buyer confidence back to multi-residential development

Jack Freeman believes the most compelling interiors are not decorated, but collected. The FREEMAN & CO founder creates layered, personal spaces shaped by art, travel and craftsmanship.