Precast concrete panels are installed at one of the prototype home sites. Photos: ACT Government.
The ACT Government will press ahead with innovative construction methods to speed up the delivery and reduce the cost of public housing, announcing eight new homes will be built using pre-fabricated pre-cast concrete panels.
Homes and New Suburbs Minister Yvette Berry told the Legislative Assembly that a Housing ACT trial using pre-cast panels had helped to complete a four-bedroom home in just 11 weeks.
The success had encouraged the government to build more homes using the method, as well continuing to investigate prefabrication, 3D printing, modular building systems and off-site construction.
Ms Berry said all panels of the four-bedroom home were delivered and erected in two days, allowing the roof to be installed and internal works to begin quickly.
“This rapid construction was a result of the pre-cast concrete wall panels being manufactured off site in a controlled environment and pouring wet concrete into a mould, instead of being poured at the construction site,” she said.
“This allows the cured concrete product to be transported to the construction site and installed as a finished structural external wall. There is no need for facade cladding and external wall framing.”
Other benefits included reduced building material waste, improved safety on site with fewer deliveries and trades, and an extremely durable product which could be recycled.
Ms Berry said the eight new homes would be built across four sites and provide opportunities for builders to develop their skills, capability and understanding of modern methods of construction, with flow-on benefits across Canberra’s residential housing development market.
She said the government would partner with larger states such as NSW and Queensland to purchase, at scale, modular housing in a bid to significantly reduce the time and cost for the delivery of new public housing dwellings.
“We will work closely with industry in Canberra as we look to use the delivery of public housing dwellings to drive productivity improvements across the sector that will support the government’s goal of enabling the delivery of 30,000 homes by 2030,” she said.
The government would also continue to investigate other innovative modern methods of construction including structural insulated panel systems and modular construction.
Mr Berry said structurally insulated wall panel systems, also known as SIPs, were exceptionally energy efficient, improving the thermal performance of a home and cutting energy bills.
SIPs usually consist of an internal insulation core sandwiched between two structural facings manufactured under factory-controlled conditions and delivered on site.
Modular building materials involve sections of the house manufactured in a factory-controlled environment then assembled on site.
Ms Berry said this allowed for a quick construction time and improvement of quality control.
A government spokesperson said the cost of the four-bedroom Class C adaptable house built with precast panels was comparable to other builds with similar amenity including design, demolition, construction and landscaping.
“Efficiencies in costs come with scale, noting this is a demonstration project which helps inform industry on applications in the ACT,” the spokesperson said.
The 11-week construction period showed potential savings of two to four months over traditional construction.
The eight further builds would assist in the overall analysis of benefits achieved through this delivery method.
The benefits of modular and other alternative methods were mainly related to accelerated timeframes rather than lower cost, although there were financial gains with shorter delivery times.
The Commonwealth has moved to cut red tape around the prefab industry but investment at scale remains the biggest obstacle to it making a real dent in Australia’s housing sector.
The investigation of alternative ways to deliver more homes more efficiently was part of an Australian, state and territory intergovernmental agreement to deliver a 10-year national competition policy reform program.
Productivity Commission modelling shows widespread adoption can cut construction costs by up to 20 per cent and halve current timelines.
Ms Berry said the ACT continued to suffer from a lack of available and affordable rentals, increasing the demand for more government housing services.
“We are aware of this pressure, and we are working to address it,” she said.
The ACT Government has promised to deliver 5000 new affordable rental dwellings, 1000 of which would be added to the ACT property portfolio.
This would be on top of the existing Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program to add 400 homes by 2026-2027, increasing the overall Housing ACT property portfolio to 13,200 homes by the end of 2030.
