Low-Cost, Midrise Modular Homes Pilot Targets Sydney’s Inner West

A trio of ultra-low cost apartment blocks are progressing at Marrickville using modular and bespoke construction on constrained sites. Uncommon Living is proposing 15 apartments on a 390sq m site, at a delivery cost of under $210,000 per unit. Founder Michael Drage told The Urban Developer that the unique model would then be applied to two other “low-hanging fruit” sites in the suburb, with more to follow across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The first site at 50 Harnett Avenue [ pictured top ] would apply a floor space ratio of 1.45:1 to yield 567sq m of gross floor area, according to documents lodged during a pre-application meeting with Inner West Council. Early designs have also been prepared for 137 Marrickville Road and 313 Illawarra Road, and discussions are under way with a number of other landholders in the area. The individual Marrickville landowners involved in the project are looking to retain the sites as rental assets post-redevelopment, although other models are under discussion. Drage says that the Uncommon Living design and construction methodology, which can work on sites the width and length of a single inner-city residential lot, “is not about a product”. “This is about a solution. We’re not developers, this is a system and a new way of delivering,” Drage said. ▲ Design will prioritise affordability and sustainability. A rendering of a project proposed for 137 Marrickville Road is pictured. “We’ll work with developers, with builders, with landowners, to try to optimise these sites.” The team includes Drage, who has a background in the finance industry as well as sustainable, passive, and modular design; and Charles Peters of Craft Architecture. Drage says the ambition is to “democratise healthy homes” with a site-specific design and scalable delivery model. “It’s not cookie cutter. One of the things [Inner West Council] were impressed by is that we were responding to each site,” Drage said. At 50 Harnett Street, demolition of a single detached house would be followed by construction of a ground-floor lightweight concrete or hybrid structure, holding a cafe and shared space. ▲ Projects such as 313 Illawarra Road will pilot the Uncommon Living model across the Inner West, but other states and councils could follow. “Once the bottom level is done, the actual three levels of apartments will go up in two or three weeks.” While sustainable prefabricated timber, precast concrete and modular components will be prioritised where possible, “where we can’t we will look to use other methodologies, including aerated concrete and hybrid systems”. Sky Planning founder Melissa Neighbour, who is involved with the project, told The Urban Developer that the project was responsive to the Inner West’s Our Fairer Future rezoning plan , but that the model can work in other jurisdictions. “The Inner West has always been a place that welcomes different ways of living and different kinds of people,” Neighbour said. ▲ The team aims to deliver affordable, sustainable housing on constrained infill footprints. “This project is really about taking those policy ambitions and translating them into something tangible and deliverable on the ground. “The reality is that not everyone wants, needs or can afford a detached house with a backyard anymore. We need a much broader mix of housing options if we want our communities to remain diverse, inclusive and accessible.” Neighbour said that the project embeds sustainability and affordability as drivers of the development, rather than as competing layers. “As planners, opportunities like this don’t come along very often — a chance to help deliver not just individual homes, but a replicable approach to housing that can actively contribute to solving some of the biggest challenges facing our communities.”

Apartments
Patrick Lau
Fri 10 Jul 26

Low-Cost, Midrise Modular Homes Pilot Targets Sydney’s Inner West

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