Nine Month Build: Modular Highrise Pitched for Gabba

The future of high-speed highrise construction may well already be here for Brisbane’s skyline. Plans for a modular 18-storey residential tower that could be built within just nine months have been revealed for inner-city Woolloongabba. As part of a revised scheme for a 1517sq m site at 33-37 Carl Street, the proposal has pivoted to a modular development strategy of off-site prefabricated construction to accelerate delivery. The plans have been lodged by Brisbane Modular Manufacturing, which lists its director as Aravinth Selvaraj and is the parent company of Australian Robotic Building Technologies. According to its website, ARBT has more than 12 years’ experience in modular and building projects across Australia, Singapore, Middle East and India. “As of December 2023, the group has completed over 15 projects, five modular buildings in Australia, the most recent being a 10-storey residential tower comprising two, three and four-bedroom units which was installed in just 21 business days,” it said. The company cited its mission as “to improve construction productivity, safety and affordability using world-class manufacturing processes and systems”. It claimed its building system of multiple interlocked prefabricated modules provided structural stability up to 40 storeys. Under the reworked plans for the Carl Street site, an uplift is being sought in building height and yield—from an approved 13 storeys comprising 89 apartments to 18 storeys accommodating 126 units. ▲ Renderings of the revised plans for the modular 18-storey residential tower proposed for the Carl Street site at Woolloongabba. The mix of studio, two and three-bedroom apartments would sit above three podium parking levels providing space for 110 vehicles that replace three basement levels in the approved design. As well, communal open space has been increased from 301sq m to 500sq m spread across the ground level and a landscaped rooftop terrace with a pool. According to a planning report, the revised proposal remained a build-to-sell scheme but with improved design outcomes and delivery efficiency “through the introduction of modular construction methods to significantly accelerate construction timeframes, reduce on site disruption, and ensure a high quality, sustainable build”. “The proposed development provides an innovative business model, which leverages modular design and construction techniques to enable the project’s completion in as little as nine months,” it said. “Such rapid delivery is especially critical amid the urgent need for increased housing supply. Innovative approaches like this represent a meaningful step toward alleviating ongoing housing pressures in the years ahead across not only the city or the state, but nationally.” ▲ The modular tower proposed for Woolloongabba could be completed in nine months, according to the application. Modular construction involves the off-site prefabrication of building components in a controlled environment, allowing for high levels of efficiency, quality control and reduced weather-related delays. These modules are then transported to the site and assembled rapidly, significantly minimising delivery timeframes compared to traditional construction methods. The report noted the proposed change and pivoting to a modular construction method to deliver the Carl Street development ultimately “enhances the project’s economic viability, urban responsiveness, and delivery efficiency, while providing a future forward design that better reflects the expectations of modern residents and the local community”. “In the context of the ongoing housing demand concerns across Brisbane and South-East Queensland, this accelerated delivery model plays a vital role in addressing housing supply shortages,” it said. “The ability to bring dwellings to market quickly ensures that critical housing stock is released in a timely manner, contributing meaningfully to broader housing affordability and availability objectives.”

Nine Month Build: Modular Highrise Pitched for Gabba

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