Two-Bedroom Home Every Two Hours: Modscape Goes Next Level

A shed as big as The Gabba will be operational by the end of 2027, cementing Modscape’s growing ambitions for Queensland and northern New South Wales’s modular industry. Once complete, the 50,000sq m robotic manufacturing line at Yatala on the northern Gold Coast is forecast to deliver 2000 modules each year for volumetric and panelised construction and employ about 300 people. While the company has been operational in the region for more than 10 years, its recent growth has led it to move from Helensvale to Archerfield. It has necessitated the development of the purpose-built facility that’s due to open mid-2027. The current Modscape factory at Archerfield is assembly only; components are manufactured on the robotic manufacturing line at Essendon Fields in Victoria. Modscape + Modbotics chief executive Jan Gyrn said the new Yatala robotic manufacturing line would emulate its southern counterpart while incorporating some “learnings” from its southern cousin. ‘Not a test case’ Gyrn said sustained demand and growth in the local market underpinned the move. “This is not a test case; this is a proven industrialised construction platform that we have [established] in Victoria,” Gyrn said. ▲ Modscape chief executive Jan Gyrn and one of the robots, Freddie, at the company’s Essendon Fields factory. “There’s a pretty significant housing shortage in Australia, which is not a one or two-year fix, it’s a 20-year fix. “So when we look at the capacity that we have to create the equivalent of a two-bedroom home every two hours, the market gap is underpinning the decisions we’re making in the investment in this type of infrastructure.” Scale is key to success Gyrn said Australia still had a gap to close in offsite construction, which is currently at about 8 per cent of all construction against a global average of about 30 per cent. He also pointed to the construction crunch associated with the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 as a tailwind for the industry in South-East Queensland. Modscape operates across bespoke residential, social and affordable housing, health and education (historically the largest sector), and defence and justice such as police stations, data centres and prison cells. Gyrn said scale was key to the modular industry’s success—the model works best when procuring at volume. He said the Yatala site was selected for its scale, sustainability initiatives, connectivity and strategic location, with support from Gold Coast’s Investment Attraction Program. It can also draw on a workforce from Logan and the Gold Coast. ▲ Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate (centre) and Modscape boss Jan Gyrn break ground at the Yatala site, along with Frasers Property Industrial representatives. Modscape has targeted Queensland because of its distance from Victoria and its capacity to service both the NSW market and offshore. Gyrn said Victoria has the most modular and MMC suppliers in Australia, but paradoxically does the least work in the current market. Gold Coast modular manufacturing hub Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate welcomed the investment into advanced manufacturing in the city. Tate said it was a step in the right direction for the city’s ambition to become “Australia’s modular home manufacturing hub”. Frasers Property Industrial is delivering the project, with CIP Constructions building the advanced manufacturing hub. ▲ Modscape has been delivering modular housing to remote areas of Queensland in partnership with QBuild. The shed must meet specific load-bearing specifications to accommodate the robotic line from RANDEK in Sweden and robots from KUKA in Germany. “It’s like watching the ballet when it’s all working seamlessly,” Gyrn said. “The building work should be complete by the middle of next year, and then the robotic line—which is currently being produced in Sweden and Germany—will be installed in the third quarter of next year. “We plan on being operational by the end of 2027.” The future is robotic The Victorian robots are featured in the company’s team line-up and named after dead musicians Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury and Jimi Hendrix. Gyrn said the front-runners for the names of the robots currently being built in Germany were Tupac, Biggie and Snoop Dogg. In Victoria, a second robot cell is being added to the facility, which Gyrn said would double capacity overnight, while, he said, Queensland was a growth opportunity. Modscape + Modbotics is looking to the state’s labour-starved north as an opportunity for a satellite assembly factory, while a longer-term vision for a dedicated high-rise factory in Queensland could also be on the horizon for the group.

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Taryn Paris
Mon 24 Aug 26

Two-Bedroom Home Every Two Hours: Modscape Goes Next Level

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