Offsite manufacturing delivers multi-storey timber frame apartments

This case study showcases how a multi-storey timber frame apartment complex across three six-storey buildings containing 216 modules is being constructed with offsite manufacturing.

After seeing a market demand for suppliers who could deliver quality housing at pace and scale, Property Partners decided to investigate offsite manufacturing at scale. They started researching offsite manufacturing methods around the world and ultimately decided that the Swedish model was the best approach for them to bring to the New Zealand market.

While the use of offsite manufacturing techniques is becoming increasingly popular around New Zealand for small-scale builds, Property Partners, and their subsidiary Evergreen Modular wanted to use timber volumetric modular construction, a form of offsite manufacturing in which buildings are put together by connecting a series of pre-built modules and stacking them vertically to build apartments.

Dan McNeils of Oxygen Architecture said ‘Working on this project has been a real labour of love for the team at Oxygen Architecture, and I’m extremely proud of our contribution. Moreover, the wider collaboration between Oxygen, Evergreen and our main contractor Build Partners sets a great example of what can be achieved with a multidisciplinary team on board. We can’t wait to see the project completed.’

This case study highlights a larger-scale project for 108 apartments in Richardson Road, Owairaka, Auckland. The Richardson Road project consists of three six-storey apartment buildings containing 216 modules. Upon completion, the project will be constructed with New Zealand-sourced and carbon-positive timber volumetric modules, which is a first in New Zealand and a significant step forward for timber volumetric modular construction at this height.