Offsite innovation for housing

To get more New Zealanders into homes faster we need to think differently, to innovate and try new ways of working. As the largest residential developer in New Zealand, at Kāinga Ora we’re using our scale to do just that. Alongside our partners in the building sector we are increasing the use of offsite manufacturing (OSM) to boost housing supply throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We’re committed to driving innovation in the construction sector, beginning with our own performance” says Patrick Dougherty General Manager Construction and Innovation at Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities.

OSM is the construction of buildings and components offsite in a factory, which are then transported to the sites where they are needed. It’s a method of construction reducing material waste and build time, providing quality and warm homes at a faster pace than traditional builds.

“Quality, sustainability and time saving benefits can all be realised using offsite manufacturing during construction whether it be panels, modular parts like bathroom pods or an entire building transported to site,” says Patrick.

“Although use of OSM has grown by 20% over the last three years as a method of construction in New Zealand, the building industry’s use of OSM is still relatively small compared to some overseas markets and will take time to scale up. We are also starting to see New Zealand manufacturers start to make the shift from the traditional single-storey transportable OSM homes to multi-storey as demand increases.”

All OSM solutions used by Kāinga Ora are designed and manufactured to New Zealand Standards. This year we will deliver around 140 public homes using OSM solutions, and next year over 500 homes will be delivered using this method of construction.

Watch this video(external link) to see how we used OSM solutions in a recent Auckland apartment development. Read more about our offsite manufacturing plan.