Community housing provider Haven Home Safe has partnered with design and construction company ARKit and Homes Victoria in an innovative approach to providing homes for Victorians in need. Using modular design and offsite manufacturing, ARKit are constructing 25 new (3 x one-bedroom and 22 x two-bedroom) townhouses to be delivered to Horsham for people on the Victorian Housing Register (VHR).
Through this innovative approach, most of the construction is taking place in the ARKit workshop based in Sunshine. The Minister for Housing, Harriet Shing recently took a tour of the workshop to see the progress of these homes.
“I want to commend Haven Home Safe and ARKit for this wonderful partnership, another example of what can be achieved through collective approaches to problem solving,” said Minister Shing.
This development will see a significant number of social and affordable homes available to the Horsham community; currently over 500 applicants on the VHR have listed Horsham as one of their preferred regions to live.
ARKit’s methodical, design-led practice allows them to build large-scale modular designs which are more cost effective, environmentally friendly, and quicker to build than conventional on-site construction.
The homes are built in the ARKit workshop by a team of carpenters and specialist tradespeople before being transported to the site. Each home is made up of 1-2 modules, each which is craned into position with on-site carpenters and other tradespeople then creating the final joins and finishing touches.
Each home will have a minimum 7-star NatHERS rating and meet Silver Livable Housing Design Guidelines. The total project cost is approximately $10.1 million including a $7.3 million contribution from Homes Victoria under the Rapid Grants Round funding, and a $2.8 million contribution from Haven Home Safe.
“Partnering with ARKit and Homes Victoria means we can increase affordable housing supply with products that are quality and affordable and provide quick delivery without compromising on style, design, or functionality. We look forward to seeing these modules when they are moved into place in Horsham and become safe, secure and affordable homes that will have a lasting positive impact for their new residents,” said Haven Home Safe CEO Trudi Ray.
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