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The evolution of modular
The construction of accommodation villages has been fundamental in
providing ‘fly-in fly-out’ workers a home away from home
58 | HIRE
AND
RENTAL
NEWS
| NOVEMBER 2012
EVENTS IN FOCUS
The Australian environment is
notoriously inhospitable, and those placing
infrastructure in rural areas are faced with
many challenges such as difficult terrain,
punishing weather conditions and remote
locations. Chris Gunton, Ausco Modular’s
National Sales Manager – Hire, discusses
some of these challenges and how modular
buildings can resolve potential problems.
Modular buildings can be installed and
relocated with comparative ease despite
Australia’s environmental challenges.
Modular manufacturing processes ensure
greater speed and cost efficiencies with
minimised labour costs, favourable pricing
from suppliers, reduction of waste by as
much as 30%, and minimal site disturbance,
as a result of factory-based construction.
Transportability makes
modular buildings a
practical option for
remote locations where
on-site construction costs
can be much higher and
the ability to build offsite
offers shorter lead times
and a reduction of time
spent on site.
Modular construction
companies have evolved
to offer products
such as residential
accommodation,
classrooms, commercial
offices, project and site
offices, amenities, kitchen
and dining facilities.
Modular no longer equals temporary
though. As design and architecture
improves, permanent modular construction
has built police stations, medical facilities,
residences and even prisons.
The history of building prefabrication in
Australia can be dated back as far as the
17th Century to Great Britain’s colonisation.
Unfamiliar with the foreign materials
available, the English would ship pre-
manufactured components to Australian
settlements in order to build prefabricated
hospitals, homes and storehouses.
The American gold rush of the mid-1800s
was also an influential period in the history
of prefabricated and modular buildings.
Prospectors needed accommodation and
modular construction in the form of ‘kit
homes’ ordered from catalogues provided a
simple, fast solution.
However, as an industry, modular
construction did not truly take off
until World War II. Returning soldiers
sought homes of their own to raise their
families, and the urgent need for mass
accommodation was established.
Technological developments over the
years, such as mass-production techniques
amassed in the Ford era in the early 1900s
and advancements in overhead crane lifting
capacity in more recent decades, have
forged the way for a greater variety of sizes
and designs with larger modules and two-
storey buildings now available.
Technological advancements have
also seen improvements in design and
innovation, taking the outback Australian
donga to double storey residential homes
and apartment complexes.
In preparation for the 2000 Sydney
Olympics and Paralympics, modular
construction company Ausco Modular was
contracted to build the Olympic Village for
some 15,300 athletes and officials.
Since the conclusion of the Games, most
buildings were removed and recycled; used
as tourism accommodation or homes for
mining families.
The construction of accommodation
villages, as well as amenities and site offices
has been fundamental in providing ‘fly-in
fly-out’ workers a home away from home.
Modular accommodation now provides
a comfortable, private place to rest, and
employers with simple and sustainable
accommodation solutions that can be
moved as the mining industry fluctuates.
Builders such as Ausco Modular are now
integrating environmental architecture,
incorporating environmentally friendly
and sustainable features such as water
harvesting, energy efficiencies and solar
management.
For more information contact: 13 62 11 or
visit: www.ausco.com.au
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