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Welcome to the first Building Culture newsletter for the year. Three months in, and building and housing is confirming its position as a major issue for 2025. For many Australians, housing remains their biggest concern, second only to cost of living. The Federal Election next month has housing front and centre in both of the major party election campaigns.
Against this backdrop, Building 4.0 CRC can play a crucial role – offering evidence-based, independent solutions to challenges like housing supply and affordability. For example, Project #95 (Homes NSW MMC Program) is developing an innovative kit-of-parts approach to medium-density housing (4–6 storey buildings). Components manufactured offsite (kitchens, bathrooms and balconies) will be assembled onsite, using systems and processes to meet tenant needs, speed up delivery and unlock economic efficiencies. Production of kit-of-parts components is due to commence mid-year for a demonstration apartment that will be the centrepiece of this year's Annual Research Showcase. Attending the Industrialized Construction Forum at Stanford University in the United States confirmed Australia is among world leaders in advanced manufacturing and the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) being demonstrated in Project #95.
The strength of the kit-of-parts approach is that it can be applied in myriad contexts, including disaster relief. I was humbled to be invited to speak in California in the wake of devastating fires. Prof. Mel Dodd (Dean of Monash Art, Design and Architecture) and I had the opportunity to offer insights from Project #35, which explored how prefabrication can deliver both short-term and long-term housing solutions for disaster-affected communities.
This work on improving Australia’s building industry will continue throughout 2025. Five new projects have started – investigating construction industry insolvencies, smart contracts and smart finance in construction, use of remotely piloted aircraft systems for roofing inspections, new construction methods and innovative space cooling technologies. These projects bring the total number of active projects to 26.
We've also generated some positive media coverage lately, with our call for a Building Research and Development Corporation in realestate.com following my participation in a panel at the Property Council of Australia's recent Summit in Melbourne, and SBS's Dateline program covering the possibilities of prefabrication and MMC in Australia
I am looking forward to another year of collaboration – industry and research partners working together to push boundaries, innovate and transform Australia’s building industry. | |
Prof. Mathew Aitchison CEO, Building 4.0 CRC | | | |
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The case for prefab and MMC – Dateline on SBS "We would like to see prefab becoming a mainstream part of the industry. Speeding up building time using less materials, less waste, less labour – that's innovation in play."
Prof. Aitchison was on SBS Australia Dateline last week talking about Sweden's dominance in prefab and what can be applied to the Australia building sector. | | The building industry needs a Research and Development Corporation "We're really not good at innovating in this industry and we haven't seen much of it. We need a structural change to address that lack of innovation."
Prof. Aitchison called out the need for a Research and Development Corporation, similar to agriculture, to represent the building industry. | | | |
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Banks urged to ease lending rules for flat-pack homes
Prof. Mathew Aitchison welcomed the Commonwealth Bank's change to lending rules that make it easier to get home loans for prefabricated houses.
| | Reduce, reuse, recycle: Rethinking design approaches for a healthier future As guest editor of ArchitectureAU (March/April), Prof. Chris Knapp collated expert perspectives on the various ways architects can embed circularity into the building industry. | | | |
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Ep 18. Can we fix housing construction productivity?
Episode 18 of Future Building is out now! Prof. Mathew Aitchison is in conversation with Chair of the Productivity Commission Danielle Wood. It's a wide-ranging conversation, but focused on Can we fix housing construction productivity? | | | |
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Ep 19. Venture creation for the built environment
Dr Ray Levitt, Partner at Blackhorn Ventures and Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, speaks about Venture Capital, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence for the Building Industry. | | | |
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The launch of 5 new projects brings the number of active projects to 26: | |
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Partners are the Victorian Building Authority, Master Builders Association Victoria, Holmesglen Institute and Queensland University of Technology. | |
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Partners are the Victorian Building Authority, Holmesglen Institute, Master Builders Association Victoria, Sumitomo Forestry Australia, the University of Melbourne and Monash University. | |
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Partners are the Victorian Building Authority, Master Builders Association Victoria, Holmesglen Institute, PT Blink and Queensland University of Technology. | |
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Partners are Sumitomo Forestry Australia, Hyne & Son, Cedar Pacific and the University of Melbourne. | |
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Partners are Taphcore® and the University of Melbourne. | |
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Lighthouse Project #13 explored how new mixed reality (MR) technologies can help address challenges assembling prefabricated building components.
This project integrated the Twinbuild MR tool developed by Fologram with Ynomia’s tracking technology for the real-time assembly of a complex timber pavilion.
Students from Holmesglen Institute received a hands-on demonstration of the MR technology and instructions on how to use it for assembly tasks. | | | |
Using these technologies meant construction components could be effectively tracked and visualised. This approach allowed students to start constructing the timber pavilion in less than 2 hours, a task that would typically take up to 3 days.
The feedback from students showed the MR technologies increased engagement, and allowed students to rapidly develop skills and understand complex carpentry techniques. | |
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Blue IoT aims harnesses smart cities technologies and services to deliver solutions that minimise environmental risks and damage, using sustainable solutions to preserve natural resources. | | Cedar Pacific is a leading investment manager in the Living Sector, developing and managing purpose-built student accommodation. The company focuses on high-quality construction and sustainable practices. | | Taphcore® is a Phase-Change Composite Material (PCCM) that can absorb and store a large amount of heat at constant temperature, and can be formed into panels that replace conventional wall, ceiling and floor finishes. | | | |
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National Housing Solutions Summit
Prof. Mathew Aitchison was on a panel at the Property Council of Australia's National Housing Solutions Summit on 1 April in Melbourne | | | |
Mathew was part of the session exploring options for enhancing construction productivity alongside Danielle Wood (Productivity Commission), Sarah Kay (Woods Bagot), Stuart Penklis (Mirvac) and Briget O'Callaghan (Harwood Andrews).
The event focused on addressing Australia's most critical housing challenges, from missed housing targets to rising construction costs, workforce reform, affordable housing solutions, Modern Methods of Construction, innovative construction technologies and AI.
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March Knowledge Share: Advancing Education, Skills and Training for the Future of Building
The first Knowledge Share event of the year explored the education, skills and training needs as automation, offsite-manufacturing and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) reshape Australia's building industry.
Building on insights from CRC Projects #66, #95 and #102, over 60 attendees heard from Prof. Chris Knapp (Building 4.0 CRC), Dr Robert Sobyra (BuildSkills Australia) and Dr Henry Pook (Holmesglen Institute) on the key skills gaps, as well as the innovative solutions and initiatives fostering the next generation of highly skilled and innovative building professionals and transforming the culture of construction. It was also an opportunity to tour the cutting edge Holmesglen Trade and Skills Centre. | |
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ULI Melbourne: Is Modular Housing the Solution? Prof. Mathew Aitchison joined Amy Conti (Executive General Manager, Torus Technologies), Stephen Macdonald (Managing Partner, The Proptech Connection) and Geoff Country (SHAPE Homes) to discuss how modular housing can contribute to addressing Australia's housing shortage. | | | |
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From Bushfires to the Eaton Fire: Rebuilding after Disaster Prof. Mathew Aitchison and Prof. Mel Dodd (Dean of Monash Art, Design and Architecture) joined Erik Ghenoiu (Head of the SCI-Arc Resilient Future Task Force) in California to discuss resilience and rebuilding after disaster. The presentation came in the wake of the California fires. | | | |
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Become a partner We are looking for forward-thinking project partners to help shape the future of the building industry. As a partner you'll: - Contribute to cutting-edge research and innovative solutions that will position your organisation as a leader in the field
- Get involved in ground-breaking projects, driving real-world change
- Collaborate with leading Australian universities and industry experts.
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You are receiving this email as you are on the Building 4.0 CRC mailing list. If you have any questions about this event, please contact info@building40crc.org | |
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