Although significant claims exist with regards to the benefits of utilising offsite construction, often, these are anecdotal, context-specific, and challenging to quantify in comparison to business-as-usual. Previous CRC project findings suggest that the benefits of offsite construction are often not realised because the design consultants, developers, and builders do not effectively collaborate to deliver integrated solutions.
This project will document, benchmark, and suggest improvements to realise the benefits in offsite construction using an offsite timber pilot project in Malvern East in order to quantify benefits and recommend improvements.
Research streams will focus on Integrated Design (Design for Manufacture and Assembly -DfMA) considerations, Life Cycle Analysis, Building Performance (Acoustic, Vibrations and Indoor Environmental Quality), Market Perceptions and Digital Project Management (10D-Building Information Modeling) to holistically demonstrate the value of the off-site timber approach in building construction.
Researchers on this project include: Ali Rashidi (Project Lead), Duncan Maxwell, Victor Bunster, Camilo Cruz Gambardella, Jean-Paul Rollo, Jenny Zhou, Victor Chang, Mohaimeen Islam, Miyami Sinhala Pathiranag, Dilshi Dharmarathna, Tuan Ngo, Lu Aye, Tuan Nguyen, Xuemei Liu, Bernard Gibson, Alireza Chiniforush, Richard Nero, Siddhesh Godbole.
Date commenced and duration
December 2022 - December 2024Lead researcher
Industrialisation
- Property Development
- Customers and Markets
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Sustainable Materials & Products
- Platforms and Process
- Building Design and DFMA
- Prefabrication & Advanced Manufacturing
- Product & Process Efficiency
Life Cycle Assessment
Theme coordinator

Dr Victor Bunster
Projects
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
#59 Innovative Steel–Timber–Concrete Composite StrongFloor
#28 Componentised Internal Wall Systems for Multi-residential Applications
#27 Environmental Decision-Support for Structures
#11 Environmental Credentials for Building Technology Platforms
Sustainable Materials & Products
Theme coordinator

Dr Philip Christopher
Projects
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
#32 Acoustic flanking performance of mid-rise light gauge steel (LGS) structures
#59 Innovative Steel–Timber–Concrete Composite StrongFloor
#15 Using the Whole Tree for Future Timber-Based Construction – Scoping Study
#37 Australian Timber Fibre Insulation Scoping Study
Platforms and Process
Theme coordinator

Dr Duncan Maxwell
Projects
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
#38 Victorian Government Digital Build – Translating theory into practice
#25 Operational Excellence framework of steel fabrication and processing in the OSM and prefabrication sector (Phase 1)
#3 Projects to Platforms: Investigating New Forms of Collaboration – Scoping Study
Building Design and DFMA
Projects
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
Light House Project #13: Mixed Reality Carpentry Demonstration
Light House Project #3: NCHA Independent Living Lab
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
#32 Acoustic flanking performance of mid-rise light gauge steel (LGS) structures
Prefabrication & Advanced Manufacturing
Keywords
- 10D BIM
- Building Information Modelling
- Construction Management
- Construction Monitoring
- Industrialised Construction
- Integrated Design
- Prefabrication
- Visualisation