Exploring the Potential of Offsite Construction to Alleviate Constraints to Housebuilding in Western Australia

Following the rapid growth of its population, the city of Perth in Western Australia is experiencing an expansion in its housing sector with many of these expansions include more remote areas in Western Australia. It was reported that these endeavours are facing challenges due to the topographical and soil conditions combined with the lack of skilled trades and builders’ availability in these remote areas. Given these challenges, this research explores the possibility of utilising offsite construction techniques to address these concerns, especially cognisant that traditional brick and mortar housing is still the most popular choice in Western Australia. This paper presents preliminary findings from a pilot interview which involved five offsite construction industry practitioners in Western Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, followed by content analysis of the transcripts. Preliminary findings revealed that offsite construction could be a viable solution. Moreover, modular is becoming a more attractive construction method for providing real solutions to the challenges facing the house building in Western Australia.