This development has been a labour of love with Haven Home Safe bringing together the architectural design and build talent of ARKit – renowned for their modular building methodology – with the skilled and detailed project management of Sensum.

The homes feature innovative design and community living. They deliver renter comfort with a design that prioritises natural light and energy efficiency including all electric appliances, heat-pump water systems and individual rainwater tanks.

ARKit’s Modular prefab approach offers flexible, home options that align with the needs of social and affordable housing renters, helping reduce energy costs amid rising living expenses. Modular homes are built in controlled factory environments, which allows for tighter construction tolerances, within significantly quicker timeframes. This results in better insulation, reduced air leakage, and improved thermal performance – key factors in lowering heating and cooling costs. Smaller footprints require less energy to heat and cool, while the modular process – which minimises waste – contributes to more affordable housing solutions.

Haven Home Safe works closely with renters and local support providers, applying placemaking principles to foster connection, safety, and access to green space. They are also committed to regional investment, ensuring safe, secure and affordable housing across Victoria.

25 new homes (3 x one-bedroom and 22 x two-bedroom)

Architect – ARKit

Builder – ARKit

Project managers – Sensum

Community Housing Provider and funding partner – Haven Home Safe

Funding partner – Homes Victoria

7 star NatHERS rating

This project has been assessed against the Elevating ESD Targets objectives and standards. It is considered to have met the objectives and/or all the standards in the following categories.

The 25 modular homes in Horsham were delivered using a timber frame methodology, resulting in 475 tonnes of avoided embodied carbon emissions – equivalent to the annual electricity use of 308 households. The timber was sustainably sourced from plantations, with framing for an average home (≈14 m³) regrown in just 150 seconds within Australia’s plantation estate. Over its lifetime, this timber stores approximately 50% of its dry weight as carbon.

A comparative assessment of a representative 2-bedroom unit explored three structural options:

1. Timber structure with screw piles (as-built)
2. Steel structure with screw piles
3. Steel structure with waffle-pod slab

The as-built timber design achieved a reduction of 4,186 kg CO₂e, or 33.5 kg CO₂e/m², compared to the alternatives. The steel structure with screw piles had 3× the embodied carbon, while the steel with waffle-pod slab had 5½× the impact.

Beyond material substitution, the modular design supports future adaptation: units can be disconnected and relocated, and they meet the Silver Liveable standard, enabling aging in place.

To further reduce future embodied carbon:

• Durable materials like Spandek wall cladding and Colorbond steel roofing were selected to minimise replacement.
• These materials are recyclable, supporting circularity.
• Homes are built in 1–2 modules, designed for disassembly and reuse.

This case study demonstrates that small-scale, modular timber construction can deliver meaningful carbon reductions and adaptable housing solutions.

The modular construction approach adopted to deliver the dwellings offered notable benefits, particularly in reducing construction waste. Built in a controlled factory environment, modular components and construction processes enabled precise use of materials such as timber, cardboard, plastics, and concrete. The modular builder ARKit reports that only 3% of construction waste goes to landfill, with 97% recycled through licensed facilities, in accordance with a Construction Management Plan.

Operationally, each of the 25 homes is supported by adjacent, secure bin storage areas that are naturally ventilated and located on grade for accessibility. These facilities enable residents to separate waste into four streams – garbage, food and organics, recycling, and glass – in line with the approved Waste Management Plan. A hose-down area is included to maintain hygiene and support best practice waste management.

The project also has exemplary design outcomes in the following categories:

This all-electric project prioritises energy efficiency and addresses energy poverty by delivering 7-star NatHERS rated modular homes, which are more comfortable, cost-effective to run, and reduce national emissions. Energy poverty – where households limit energy use to the detriment of health due to financial hardship or inefficient housing – is a critical concern for community housing tenants. Haven Home Safe are actively engaging with renters to better understand their experiences and explore further support initiatives as well as building thermally efficient homes. A recent assessment of 54% of their housing portfolio found that 93.4% of those homes have a NatHERS rating above 6 stars.