NSW Launches First Modular Housing Showcase to Demonstrate System 600 Innovation
The NSW Government has opened the state’s first modular housing showcase, marking a pivotal moment in Australia’s adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and the official launch of the groundbreaking System 600 project.
The showcase, held in September 2025, invited the community to experience firsthand how the innovative “kit-of- parts” approach developed by Building 4.0 CRC and Homes NSW could transform housing delivery. Leading industry suppliers exhibited their contributions to the system, including the following prefabAUS members: Xlam/Hyne’s mass timber solutions, Modscape and Modbotics’ volumetric modules, Sipform’s structural insulated panels, SYNC’s engineered wall systems, Green Timber Tech’s CLT products, Rothoblaas’s timber connectors, TBS’s prefabricated timber systems, and Multipanel’s internal wall solutions.
“Modular housing is shaping up to be NSW’s secret weapon in tackling the housing crisis,” said Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson. “These are beautiful, modern homes built to last.”
Ambitious Targets Drive Innovation
The NSW Government has committed to 80% prefabricated components within its MMC pipeline by 2031. Unlike traditional modular construction requiring massive capital investment in single facilities, System 600 leverages Australia’s existing manufacturing capacity across a distributed supply chain. “Modern Methods of Construction are central to how our government is reshaping housing delivery in NSW,” Minister Jackson explained. “We’re not just building homes, we’re building a smarter, faster, and more sustainable housing system.”
Breaking the Traditional Model
System 600’s innovation lies in breaking buildings into standardised, interchangeable components rather than entire modules. Professor Matthew Aitchison, CEO of Building 4.0 CRC, describes the system as having “standard parts, not standard designs” that can be recombined to create diverse architectural solutions. The project targets approximately 80% standardised components with 20% site-specific elements, essentially reversing the current construction model. Rather than an overnight transformation, Homes NSW is gradually introducing products into existing projects to build supplier capability and demonstrate benefits. Over the 2025-26 financial year, NSW will deliver 90 modular homes across the state as part of its record $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program, which delivered 1,711 new social and affordable homes in the past year alone.
