Prefab Council Australia
Bringing the NSW Pattern Book to life for a policy audience
Prefab Council Australia's CEO was invited to present at the 4th Annual Affordable Housing Australasia summit in Sydney, hosted by Marcus Evans Summits. The brief was to improve on existing renders of two NSW Pattern Book designs and produce animation demonstrating how each could be delivered using prefab construction — including modular components and tilt/panel elements built in a factory and transported to site.
Deliverables
- 3D architectural rendering
- Animation
Credits
- Client — Prefab Council Australia
- Pattern Book designs — NSW Government Architect
- Terraces 01 — Carter Williamson
- Small Lot Apartments 01 — Collins and Turner
- Event — 4th Annual Affordable Housing Australasia Summit, Marcus Evans Summits
Terraces 01 by Carter Williamson
A multi-dwelling terrace typology with three homes arranged side-by-side. Each two-storey dwelling has its own street frontage, designed to encourage interaction with the neighbourhood.
Small Lot Apartments 01 by Collins and Turner
A 3–4 storey apartment building for compact sites, reinterpreting the classic Art Deco walk-up. A timeless brick facade designed to sit comfortably within established NSW neighbourhoods.
Improved renders, grounded and credible
The visual direction was deliberate: these renders needed to read as real, buildable housing to a policy and industry audience, not aspirational marketing. Natural daylight, true-to-material brick and timber, and realistic streetscape context let the designs speak as something that could be built today.
Animation proving a prefab build path
Alongside the improved renders, the animation demonstrated how both typologies could be delivered using prefab construction — modular components and tilt/panel elements manufactured off-site in a factory, then transported to site for assembly. The point was to show a national stage audience that pattern-book housing is achievable with prefab techniques, not just conventional construction.
Overly stylised or futuristic treatment was avoided throughout, so nothing undercuts the 'buildable today' credibility of the designs — and the case for prefab as a serious answer to the affordability crisis lands.
Let's build something.