Perth Panel Builder to Spark 1300-Home Adelaide Renewal
Residential construction at a 1300-home urban renewal project in Adelaide will be spurred by a Perth firm using structural panels that promise to improve sustainability and cut delivery times.
Perth-based Form Homes is about to start six homes, the first in Stage 2 of South Australian land development agency Renewal SA’s plan to regenerate part of the suburb of Seaton in Adelaide’s western suburbs.
To build the six homes, the company will use insulated structural panels manufactured by its WA-headquartered subsidiary firm SIPform.
Form Homes and SIPform co-founder Jonathan Goldsworthy said he hoped South Australia would embrace the construction method.
“We’ve travelled the world looking at homes using similar construction methods and working out ways to improve productivity,” he said.
Each panel comprises two durable outer layers bonded to a core of high-density insulating foam that minimises air leakage and bolsters energy performance.
The panels will be custom manufactured to design specifications—including door and window openings—and delivered to the Seaton site for assembly on a traditional slab.
Goldsworthy said the panels’ use would streamline and fast-track construction and reduce waste.
To date, about 300 SIPform homes have been built across Australia and New Zealand.
Renewal SA executive director of residential project delivery and assets Peter Gatsios said using the panels in a metropolitan setting followed their successful trial in regional SA.
“Six homes were constructed at Ceduna using the same materials, which proved to be an effective and efficient alternative to traditional construction methods,” he said.
Gatsios said the panels’ use did not compromise design and individuality.
“Buyers can still customise their home, add feature walls, clad with other surfaces, and work with the full range of material selections,” he said.
Stage 2 at Seaton is bound by Frederick Road and Parker, Matthews and Lark avenues. The SIPform homes are the first of 1300 that will be built there.
