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Western Australia’s Tyrone Group and PARC Developments have completed a $23.5 million social housing development in North Coogee in just 14 months, combining factory-manufactured masonry wall panels and bathroom pods with conventional construction to accelerate delivery.
A 38-apartment social housing development in Perth’s coastal suburb of North Coogee has been completed eight months earlier than a conventional construction programme, demonstrating how prefabricated masonry and modular bathroom systems can accelerate multi-residential housing delivery. (Credit all images John Carey MLA)
Delivered by Western Australian businesses PARC Developments and Tyrone Group, the jointly funded Commonwealth and Western Australian Government project comprises 12 one-bedroom apartments, 24 two-bedroom apartments and two studios.
Factory-manufactured masonry and bathroom pods reduce onsite construction
Central to the programme was Tyrone Group’s precision construction methodology, which integrates factory-manufactured building components with conventional onsite construction.
Rather than constructing masonry walls progressively on site, Tyrone manufactured prefabricated concrete masonry wall panels in a controlled factory environment while siteworks and other construction activities proceeded simultaneously.
The panels were transported to North Coogee for installation, reducing the amount of masonry work undertaken onsite and allowing construction activities to proceed in parallel rather than sequentially.
Tyrone describes its prefabricated masonry system as an adaptation of established European manufacturing technology. Wall panels are produced using semi-automated machinery at its Neerabup facility, where the company says more than 95 per cent of its masonry wall production is completed indoors.
The company says factory production also reduces exposure to weather delays, onsite labour requirements, material handling and waste. Its masonry manufacturing operates under ISO-accredited quality assurance procedures.
Prefabricated bathroom pods formed another component of the North Coogee construction programme, allowing wet-area assemblies to be manufactured offsite and subsequently integrated into the building.
Tyrone’s broader modular methodology uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) to coordinate fabrication, services integration, transport and installation requirements before components reach site.
According to Tyrone’s company history, the North Coogee development involved 360 prefabricated concrete block wall panels, alongside the introduction of its modular wet-area manufacturing capability.
Eight-month programme reduction demonstrates offsite potential
The development was originally announced in July 2025, when completion was anticipated in late 2026. Its delivery in 14 months provides a completed-project example of the programme advantages associated with combining offsite manufacturing and onsite construction.
Western Australian Housing and Works Minister John Carey said the project demonstrated the value of alternatives to traditional double-brick construction.
“Thanks to prefabricated components, 38 new social homes were delivered in just 14 months – eight months less than it would take using traditional construction methods.”
Funded through the Commonwealth’s $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator Payment programme, the development will be managed by a community housing provider, with residents expected to move in before the end of 2026.
The North Coogee project also illustrates the potential for prefabricated masonry to extend beyond conventional low-rise housing, with factory production supporting faster delivery of multi-residential developments without fundamentally changing established construction practices.
