The Brighton Lakes project is the first large scale application of the Mirvac CSR Velocity initiative in Australia.
The revolutionary approach involves prefabricating entire walls and floors off-site in large volumes and then delivering and installing them en masse.
Up to 300 homes will be built at Brighton Lakes using this system. When compared to a traditional brick wall system, CSR Velocity reduces Total Environmental Impact by 53 per cent and potential global warming by 48 per cent. It has revolutionised Mirvac's approach to sustainability, home design and construction.
The Velocity prefabrication system is innovative to the Australian construction industry as it provides a high level of quality within a heavily reduced time frame, resulting in both social and environmental sustainability outcomes.
Socially, it reduces the impact to the surrounding communities during construction due to reduced time frames and reduced number of trades required on site, minimises risk of injury by manufacturing in a controlled environment, and reduces construction times enabling residents to move in sooner.
Environmentally, the initiative sees a reduction in Lifecycle GHG emissions, waste generation, resource consumption and overall environmental impact, an improvement in thermal efficiency and air tightness of homes, and a reduction in on-site waste, sand, water and fuel. All timber used in the velocity systems were sustainably sourced.
By using precise manufacturing methods in a controlled environment, the materials used in construction are optimised in the most efficient manner, whilst also reducing waste.
An LCA of the wall construction of a typical Mirvac home revealed that the use of the CSR Velocity wall system results in savings of approximately 78 per cent of materials (by mass) compared to a typical brick wall system.
KEY INITIATIVES
- Improved acoustic and thermal performance through improvements in air tightness of the home
- Construction methods and the precise manufacturing improves the air tightness or sealing of air gaps
- A lifecycle assessment of the wall panels delivered and installed at Brighton Lakes, reveal a 53 per cent reduction in Total Environmental Impact (points), contributed by significant waste and disposal reductions, along with reduced construction and water usage impact
- CSR Velocity improves the structural performance of the home
- Additionally, there is a reduction in the time that customers need to wait to move into their new home. This translates to savings for the customer and less financial stress
- Increased certainty of build times - there are less variables involved including trade availability and inclement weather
