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Whether its a recycled-brick town home, a secluded (and sustainable) prefab, or a farmhouse with volcanic rock walls, Australian architecture firm Archier has a track record of designing environmentally conscious homes that leverage natural materials. But after more than a decade of using predominantly traditional construction processes, the firm wanted to push the limits of creating sustainable, cost-effective buildings. That’s when Archier’s four directors joined forces with Jas Johnston, a digital manufacturing expert, to form Candour in 2022.

Candour is effectively a prefab building system and a tool for designers to customize building components within that system—including walls, floors, facades, and roofs—with a proprietary CAD plug-in. According to Archier, by utilizing the software, users can draft a design, determine if it’s feasible, and price it all in one day, the benefits of which are passed directly onto a client. Designs are built at Candour’s manufacturing facility in Sunshine, Melbourne.

To develop the tech, Archier workshopped the prefab system Candour now uses by designing a home in Hobart, Tasmania. Taroona House is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom plan with a detached art studio that uses a lightweight timber structure as its framing, and is encompassed by floor-to-ceiling glass walls. With a fully realized platform in place, Taroona House was succeeded by Yandoit House—the first fully prefabricated home using Candour’s design software, prefab system, and manufacturing facility. Here’s how Archier created the two residences, and how it thinks Candour can change how we build homes.

What went into the design of the Taroona project?

Taroona House sits on a steep, densely forested hill overlooking Hinsby Beach in Hobart, Tasmania. The clients wanted a home that was fully immersed in and connected to the setting. To achieve this, we needed a new approach to building that enabled a complete glass envelope that also integrates the structure of the building, making it as light and open as possible. This led to the development of Candour’s prefab building system, which integrates a structural timber facade system with floor, roof, and wall panels. The lack of sun on the site meant there was no threat of excessive thermal gain, which allowed us to build a house with a complete glass envelope. The result connects the occupants to the rugged Tasmanian landscape with the comfort of an innovative and efficient shelter.

Why was a prefab system better for Taroona than traditional construction?

Candour’s system created the glass walls that enclose Taroona House. The timber floor cassettes, wall panels, facade system, and roof cassettes all work together as an integrated structural system acting as a diaphragm. In contrast to traditional construction, this means that all these elements are carrying structural load as well as creating the envelope. This dual function allows the home to be lighter, more efficient, and cost effective.

Developing the facade system was the only way to achieve the desired result within the specified budget. The use of timber and lack of steel in the windows created a more sustainable outcome, removing thermal bridges and complementing the passive house facade system that achieved a six star energy rating out of ten on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme.

How do you see Candour being used? How does it support Archier’s vision?

Candour’s platform is meant to be accessible for all designers. It’s been developed around a midcentury modern building approach that harmonizes and expresses the structure through a minimal, natural material palette. This allows it to be adapted to suit a range of styles, forms and aesthetics.

Building upon Candour’s prefab system, Archier has developed a streamlined offering to complete builds, extending the use of raw natural materials and a design language that intimately connects inhabitants to nature. This combination allows each of our projects to be unique by balancing a client’s spatial brief with their budget and maximizing the opportunities of any site.

Can you provide some context around pricing?

Archier’s most common projects, and where we offer the most value, is for residential projects that cost $950,000 AUD and up. Our built forms are highly thermally performative. Architectural fees are fixed and calculated on the area of a project, but generally work out to around five to six percent of the construction price. We target a $7,000 per-square-meter construction cost, which includes everything: site works, installation, delivery, build, internal fit out, decking, etc.

Of this cost, Candour supplies the structure and thermal envelope of the building as a prefabricated building system, which is typically thirty to forty percent of the total build price. This comprises the floor, walls, facade and roof panels, and can extend to include stairs, doors, and select finish elements.

What qualities make Archier and Candour prefabs stand apart from others?

Each Archier and Candour project is unique to its client based on their site, brief, and budget. The development of the platform is also design led, meaning that architectural refinement has been prioritized to ensure the platform naturally creates beautiful, healthy, sustainable spaces.

Candour’s prefab platform also provides instant pricing during the design process. Design stages cover concept resolution, materiality, finishes and fittings, and then technical documentation. Our clients end up with a high-performance, architectural home in a timely manner and with less risk.

What aspects of the design can a client customize?

Being a panelized solution, the system is flexible enough to tailor to any design; we offer a variety of roof shapes, and every floor plan is unique. We can do double height glazed voids, multiple stories, split levels, sunken lounges, or anything else a normal build can do. Genuinely the only limitation is curved walls (which we are working on!). The fittings and fixtures selection process is faster, facilitated by our proprietary selection platform which has a wide range of materials that can be applied to any space. It is also completely customizable.

How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?

Archier can complete design and documentation in six months, and seek planning approval concurrent with the building approval process, should planning be required. Panelization offers efficiencies on site too: for a roughly 2,000-square-foot residential build, we are seeing reductions in construction programs of up to six months. We like to see clients moving in 18 months after engaging us.

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How does installation work?

Candour has a fabrication facility in Melbourne, and the panels are shipped to a site and craned into place for assembly. We partner with master builders who manage the scope of a build, but with efficiencies gained from prefabrication.

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What aspects of the install do you manage?

Just like a typical architectural process, Archier manages everything generally included in project management scope. Candour manages the production and delivery of the panels. The builder then manages the site in the same way they usually work.

How do you think prefab will change home building in Australia?

The Candour and Archier partnership has been designed and developed in response to a volatile industry with a long and clunky process.

Archier’s prefab endeavor seeks to expose or bypass some of the murkiness of a traditional architectural build so our clients can move in sooner. Launching this service has helped us work smaller budgets, which has opened us up to new clients. Generally, we think the movement is a no brainer for the country’s current housing crisis as it supports new legislation designed to address it. Our goal is very simple: to make good quality homes more accessible.

More from Archier:

A Trio of Design Professionals Create a Development of High-Performing Townhouses in Melbourne

Gabion Walls Made of Volcanic Rock Flank a Flat-Roofed Farmhouse in Australia