Nestled in the heart of Bullsbrook, WA, is the prototype of a revolutionary new housing design dubbed Iron Matrix.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Built from just nine different flat-packed parts that can all fit through a front door, it’s constructed from high grade structural steel, making it one of the sturdiest homes on the market.
It can be clad with solar panels that replace traditional materials at no additional cost. They attach as a wall panel, flush with the rest of the home, and can completely power the home, meaning no more electricity bills.
“Young people can start with a few modules and get their feet on the property ladder, then add modules over time as they can afford to. Parents can move a portion of their family home to a backyard granny flat as the kids get older – or rent it out once they’re gone,” the home’s developer David Morgan said.
And the best part, the developers say, is that you can build this house yourself without cranes, scaffolding or heavy equipment. It’s designed to be so simple to construct and deconstruct, that David’s son has even helped put part of the first home together. He’s six years old.
The adjustable height piled foundations barely disrupt the ground around it – Morgan’s wife, Carley, says they have had a goanna (affectionately nicknamed Snake) living under the structure from day one and has never felt the need to move on.
The Morgans planned to “build a house like no other” and worked on the Iron Matrix frame first. David says prefabricated homes have been the holy grail of the building industry since the 1940s but have never really lived up to promises because of a common flaw.
“Small size differences in prefabricated parts result in unacceptable margins of error when all joined together at site,” he said.
“We’ve designed a steel structure, made from just two parts, that scales in every direction. Parts can be slightly long or short, but if the error is always the same, it doesn’t matter.”
It’s a design perfectly suited to robot manufacturing, which is one of the reasons why they believe Iron Matrix could cost 30 per cent less than the average equivalent home.
“Energy basically costs money, so we focused on reducing energy over the whole life cycle – manufacturing, transport, construction and living-in.
“Plus, we maximised the amount of free, clean energy Iron Matrix could generate from its environment. On top of that, it’s entirely reconfigurable, expandable, re-sellable and you can build it yourself.
“We were aiming for a more affordable, sustainable and adaptable home and finally, we think we’re there.”