Australia often looks to Europe for design trends and affordable, purpose-specific housing is a good example of this. In Germany, Italy and Sweden, it is common for student accommodation, miners' dwellings, holiday homes and suburban houses to be built elsewhere, then driven onto site and craned into place. The benefits are great for the developer and for the occupants.
Hutchinson Builders is the largest privately owned construction company in Queensland, and has major projects under way throughout the country. Established in 1912, the company is driven by principles of integrity, efficiency and an ongoing dedication to taking up construction innovations as they occur. For this reason, Hutchinson has its own specialised Modular Construction division, offering a variety of educational, residential, holiday home and mining camp accommodation solutions, says corporate services manager Alan Tayt.
"Put simply times have changed in this corner of the industry. Modular housing is now intelligently designed in terms of aesthetics and efficiency. The result is several design pluses for mine owners, public or private developers and education boards," says Tayt. "In the case of single-person accommodation solutions delivered en masse to mining camps, these advantages can cover all kinds of aspects, from productivity to health and safety.
"Our single person accommodation solutions are not dissimilar to a hotel room. Whereas in days gone by, modular accommodation may have conjured images of the ubiquitous donga with bunk beds and a shared latrine block, the Hutchinson Builders design can provide comfortable double bed or better, ensuite bathroom, kitchenette, a reading or study area, sound proofing, air exchange units and blackout blinds."
Darkness and quiet have appeal for shift workers and mine owners alike, as an alert worker means improved productivity and safety.