RAT Chat - Offsite 2026: Timber in the Prefabrication Conversation

Andrew Dunn, Presenting at the Offsite 2026 conference by Prefab Aus – presenting on the Future Framing Initiative.

It was great to be at Offsite 2026, hosted by PrefabAus, with the event bringing together manufacturers, researchers, government, industry bodies and construction professionals to explore the future of modern methods of construction (MMC) and prefabrication in Australia.

For FTMA, one of the most encouraging aspects of the event was seeing timber increasingly recognised as part of this future.

A key takeaway was that prefabrication should be viewed as a value-added continuum, rather than a single model of centralised offsite construction. While there has been significant investment and momentum in volumetric and modular construction, the broader prefabrication landscape includes panelised systems, floor and roof cassettes, component manufacturing and kit-of-parts approaches.

Systems such as System 600, developed through Building 4.0 CRC, demonstrate how a kit-of-parts approach can create greater standardisation and interoperability without requiring every component of a building to come from a single factory (you can learn more here News - RAT Chat - Getting to Know System 600). Similarly, timber's role was highlighted through the John Curtin Research Centre's work on manufacturing homes, which considers how industrialised construction and offsite manufacturing can contribute to Australia's housing supply (you can read it here Manufacturing-Homes-Policy-Report-No.-15-Digital.pdf).

The Future Framing Initiative was also on display at Offsite 2026, with Andrew Dunn presenting the initiative's work towards a deemed-to-satisfy pathway for lightweight timber framing in mid-rise construction (you can learn more here Future Framing Initiative - Forest & Wood Products Australia). 

Building the framework around MMC

The event also provided a useful insight into the regulatory and assurance framework developing around prefabricated construction.
It was particularly valuable to engage directly with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) about the MMC National Certification Scheme, and workshop questions around regulations and national harmonisation, liability, cost and what it could mean for manufacturers. The Scheme’s open public comment window has now been closed. 

One message that came through the sessions and the Offsite 2026 event was that definitions really do matter.

A lawyer speaking at the conference highlighted how fundamental consistent terminology is when regulation, certification, contracts and liability intersect. This is an area where FTMA has already made a tangible contribution.

FTMA contributed to the development of SA HB 268, Prefabricated Building – Glossary of Terms, through the Standards Australia BD-111 committee. The handbook established common terminology for prefabricated and MMC construction and has subsequently underpinned definitions used in the national MMC certification work recognised by the ABCB.

This work connects closely with another area of growing importance: product assurance and traceability.

As a member of the National Building Products Coalition (NBPC), FTMA was also pleased to see the Coalition's work developing guidance around building product information, assurance, digitalisation and traceability. For manufacturers, these systems are increasingly important as construction becomes more industrialised and supply chains become more digitally connected.

Taken together, these initiatives demonstrate that the conversation around MMC is moving beyond simply how we manufacture buildings. It is also about how products are specified, manufactured, verified, traced, certified and ultimately accepted within the building regulatory system. FTMA is actively contributing to that conversation across each of these areas.

What comes next?

Offsite 2026 reinforced that Australia does not necessarily need to choose between established construction models and new forms of MMC. There is an opportunity to connect existing manufacturing capability with new technologies, systems and regulatory pathways.

For the frame and truss sector, that means building on a mature, decentralised manufacturing network that already supplies a significant proportion of Australia's residential construction, while creating opportunities to move further along the prefabrication continuum, where the pipelines exist. 

The first working group meeting for the new AS 5842 prefabricated building standard kicks off this week, providing another opportunity for industry to help shape the standards framework that will support the next generation of prefabrication in Australia.

Offsite 2026 was a great event and an important reminder that timber and the frame and truss sector are not standing on the sidelines of the MMC conversation. We are already contributing to the standards, certification, assurance and manufacturing systems that will help shape where it goes next.