Wanaka company Nautilus Modular produces interchangeable modules that are easily assembled to form high-quality, liveable buildings faster and more efficiently than other construction methods.

Founder and serial entrepreneur Peter Marshall, who was also the co-founder of Eftpos NZ, says the technology offers an accessible and sustainable solution to the nationwide housing shortage.

“It is an alternative to conventional building processes, which are often time-consuming and dependent on external factors, such as weather and the availability of labour,” he says.

“Off-site manufacturing is an extremely efficient method of construction and we believe there is considerable benefit in the rapidness that modules can be produced, transported and installed on site to form a liveable building.”

The system produces modules in a factory using a special mould. The modules are then transported to a site where they are fitted together.

Once connected, the modules are covered with weather-proofing materials, clad with corrugated iron and insulated. Most buildings are liveable within one to three days.

The modules, which can be installed in locations around New Zealand, are priced in the lower-to-middle range of the market, with prices varying depending on the requirements of the buyer.

For example, the square metre rate for a universal module is just over $1,100 excluding fitout, installation and cladding, whereas a four-bedroom home would be approximately $2,900 per square metre.

Marshall says they have one mould at their testing plant that can produce adequate modules for a one-bedroom home every 10 days.

A factory with five moulds would have the capacity to produce a one-bedroom house every eight hours and the company aspires to have a number of factories around the country as demand grows.

“This technology is capable of producing thousands of high-quality homes and buildings each year. It is unlike anything we have seen before in New Zealand.”