Felipe Miranda, Director at COX Architecture, is a national leader in residential design. He champions modular and build-to-rent housing, delivering scalable, sustainable solutions to Australia’s housing crisis. His projects include Herring Road, set to be Australia’s tallest modular tower, and Precinct 75, preserving local culture while expanding housing access.

Felipe, COX has been at the forefront of design innovation. What inspired your team to explore modular construction for medium to high-density housing, and how does it challenge traditional design assumptions?

We view modular design and construction as both an economic necessity and a vision for the future. With labour shortages and escalating costs, traditional stick-built methods simply can’t deliver the scale and speed Australia urgently needs.

We identified early on that modular is more than just an alternative; it’s a whole paradigm shift. Moving much of the process off-site reduces the construction programme and costs, helping to address Australia’s housing shortfall.

Modular construction is also challenging the way we think about building. More precision means means better quality and less waste. It also creates new possibilities for housing, enabling adaptable, scalable and customisable solutions that can meet community needs without sacrificing design integrity or liveability. NSW must deliver 77,400 homes per year for the next 5 years, but we’re constrained by labour shortages, not design.

Shifting construction off-site calls for new design and certification approaches. Our focus on mixed-use projects across different housing types aligns well with modular’s efficiency and flexibility.

A common concern with modular is that it limits architectural creativity. From your experience, how can design quality and character be preserved—or even enhanced—using modular systems?

We worked closely with manufacturers to develop modular facade systems that meet the same standards of design excellence as traditional builds.

The results speak for themselves: we’re designing buildings that look visually seamless, where the modular components are undetectable. Each compact 15 sqm unit integrates services and combines flexibly into larger apartments.

For architects, modular is not so much a challenge as it is a design opportunity that sparks innovation beyond conventional constraints.

One of the touted benefits of modular is reduced construction time. Can you share data or outcomes from this project that demonstrate time savings, and what this meant for developer return or project financing?

The initial cost-saving estimates are between 20–50%. While the first-generation project achieved cost parity, it is touted to be delivered 30% faster than a traditional build. This pace helps us meet critical policy deadlines, such as the 2027 university student intake deadline.

Our ongoing projects, like Frederick Street, aim for 40% faster delivery, with results due in 2026.

Faster timelines improve cash flow and bring earlier value capture. And as methods mature, future cost savings will increase. Efficient logistics and streamlined construction sequencing continues to reduce overall project risk.

Many developers struggle to integrate modular with local planning and compliance frameworks. What specific hurdles did you face, and what would you advise others considering this pathway?

This requires a solutions-oriented approach. We approached this firstly by establishing a bespoke off-site certification process in collaboration with the Building Commission and local authorities – a critical step in bridging the gap between factory production and on-site compliance.

One hurdle recently faced was the intensification of inspections – specifically, an increase of physical inspections on 10% of modules to 30% – which we understand is part of safeguarding quality and instilling confidence to regulators and stakeholders.

My advice to others exploring modular is to engage with regulators and certifiers early and maintain dialogue throughout. Building relationships early builds a shared understanding and smoother approvals, especially when it comes to navigating the unique challenges within conventional compliance frameworks.

International precedents from the UK, Asia and the US also helped us anticipate hurdles and shape compliance strategies.

How did your project team navigate the interface between factory production and on-site works, and what lessons did you take away for future coordination across trades and suppliers?

Our approach was hands on and design driven. In partnership with Space Labs, we applied quality controls comparable to automotive precision – multiple overseas inspections confirmed accuracy, finishes and assembly. Modules were carefully shipped and tracked at each stage.

We learned that scheduling was only half of the challenge: delivery delays cascaded across trades. Real-time collaboration, clear responsibility touchpoints and flexible inspection protocols were important.

The key lesson is that modular is dynamic, not linear and success depends on ongoing involvement from factory floor to final finishes.

Felipe will be sharing more insights on modular construction strategies at the 2025 Living Sectors Summit and COX Architecture is a valued event partner. View the brochure for details on his session and the full two-day agenda.