A home shaped by Warumungu culture, Tennant Creek’s climate and the practical challenges of remote construction has received national industry recognition.
The Wilya Janta Explain Home won Excellence in Prefabricated Building – Residential: Social, Affordable and Resilient/Emergency Housing at the 2026 prefabAUS Smart Building Industry Awards on Thursday, 3 September.
Delivered by the Modular by SHAPE team in partnership with Aboriginal-led Wilya Janta Aboriginal Corporation, the project demonstrates how modular construction can respond to the challenges of delivering culturally safe, climate-appropriate housing in remote Australia.
The design began with the needs and cultural practices of Warumungu Elders and Tennant Creek residents. Developed with OFFICE and Troppo Architects, the three-bedroom home includes wide shaded breezeways, separate verandas, two bathrooms, an outdoor kitchen and accessible spaces. Its layout and east-west orientation respond to local cultural practices and environmental conditions.
Cameron Aitkens, Group Manager – Modular at SHAPE, said, “This award recognises what can be achieved when modular delivery is shaped around the needs of the people and place.
“Warumungu Elders, residents and Wilya Janta guided the design from the outset. Our team’s role was to translate that vision into a modular solution that could respond to the distance and delivery conditions without compromising the home’s cultural, environmental or functional requirements. We are proud of what our team and project partners achieved together and to see it recognised nationally.”
While site preparation progressed in Tennant Creek, the home’s five modules were manufactured at SHAPE’s Adelaide facility. Once complete, they travelled more than 1,000 kilometres and were installed in just five weeks, reducing the amount of work required on the remote site and creating a more efficient delivery pathway.
The same considered approach informed the home’s environmental performance. Rated 7 stars under NatHERS, it combines solar and battery storage, rainwater collection and natural ventilation with locally made mud brick cladding that helps regulate internal temperatures.
The award places a national spotlight on an approach that brings together community knowledge, responsive design and the practical benefits of modular construction.
The Wilya Janta Explain Home provides a model for remote housing designed for the culture, climate and people it serves.
Explore the Wilya Janta Explain Home.
