SHAWOOD has been an established and respected force in Australian homebuilding for more than a decade.

In July 2023, Sekisui House broke ground on its 750th SHAWOOD home site in Australia.

We’re incredibly proud of this monumental achievement, but it’s by no means the whole story. Let’s take a look at SHAWOOD’s journey from Japan to Australia.

 

It starts with an idea

Without Sekisui House, there’s no SHAWOOD.

Sekisui House was established in Japan in 1960 and has since built more than 2.6 million homes around the globe.

In 1990, our Comprehensive Housing Research and Development institute was opened in Kyoto. Here, experts developed the pre-fabrication technologies and concepts that set Sekisui House apart.

SHAWOOD was launched five years later to service a market demand for homes capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions.

Sekisui House expanded into Australia in 2009 and opened the first-of-its-kind SHAWOOD Manufacturing and Quality Control Centre in Ingleburn a year later.

In 2012, SHAWOOD was launched in Australia. Our innovative approach to home design – honed over six decades – meant we were uniquely placed to service a market increasingly concerned with sustainability and soaring construction costs.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Built to last

Our experts have seamlessly blended sleek and spacious Japanese design with state-of-the-art engineering principles. The result is beautiful homes that are built to be enjoyed for generations.

We were originally motivated to engineer prefabricated homes that held firm in the face of extreme weather events like earthquakes. It’s this deep understanding of the natural environment that makes SHAWOOD a natural fit for Australia’s unique and changing conditions.

SHAWOOD’s rigid frames are assembled using specially engineered wood and precision metal joints. Manufacturing these components off-site means we can deliver unmatched structural integrity – without sacrificing style.

Our minimalist homes have been designed to promote flow and liveability in every sense of the word, connecting residents to the natural world through thoughtful and practical layouts and design features.

Sekisui House Australia Design Director, Lester Chambers says he and his team focus on form and function in equal measure. 

"SHAWOOD understands the desire for modern simplicity and clean lines, and draws on considered Japanese philosophies, married with a practical understanding of the Australian lifestyle," he says.

 

 

The SHAWOOD way

Quality craftsmanship is at the core of the SHAWOOD philosophy.

Everything from our weather-proof structures to the smallest design finishes are underpinned by three central values: a humanistic approach, engineered solutions, and a considered commitment to the natural environment.

The pioneering SHAWOOD manufacturing process allows us to minimise waste and save on costs, all the while producing homes to a world-class standard.

That’s in stark contrast to many developers currently operating around Australia.

In NSW, defective home builds are in the sights of the state’s Building Commissioner, David Chandler.

But in a recent article published in Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Chandler had nothing but praise for Sekisui House after personally inspecting dozens of homes in south-west Sydney, where SHAWOOD developments are situated.

“We’ve got people out there who can demonstrate best practice and show that it’s possible,” Mr Chandler said of the Sekisui properties he visited, adding that he was impressed by the versatility of our prefabricated designs, which are assembled like “a Meccano set”.

 

 

At home with SHAWOOD

Richard and Rose have been revelling in their SHAWOOD home for just over a year now and can attest to the standard in which the home has been made. “The quality is evident when you walk into the home”, says Richard, “We love the way [SHAWOOD] build homes, from the exterior cladding, which makes maintenance simple, to the insulation within, keeping the home up to 6 degrees cooler in Summer and warmer in winter”.

“The last visitor we had over was so captivated by our home, they started searching for their own SHAWOOD home”, says Richard, “My wife and I are very happy with our decision”.