Only rapid-build apartments will be constructed by Dublin City Council for social housing from now on.
The local authority said it is no longer sustainable to build bricks and mortar houses.
It is hoped contractors will be in place by the end of the year to start assembling 1,000 of the homes.
DCC's head of housing, Brendan Kenny, said these will be permanent structures that last for 100 years or more.
He said: "They're being built in a rapid way, they are modular, either steel-framed or timber-framed.
"So they will be fabricated off-site and then brought on-site in a lorry and constructed much faster.
"In the past, the normal style of construction would have taken the best part of three years, and in some cases longer, we expect that this will take half that time."