{"id":8944,"date":"2024-04-09T14:10:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T14:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/building-blocks-solving-the-supply-shortage-with-prefabricated-homes\/"},"modified":"2024-04-09T14:10:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T14:10:57","slug":"building-blocks-solving-the-supply-shortage-with-prefabricated-homes","status":"publish","type":"rbc_tl","link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/disruptors\/building-blocks-solving-the-supply-shortage-with-prefabricated-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Blocks:  Solving the Supply Shortage with Prefabricated Homes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/e3611298-1eb1-4e24-9fc0-40c5e221bd34?dark=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"width: 0px;overflow: hidden;line-height: 0\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Canadians are struggling to find affordable housing \u2014 policy responses, structural shifts, inflation, and consumer behaviour created the perfect storm, propelling housing prices and rent to extraordinary levels.<\/p>\n<p>The crisis is spreading to middle-income individuals and impacting the broader socio-economic landscape \u2014 extending beyond urban centres and undermining the Canadian dream of home ownership. To add fuel to the fire, the Canadian population is growing at record pace.<\/p>\n<p>RBC\u2019s latest report <a href=\"https:\/\/thoughtleadership.rbc.com\/the-great-rebuild-seven-ways-to-fix-canadas-housing-shortage\/\">The Great Rebuild<\/a> suggests more than half of nearly 2 million new households by 2030 will not be able to buy a home \u2014 that\u2019s equivalent to almost all the households in Atlantic Canada.<\/p>\n<p>To restore housing affordability, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CHMC) suggests Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Bold action is needed to close the supply-demand gap and halt our worsening trajectory. We\u2019ll need greater collaboration between key stakeholders; policy makers; urban planners; developers; construction companies; financial institutions and more.<\/p>\n<p>We also need to think about the type of housing required and how to incorporate innovative designs, building techniques and technology to boost productivity.<\/p>\n<p>Prefab homes have been around for years, but advancements in building innovation have made them more appealing \u2014 promising faster, more cost-effective alternatives to traditional construction methods. These homes are constructed in a controlled environment ranging from single-family homes to multi-story buildings, and then transported and assembled on-site.<\/p>\n<p>Trinh Theresa Do is joined by three prefab experts <strong>Craig Mitchell<\/strong>, Principle at BlackBox Offsite Solutions, <strong>Michele Tung<\/strong>, CEO at homeD Modular, and <strong>Mark Stephenson<\/strong>, CEO at Qube Building Systems \u2014 using technology to rethink construction and get homes built faster, better and at scale.<\/p>\n<p>And while the industry still needs more public and private sector support, the federal government\u2019s recent announcement of a \u201cHome Building Technology Innovation Fund\u201d is intended to help scale prefabricated and modular homes and a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>This is Canada\u2019s opportunity to leverage building innovation to build better for a growing population.<\/p>\n<p><strong>To read our most recent report: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thoughtleadership.rbc.com\/the-great-rebuild-seven-ways-to-fix-canadas-housing-shortage\/\">The Great Rebuild: Seven ways to fix Canada\u2019s housing shortage<\/a><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"collapse-toggle collapsed\" data-target=\"#collapsetranscript1\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsetranscript1\">Click to view audio transcript<\/button><\/p>\n<div id=\"collapsetranscript1\" class=\"collapse-content collapse\">\n<div class=\"collapse-inner\">\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:00:02] Hey, it&#8217;s Theresa. I&#8217;m here filling in for John today. Let&#8217;s jump right in. Across the nation, Canadians are struggling to find housing they can afford. Government policies, structural shifts, inflation, consumer behavior, created the perfect storm, propelling housing demand, prices and rent to extraordinary levels. Canada&#8217;s middle class is now feeling the squeeze, let alone lower income Canadians. And it&#8217;s not just city folks who can&#8217;t afford a home. The crisis is going beyond urban borders and undermining the dream of home ownership everywhere. And to add fuel to the fire, the Canadian population is growing at record pace. RBC&#8217;s latest report, The Great Rebuild, suggests more than half of nearly 2 million new households in the next six years will not be able to buy home. That&#8217;s equal to almost all the households in Atlantic Canada. We need bold action to close the gap between supply and demand, and we need it before things get worse. Solutions are going to require more and better collaboration between key stakeholders, policy makers, urban planners, developers, construction companies, financial institutions and more. We also need to think about the type of housing required. Which leads us to today&#8217;s discussion on prefabricated modular construction. Prefab homes have been around for years. But advancements in technology, innovation and design have made them more appealing. They also offer a promising solution to help address home prices and rent relief. So how can we quickly increase housing stock while considering the building sector&#8217;s impact on climate? At a time when construction capacity is limited, what does prefab mean for labour and material costs? And what can we do to prioritize building innovation to help solve one of our most pressing challenges? This is disruptors and RBC podcast. I&#8217;m Trinh Theresa Do. When you hear the term modular, which is a form of prefab, you may think Lego. Or perhaps furniture, that you&#8217;re able to move and assemble in different ways to suit your living space. Prefab and modular homes are constructed in a controlled environment, ranging from simple wall panels all the way to single family homes and multi-story buildings. The buildings are then transported and assembled on site, promising faster and more cost effective alternatives to traditional construction methods. Our first guest is Craig Mitchell, principal at Black Box Offsite Solutions and partner at 720 modular. Craig&#8217;s worked in Modular construction for more than two decades and is now consultant, leading building owners, architects and contractors through the process to effectively execute modular construction projects. Craig, welcome to disruptors. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:02:45] Hey, nice to meet you today. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:02:46] So you have a long history of working in modular construction, what&#8217;s changed since your early days of working in this space? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:02:53] Yeah, it&#8217;s actually been quite a change during the course of my career. You know, when I first got into this industry, the need for modular construction really resonated in the industrial sector here in Canada. So think of industrial type trailers or working in the oil sands. And I would say that was primarily the use of modular construction in this country for really up until the last decade or so. I think what we&#8217;ve seen in the last little bit is the use of modular construction in a way that the rest of the world is using it, and that&#8217;s permanent modular facilities. People are seeing it as an alternative form of construction that solves some of the issues that we have currently going on in the construction industry, challenges with labor and skilled labor force. People are looking for alternates now to solve some of the headaches that have really arisen in the traditional construction sector. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:03:44] Yeah, I think there&#8217;s a really strong case now to scale prefab and modular and especially in light of the housing affordability crisis. But there are so many, I think, challenges still that must be addressed in order to scale and unlock this opportunity. So can you share with us just some of those biggest challenges that you&#8217;re seeing now? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:04:01] Yeah, I would say the the challenges that we&#8217;re seeing right now is that the construction industry has been around for 100 plus years. The process is well ingrained, and I think those in the industry have trouble adopting this new form of construction. And so that needs to change. And I would say that it&#8217;s how to use it and how to enable this scale. And this growth, I think is one of the challenges. And so that&#8217;s the development sector. The public sector is a big advocate of modular construction in this country, and we&#8217;ve seen it with a lot of provincial governments and municipal governments adopting modular construction. The federal government is coming out with industrialized housing strategy. So there&#8217;s this wave of interesting growth in it. However, the public sector has older processes in terms of how they procure products. And because modular construction is different, the procurement practices in the public sector don&#8217;t lend themselves to the growth of modular construction or off site construction in this country. And so we really need to change public sector procurement practices toward more collaborative contracting methods and no longer design, bid, build that doesn&#8217;t work with modular construction. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:05:19] And for our listeners, what is design build, build? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:05:22] Yeah, it&#8217;s where, owner, for example, gets together with an architect and they design a building and they bring in the consultants. And at the end of the design process, what they do is they formulate a budget for the project. They send it out to bid to contractors. And guess what happens? A lot of times in this environment the project is over budget, and then you have to restart the wheel again in the design process and re tweak the design to come in under that budget. Modular construction requires an integrated approach. You must have the owner at the table, the design consultants must be at the table. But now you also need a contractor at the table. You need the modular manufacturer at the table. You need the person who&#8217;s handling logistics and all the erection of the building at the table. You may even want the local municipality and the authority having jurisdiction at the table during the design process, and all of that during that pre-construction phase, before you actually even get in the ground is where a project is won or lost. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:06:30] So it sounds like there are a lot of entrenched processes and methods that have been around for ages that need to be changed. So what have you seen work in terms of shaking things up, or what could work in terms of shaking things up and making those changes happen? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:06:45] Yeah, I would say even in the public sector right now, in municipalities, I know that the development and construction industry has long cried out that we need to reduce red tape when it comes to permitting and building permits, and I would echo that. I think there needs to be even a separate stream for permitting for offsite construction methodologies, because in order for modular construction to thrive and take hold, we have to understand what the permitting timelines are. Otherwise, all the advantages of modular construction will go by the wayside if we don&#8217;t have visibility about how long permitting takes. The other part of it to is for government to start enabling prefabrication, we really need good data and good examples and good case studies of successful projects, and we really haven&#8217;t seen that. You know, one of the things that I really think it would be important is for any publicly funded project, that there must be a lessons learned, there must be data directed capture during the course of the project. That&#8217;s the only way industry is going to get certainty around this method of construction. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:07:57] Yeah, that&#8217;s what I hear too, in speaking with some of our clients and stakeholders across the building sector, is there&#8217;s a lack of knowledge sharing, and they would love to learn more about what the best practices are. You work across the country. You&#8217;ve worked in many different jurisdictions. Can you share with us which ones are furthest along? When it comes to prefab and what do they do differently that makes it successful there? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:08:19] Yeah. So I&#8217;m in Vancouver, and a lot of my experience and history in modular construction has been largely on the West Coast and the provincial housing authority here in BC. BC housing has been a really great adopter of modular construction over the last ten plus years, probably even longer than that. But I would say, you know, the jurisdictions that have done well in Canada have been the ones that have accelerated timelines when it comes to permitting. They have an entity that promotes the use of modular construction within public housing, and they also have policies that promote the use of modular construction in their language when they go and procure modular construction. I recently was working on a project for even just a homeless shelter, and we were utilizing some existing modular structures that we were transporting from northern Alberta to set up in this very smaller, communities in Ontario. And perfect example was we were able to get a building permit turned around in four days.  And we&#8217;ll be open in less than 35 days with this one particular facility. And so it made me realize that where there&#8217;s the political will in this country to enable that to happen. That&#8217;s what we need on a larger scale, that we need people realizing that we are actually in a housing crisis, and that we need to get people in the political arena to start approving these projects faster. So I think it can be done. It&#8217;s political will at the end of the day. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:10:07] One thing that is top of mind for us as we think through the housing crisis, is also not forgetting that we have a climate crisis. From your perspective, how does Prefab Modular contribute to the reduction of emissions when it comes to building homes? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:10:22] Yeah, that&#8217;s a really important point, and I feel really strongly about delivering sustainable solutions. From a carbon emissions standpoint, it&#8217;s well documented that if we can move things into a factory or industrialized housing environment, we reduce the carbon emissions because everything is centralized in one location, gets built in one location, and then delivering a finished product that is of higher quality to a jobsite, whether that&#8217;s in pieces or in volumetric components. There&#8217;s fewer carbon emissions as a result. And so we really need to start thinking about industrialized housing as a solution in terms of how we build sustainable housing in this country. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:11:07] How do you see prefab growing in Canada over the next ten years? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:11:11] So, you know, Canada, we&#8217;ve got this huge landmass with population centres that are very regional in nature. And I think we need to look at that and say, this is really how we need to grow our sector, because the East Coast will have different demands than Ontario than the West Coast. And. We really need to start looking at pattern plans that are more regional in nature and developing those individual areas within this country. So I think there&#8217;s that opportunity. I also mentioned too, I think we really need to start doing a better job of acquiring data on successful projects and using those lessons learned to develop this sector and getting it further along that the private sector will eventually start adopting modular construction. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s happened in other countries around the world. I suspect that that&#8217;s what&#8217;s going to happen here, but we need good examples first from the public sector. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:12:04] So regionalism, data and then having the public sector mitigate the risks so that private sector could take this on. I think those are really excellent calls to action. Thank you so much for your insights and thank you for joining us on Disruptors. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 2<\/strong> [00:12:17] Yeah, it&#8217;s my pleasure. Thanks again Theresa. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:12:22] Our next guest is Michele Tung, a CEO at HomeD, a green modular building company that focuses on below market and affordable housing, including emergency shelters. Michelle also sits on the board of directors at the First Nations Housing and Infrastructure Council in Vancouver, and volunteers on the Government Affairs Committee at the Modular Building Institute. Michelle, welcome to Disruptors. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:12:42] It&#8217;s very nice to be here. Thank you very much, Theresa. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:12:44] So we&#8217;re talking today about prefab as a solution to the housing affordability crisis. Can you tell us how and why does prefab modular solve for affordability and homelessness. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:12:56] So prefab and modular together is a very effective way of getting homes out quickly to people who need them. Because if we look at how we manufacture, we can bring in efficiencies, we can optimize savings and costs, we can reach economies of scale. When we&#8217;re working in factory, for example, we&#8217;re working in ideal conditions. So we actually have the opportunity to reduce worker accidents, increase worker safety. And because we have a centralized way of manufacturing, we can optimize transportation as well as procurement of resources and supplies. And we&#8217;re also decreasing waste. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:13:34] Why did you choose to start a modular housing company? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:13:37] Well, I started homeD with two other people. One is a architect who is a dear friend of mine. He has over 20 years of experience building skyscrapers around the world, and what he was seeing was that there is a shift from building in the traditional way to building modular. So he created this box by design, and we&#8217;ve taken that here in Vancouver and offered a different solution to traditional stick frame or steel manufacturing. So that was one of the major reasons why we started home. And the other one was we started the company at the height of Covid, and it was for me, it was really a time of self-reflection as a mother, you know, thinking about future generations. And so I really wanted to do something that would have social purpose, social impact, seeing that there was this increasing disparity with the haves and have nots, people with homes and people that could not afford to live in homes. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:14:31] Yeah. An incredible thing about modular construction is, the scale and the speed at which you&#8217;re able to build, especially now with the housing crisis and so many people who are unhoused across the country. How much does it cost to build a modular home, one of your box pod designs perhaps compared to a traditional build? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:14:51] That&#8217;s a very interesting because we often get that question like, is modular, cheaper way of building than traditional construction? And the answer is, if we look at the cost of construction versus a lifecycle cost analysis. Right. Modular construction should be cheaper. But one thing that is always consistent with modular is that when you build a modular project, it will always be faster. You&#8217;ll be saving about 20 to 50% time in construction. When you centralize manufacturing, you can optimize certain elements like the procurement of, materials. And then you can also have increased quality of the product. So when we&#8217;re looking at the cost over the lifetime, you are saving money on a modular product. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:15:37] And how long would it take to build a modular home compared to a traditional home? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:15:44]So, for example, if we were to take a project of 30 units, a typical project would be about 26 months. If we were to do it by traditional stick frame, if we were to do it with modular would take nine months. So you&#8217;re saving? Well, yeah, an incredible amount of time. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:15:59] Yeah. That&#8217;s incredible time savings and cost savings. If you think about just things like insurance cost to maintain a construction site by shortening the time frame, you are saving so much. HomeD offers standardized modules that can be reused, relocated, and remodeled. What types of housing is modular best suited for? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:16:23] Modular is best suited for structures that are repeatable. Unit sizes that can be put onto a truck as an example. So when we look at the types of uses of which modular is best for, it is best for affordable housing such as public housing, retirement communities. It&#8217;s good for student housing and it&#8217;s great for hotels or even hostels. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:16:44] Can you tell us about some of these communities that you work with? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:16:47] So HomeD has been working with Lumenative Housing Society in Vancouver. They have over 30 years of experience. They understand the market. And so when they saw what we were doing, offering a different solution, an alternative solution to, you know, traditional stick frame or steel, we worked with them in understanding where the gaps were in the market and what we could provide. So the box pod that we have created with Luma has been very much a collaborative effort to create something that is very, you know, useful here in Canada, not only in the urban markets, but also in rural and remote communities. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:17:22] That&#8217;s awesome. And that&#8217;s a good segue to my next question, Michelle, which is on the climate side and the sustainability side. You know, it&#8217;s so tempting these days to focus on the urgency of building more homes, building more affordable homes above all other crises, including climate. But we know that it&#8217;s so crucial to build homes that are not only future proofed against climate disasters, but also don&#8217;t contribute to greater emissions. So I&#8217;m hoping you can perhaps expand more on how prefab is or can be more climate friendly than conventional methods. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:17:52] Right now, if we look at how modular is built in Canada, it&#8217;s basically taking stick frame into a factory, right? So we haven&#8217;t optimized the opportunity to really get to where we should be with climate inefficiencies, with modular. But once we get to that state where we&#8217;re using higher quality materials, penalized assembly as an example, then we can get to homes that are airtight, energy efficient, and then that&#8217;s when we&#8217;re going to really see the full optimization of how modular can really impact climate action. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:18:27] If you look out at the landscape of construction today and housing today, just based on your experience, what do you see are the greatest opportunities for homebuilders, prefab or otherwise, to reduce emissions? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:18:41] There&#8217;s a lot of things that we can do to reduce emissions. Looking at our design, even the placement of where we put our homes, retrofitting with climate change, it&#8217;s getting hotter. So there are ways of not really using air conditioning, but we could even use just passive cooling techniques such as habitat screens, roller shutter systems that, you know, reflect the UV rays. There&#8217;s different ways of building to certain standards and certifications like lead and green. And then there&#8217;s ways of, optimizing the types of mechanical equipment that we have at home, our Hvac systems, our lighting, our appliances, and also just having better envelope performance, looking at the installations, making sure that the homes are airtight, that the windows are of higher quality. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:19:24] What do you think it would take to unlock more modular construction in Canada? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:19:29] Requires a lot of, education. People are still learning about modular. I know that there is push by government to have, like a playbook for municipalities to play by, to increase modular, but I think we need much more than that. I think that there needs to be more incentive programs, for example. I can&#8217;t see us fulfilling our goals to 5.8 million homes by 2030, if we do not have modular. So we need to incentivize developers to think modular. You need to put people who understand manufacturing into the factories to understand elements like Just-in-time, TQM, lean manufacturing and all these elements. So there needs to be this collaboration and this open mindedness, to embrace that. And even for CMHC funds, if we look at how the financing is done, it&#8217;s set up for traditional construction. What we need is understanding that when you building in modular, a lot of the capital financing is required upfront. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:20:27] Well, those are really good calls to action. Thank you so much for being on Disruptors, Michelle. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 3<\/strong> [00:20:31] Thank you very much, Theresa. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:20:36] Our final guest, Mark Stephenson, is the Founder and President of Cube Building Systems, a building science and technology company. Cube creates modular, mid to high rise buildings using techniques and processes inspired by automotive and aircraft engineering. Mark, welcome to disruptors. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:20:52] Hello. Thanks for having me. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:20:53] So I&#8217;m hoping to get into the context for this conversation. Prefab. Modular. It&#8217;s been around for decades, but only really now is it starting to be seen as a viable fix to the housing crisis. Why now Mark? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:21:06]Well, I think necessity presently we&#8217;re seeing extreme amounts of demand for housing solutions. The demand is so great it&#8217;s not possible to address with conventional means. And we need to look sort of beyond conventional  construction to prefab and modularization and other modern forms of construction. We don&#8217;t believe prefab is is the fix, so to speak, but simply, a contribution towards solving the problem. It has developed a lot, particularly in the last decade previously, with sort of a one size fits all solution that was typically applied in limited capacity or to lesser forms of construction. And I think because of that, it had a little bit of a stigma. But now I feel there&#8217;s a recognition that it actually has a much more broad reaching application that can be used in in remarkable ways. You know, we&#8217;ve been at this a long time. So to see the industry sort of coming to us is exciting. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:22:06] Can you give us example of what the different stages are that cube uses to construct a building versus like a traditional construction method? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:22:15] I think that&#8217;s actually an important distinction to make, is that we don&#8217;t look at as phases or stages, but we look at it as one stage in one process. And I think that&#8217;s fundamentally the mind shift that drives how we think. You know, one of the challenges with the construction sector is that independent actors operate in very siloed environments, and it typically pits one party against the other. It&#8217;s all about shifting risk down the value chain, and it&#8217;s very challenging. We take much more of a broad approach where, having developed an integrated building system, which in and of itself is a productized approach, we&#8217;re able to orient the value chain and all of the actors within it in more of a circular format oriented around the product itself and around continuous improvement of the product, of its transportation, of its installation, of its commissioning, and ultimately it building operations. It&#8217;s a completely different approach where we start sort of with the end user, the occupant in mind. What type of building are we looking to deliver? And we design the building literally with the building system, and that encompasses everything from, massing of the building unit mixes, features, accessories, components. It&#8217;s it&#8217;s a very it&#8217;s a holistic, full spectrum approach. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:23:39] So. Okay, so what does that mean? You know, traditionally, you might bring in architects, engineers, multiple teams, and then after each stage, you hand off the the design over to the blueprint, over to and so on and so forth. But here are you describing that cube does all of that in-house. It&#8217;s vertically integrated. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:23:59] It is in a sense. But it does require work with partners. It&#8217;s not in isolation. So for example, when we design energy systems and Hvac systems and building facade and insulation systems, all of that design and engineering is already done and embedded in our product, and it&#8217;s a configurable system. And so in working with partners, engineers and architects on on specific project applications, we&#8217;re able to make adjustments to configure to reconfigure certain elements of the system to fulfill the project needs. But the bulk of the engineering, so to speak, from the ground up, is embedded within the product itself. So we don&#8217;t displace other actors in sort of the construction value chain, but we shift the order of events and where certain elements of project design project execution take place. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:24:58] Could you walk me through the process that you goes through to construct a building, starting from the vision and design all the way through to the construction of the actual building? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:25:09] Sure, absolutely. I mean, I can speak about the first step in sort of looking at what is a specific use case for the projects or what type of building are we going to to create? Who&#8217;s going to live in that building? Who are the end occupants? We start to look at optimization of density, the economics behind it. To me, whether it&#8217;s market based rental or affordable market rental, we develop the massing. We work out the unit mix, and we essentially understand it that early in the project, what it&#8217;s going to take to manufacture the components of the project, what it&#8217;s going to take to transport the project, what it&#8217;s going to take to install the project and ultimately commission it and turn it into an operating building. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:25:53] What challenges were you looking to solve with this building system? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:25:57] Well, when we started the company, we did a study and we saw an opportunity for, a product tie solution in the construction sector. And that&#8217;s really the sort of founding premise that drove us to to develop the system. You know, we immediately adopted a viewpoint that we&#8217;re really more about building science and technology than than we are about sort of construction and prefabrication. Those are just elements of the product that we sought to produce. And we recognized that we wanted to develop the system or manufacture the system. You know, much more analogous to the methods that you see in automotive manufacturing or aircraft manufacturing. And so we borrow elements from conventional construction and conventional materials. But we also looked outside the industry to other material types, other methods of installation. We didn&#8217;t want it to be a built product. We didn&#8217;t want it to be a constructed product. We wanted to be truly a manufactured product. It&#8217;s assembled. It&#8217;s installed. We preferred those types of words because it really gives you the vision of the direction that we&#8217;re going. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:27:10] Construction, as as I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re aware, is a as an industry notoriously stuck in the status quo. How we build today is largely the same as how we&#8217;ve been building for generations. And and many builders I&#8217;ve spoken with aren&#8217;t even at the stage of prefab, let alone thinking about industrialized construction. And a whole integrated system like cube is working on. What would it take for builders to be able to replicate such systems or even get there? <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:27:32] Well, I think it&#8217;s if you look at the market opportunity right now, there&#8217;s an immense supply gap in the housing market, for example. The conventional industry cannot fulfill demand, and I think that&#8217;s where the innovation needs to come. We realized early on that we were going to be faced with the requirement to have to demonstrate, to develop this system, to test the system, to build projects using the system. Because of that, typical resistance or the status quo doesn&#8217;t want to try it out. They want to wait for the risk to be mitigated, for it to be more broadly acceptable. And so I think the act of demonstrating those solutions, exhibiting that thought leadership and showing the product in action is what will ultimately drive market acceptance. And hopefully others will join the bandwagon and help do the heavy lifting. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:28:21] Yeah, that is a great call to action. And Mark, thank you so much for being on Disruptors. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 4<\/strong> [00:28:25] Thank you. Appreciate it. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 1<\/strong> [00:28:29] Today you heard from three prefab experts and disruptors. They are using technology to rethink construction and get homes built faster, better and at scale. But prefab still needs more government and private sector support. As you heard, the industry will need demonstrable solutions and clear successes to win over the hearts and minds of Canadians. Our latest housing report, The Great Rebuild, dives into this and six other recommendations to take on the supply and affordability challenge. To check it out, visit RBC.com\/thegreatrebuild. <\/p>\n<p>[00:29:00] This is Canada&#8217;s opportunity to build better for a growing population. Can we make it happen? I&#8217;m Trinh Theresa Do and this is Disruptors, an RBC podcast. Until next time. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaker 5<\/strong> [00:29:19] Disruptors and RBC podcast is created by the RBC Thought Leadership Group and does not constitute a recommendation for any organization, product or service. For more Disruptors content, visit our rbc.com\/disruptors and leave us a five star rating if you like our show. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"collapse-toggle collapsed\" data-target=\"#collapsetranscript2\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsetranscript2\">Cliquez pour voir la transcription audio<\/button><\/p>\n<div id=\"collapsetranscript2\" class=\"collapse-content collapse\">\n<div class=\"collapse-inner\">\n<p><b>Intervenante 1<\/b> [00:00:02] \u2013 Bonjour, ici Theresa. Je remplace John aujourd\u2019hui. Les Canadiens ont du mal \u00e0 trouver des logements abordables. Sous l\u2019action conjugu\u00e9e des politiques gouvernementales, des mutations structurelles, de l\u2019inflation et des habitudes de consommation, la demande, le prix des maisons et les loyers ont atteint des sommets. La classe moyenne est sous pression \u2013 que dire des Canadiens moins nantis ! Et ce ne sont pas seulement les citadins qui peinent \u00e0 se loger : la crise s\u2019\u00e9tend partout, brisant les espoirs d\u2019accession \u00e0 la propri\u00e9t\u00e9. Par-dessus le march\u00e9, la population canadienne cro\u00eet \u00e0 un rythme in\u00e9dit. Le dernier rapport de RBC (\u00ab La grande reconstruction \u00bb) indique que plus de la moiti\u00e9 des nouveaux m\u00e9nages (on en attend pr\u00e8s de deux millions au cours des six prochaines ann\u00e9es) ne pourront s\u2019acheter une maison. C\u2019est pr\u00e8s du total actuel des m\u00e9nages des provinces de l\u2019Atlantique. Pour combler l\u2019\u00e9cart entre l\u2019offre et la demande, il va falloir agir avec d\u00e9cision et vite, avant que la situation ne s\u2019aggrave. Les solutions passent par une meilleure collaboration entre les parties prenantes, les d\u00e9cideurs politiques, les urbanistes, les promoteurs, les entreprises du b\u00e2timent, les institutions financi\u00e8res, etc. Il nous faut aussi r\u00e9fl\u00e9chir au type de logements requis. D\u2019o\u00f9 le sujet de discussion du jour : les constructions modulaires pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9es. Les maisons pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9es ne datent pas d\u2019hier, mais les progr\u00e8s r\u00e9alis\u00e9s en mati\u00e8re de technologie, d\u2019innovation et de conception rendent la formule plus int\u00e9ressante. Sur le plan des co\u00fbts d\u2019achat ou de location, c\u2019est aussi une solution prometteuse. Comment augmenter l\u2019offre rapidement tout en tenant compte de l\u2019impact du b\u00e2timent sur le climat ? La capacit\u00e9 est limit\u00e9e ; en mati\u00e8re de main-d\u2019\u0153uvre ou de mat\u00e9riaux, quel impact le recours aux maisons pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9es aura-t-il sur les co\u00fbts ? Que pouvons-nous faire pour prioriser l\u2019innovation et, ainsi, contribuer \u00e0 r\u00e9soudre l\u2019un des probl\u00e8mes les plus criants de l\u2019heure ? Ici Trinh Theresa Do. Vous \u00e9coutez le balado \u00ab Les innovateurs RBC \u00bb. Le terme \u00ab modulaire \u00bb fait penser aux blocs Lego, ou encore \u00e0 ces meubles qu\u2019on peut d\u00e9placer et assembler de diff\u00e9rentes fa\u00e7ons, suivant l\u2019espace dont on dispose. Les \u00e9l\u00e9ments pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9s et modulaires se pr\u00eatent \u00e0 une production en milieu contr\u00f4l\u00e9 \u2013 des simples cloisons aux maisons familiales tout enti\u00e8res, voire aux immeubles \u00e0 \u00e9tages multiples. Les \u00e9l\u00e9ments sont ensuite transport\u00e9s et assembl\u00e9s sur place, ce qui est plus rapide et plus \u00e9conomique que selon les m\u00e9thodes classiques. Notre premier invit\u00e9 est Craig Mitchell, responsable chez Black Box Offsite Solutions et partenaire de 720 Modular. Craig travaille dans le domaine depuis plus de vingt ans. Aujourd\u2019hui consultant, il assiste les ma\u00eetres d\u2019ouvrage, les architectes et les entrepreneurs tout au long des projets de construction modulaire. Bienvenue aux Innovateurs, Craig. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:02:45] \u2013 Tout le plaisir est pour moi. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:02:46] \u2013 Cela fait longtemps que vous vous occupez de construction modulaire. Qu\u2019est-ce qui a chang\u00e9 depuis vos d\u00e9buts dans ce domaine ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:02:53] \u2013 J\u2019ai vu effectivement beaucoup d\u2019\u00e9volution au cours de ma carri\u00e8re. Les premiers temps, au Canada, la construction modulaire int\u00e9ressait surtout le secteur industriel. Pensez aux roulottes de chantier sur remorque ou aux b\u00e2timents utilis\u00e9s dans l\u2019industrie des sables bitumineux. Je dirais que c\u2019\u00e9tait surtout dans ce domaine qu\u2019on utilisait des constructions modulaires au Canada, il y a dix ans encore \u00e0 peu pr\u00e8s. Depuis pas si longtemps, le Canada embo\u00eete le pas au reste du monde, o\u00f9 les installations modulaires se pr\u00eatent \u00e0 un usage permanent. On r\u00e9alise que ce type de construction contribue \u00e0 r\u00e9gler certains des probl\u00e8mes auxquels fait face le secteur du b\u00e2timent, par exemple en mati\u00e8re de main-d\u2019\u0153uvre et de personnel qualifi\u00e9. Les gens explorent de nouvelles avenues permettant de r\u00e9soudre une partie du casse-t\u00eate qu\u2019entra\u00eenent les m\u00e9thodes traditionnelles. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:03:44] \u2013 De fait, la construction pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9e ou modulaire \u00e0 grande \u00e9chelle pr\u00e9sente aujourd\u2019hui bien des avantages, surtout en contexte de crise du logement. Je crois cependant que sa pleine mise en \u0153uvre se heurte encore \u00e0 bien des obstacles. Pouvez-vous nous expliquer en quoi ils consistent surtout ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:04:01] \u2013 Le premier frein, selon moi, est li\u00e9 au fait que notre secteur du b\u00e2timent n\u2019a gu\u00e8re chang\u00e9 depuis plus d\u2019un si\u00e8cle. Les fa\u00e7ons de faire sont bien enracin\u00e9es et je crois que les acteurs ont du mal \u00e0 adopter ces nouvelles formes de construction. Un changement s\u2019impose. Quel usage faire de ces b\u00e2timents, comment en permettre la construction \u00e0 grande \u00e9chelle ? Le passage \u00e0 la vitesse sup\u00e9rieure, voil\u00e0 l\u2019un des principaux d\u00e9fis \u00e0 relever. Il concerne d\u2019abord les promoteurs immobiliers. Le secteur public canadien pousse fortement en faveur de la construction modulaire ; de nombreuses administrations provinciales ou municipales adoptent la formule, et le gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral est en train d\u2019accoucher d\u2019une strat\u00e9gie de construction industrialis\u00e9e. On constate donc un engouement. Cependant, les processus d\u2019achat du secteur public datent quelque peu. La construction modulaire est un domaine particulier dont les pratiques de l\u2019administration, qui restent \u00e0 adapter, ne facilitent pas l\u2019essor \u2013 ni celui, plus g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement, des constructions pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9es. Il faut donc orienter les m\u00e9thodes d\u2019approvisionnement du secteur public dans le sens de la collaboration ; l\u2019approche \u00ab conception \u00bb, \u00ab appel d\u2019offres \u00bb et \u00ab construction \u00bb ne fonctionne pas, ici. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:05:19] \u2013 En quoi consiste cette approche, plus pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:05:22] \u2013 C\u2019est celle que suit par exemple un ma\u00eetre d\u2019ouvrage quand il fait appel \u00e0 un architecte. On con\u00e7oit l\u2019immeuble puis on fait venir les consultants. On dresse ensuite un budget qu\u2019on soumet aux entrepreneurs, aux fins de l\u2019appel d\u2019offres. Ce qui arrive bien souvent, quand on proc\u00e8de ainsi, c\u2019est un d\u00e9passement du budget. Il faut alors se remettre \u00e0 la planche \u00e0 dessin et modifier les plans pour que le projet respecte le budget. La construction modulaire exige une approche int\u00e9gr\u00e9e. Le ma\u00eetre d\u2019ouvrage et les consultants doivent travailler ensemble, mais il faut aussi s\u2019adjoindre un entrepreneur. Le constructeur des \u00e9l\u00e9ments pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9s doit faire partie de l\u2019\u00e9quipe. Il vous faut aussi la personne qui s\u2019occupera de la logistique et de l\u2019assemblage du b\u00e2timent. La phase de conception peut m\u00eame n\u00e9cessiter d\u2019avoir \u00e0 ses c\u00f4t\u00e9s, d\u00e8s le d\u00e9part, les repr\u00e9sentants de la municipalit\u00e9 ou de l\u2019autorit\u00e9 comp\u00e9tente. Il faut collaborer avant de construire, avant d\u2019ouvrir le chantier. C\u2019est l\u00e0 que se joue la r\u00e9ussite ou l\u2019\u00e9chec du projet. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:06:30] \u2013 Si je comprends bien, il va falloir changer un tas de processus et de m\u00e9thodes solidement ancr\u00e9s. Dans les faits, comment redistribue-t-on les cartes ? Qu\u2019est-ce qu\u2019il faudrait faire pour bousculer le statu quo et provoquer les r\u00e9formes n\u00e9cessaires? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:06:45] \u2013 Dans le secteur public, dans les municipalit\u00e9s, les promoteurs et les constructeurs en appellent depuis longtemps \u00e0 la r\u00e9duction de la bureaucratie li\u00e9e \u00e0 l\u2019octroi des permis, et je me fais volontiers l\u2019\u00e9cho de leurs dol\u00e9ances. Je pense m\u00eame que les permis concernant les constructions hors chantier devraient faire l\u2019objet de proc\u00e9dures diff\u00e9rentes ; l\u2019essor de la construction modulaire exige plus de clart\u00e9 en mati\u00e8re de d\u00e9lais d\u2019octroi de permis. Si l\u2019on ne sait jamais combien de temps il faut attendre avant d\u2019obtenir les permis, ce type de construction ne pr\u00e9sentera plus aucun avantage. Par ailleurs, pour que les gouvernements donnent le feu vert \u00e0 la pr\u00e9fabrication, il faut des donn\u00e9es solides, des exemples de projets r\u00e9ussis et des \u00e9tudes de cas probantes. Tout cela a manqu\u00e9 jusqu\u2019ici. Une chose qui me semble essentielle pour tout projet financ\u00e9 par les deniers publics, c\u2019est de tirer les le\u00e7ons et de recueillir des donn\u00e9es tout au long de l\u2019entreprise. C\u2019est la seule fa\u00e7on d\u2019acqu\u00e9rir progressivement des certitudes sur ce type de construction. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:07:57] \u2013 Ceux de nos clients et partenaires du b\u00e2timent avec lesquels j\u2019ai parl\u00e9 trouvent en effet qu\u2019on ne met pas suffisamment en commun les connaissances, et ils voudraient savoir quelles sont les bonnes pratiques \u00e0 suivre. Vous travaillez aux quatre coins du pays, sous diff\u00e9rents r\u00e9gimes administratifs. En mati\u00e8re de pr\u00e9fabrication, quelles sont les r\u00e9gions les plus en avance ? Qu\u2019est-ce qui fait qu\u2019on y obtient de bons r\u00e9sultats ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:08:19] \u2013 J\u2019ai \u0153uvr\u00e9 principalement sur la c\u00f4te occidentale de la Colombie-Britannique. Je travaille \u00e0 Vancouver, o\u00f9 se trouve le minist\u00e8re provincial du logement. Depuis au moins dix ans, ce minist\u00e8re a beaucoup pouss\u00e9 en faveur des constructions modulaires, mais je le r\u00e9p\u00e8te, les administrations qui, au Canada, marquent des points dans ce domaine sont celles qui acc\u00e9l\u00e8rent la d\u00e9livrance des permis. En Colombie-Britannique, un organisme public fait la promotion des logements modulaires et les politiques de passation de contrat sont clairement d\u00e9finies en ce sens. J\u2019ai particip\u00e9 r\u00e9cemment \u00e0 un projet concernant un simple refuge pour personnes itin\u00e9rantes ; nous avons utilis\u00e9 les m\u00eames structures modulaires que nous transportions autrefois du nord de l\u2019Alberta pour les monter dans de minuscules localit\u00e9s ontariennes. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019un un cas mod\u00e8le : nous avons obtenu le permis de construire en quatre jours et le refuge pourra \u00eatre ouvert moins de 35 jours apr\u00e8s le d\u00e9but des travaux. C\u2019est la preuve que la volont\u00e9 politique requise existe dans notre pays. Nous en avons besoin \u00e0 une plus grande \u00e9chelle. Les gens doivent saisir l\u2019ampleur de la crise du logement et les acteurs politiques doivent commencer \u00e0 approuver plus vite ce genre de projet. C\u2019est possible, selon moi. C\u2019est une question politique, au bout du compte. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:10:07] \u2013 Quand on analyse la crise du logement, il est impossible de faire l\u2019impasse sur la crise climatique. Selon vous, comment la pr\u00e9fabrication de maisons modulaires contribue-t-elle \u00e0 r\u00e9duire les \u00e9missions de GES ?<br \/>\n<b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:10:22] \u2013 C\u2019est une question essentielle. Les solutions \u00e9cologiques me tiennent particuli\u00e8rement \u00e0 c\u0153ur. Le fait est connu : en favorisant la construction en usine ou industrialis\u00e9e, nous r\u00e9duisons l\u2019empreinte carbone, par simple centralisation. Mieux : non seulement la fabrication se fait au m\u00eame endroit, mais on livre aux chantiers des produits finis de meilleure qualit\u00e9, qu\u2019il s\u2019agisse d\u2019\u00e9l\u00e9ments individuels ou de volumes habitables d\u00e9j\u00e0 assembl\u00e9s, d\u2019o\u00f9 r\u00e9duction suppl\u00e9mentaire des \u00e9missions. Les Canadiens doivent commencer \u00e0 consid\u00e9rer l\u2019industrialisation de la construction comme une solution au probl\u00e8me du logement \u00e9cologique. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:11:07] \u2013 Selon vous, comment va \u00e9voluer le secteur canadien de la pr\u00e9fabrication au cours des dix prochaines ann\u00e9es ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:11:11] \u2013 Le Canada est un immense pays dont les agglom\u00e9rations ont des caract\u00e8res r\u00e9gionaux tr\u00e8s marqu\u00e9s. Il faut en \u00eatre conscient. Le d\u00e9veloppement du secteur en est tributaire : les besoins de la c\u00f4te Est diff\u00e8rent de ceux de l\u2019Ontario et de la c\u00f4te Ouest. Il nous faut absolument envisager des plans r\u00e9gionaux, am\u00e9nager chaque territoire en fonction de ses sp\u00e9cificit\u00e9s. Les possibilit\u00e9s sont l\u00e0. J\u2019ajoute, comme je l\u2019ai dit tout \u00e0 l\u2019heure, que nous devons \u00e0 tout prix recueillir de l\u2019information sur les projets qui aboutissent, afin d\u2019en tirer les le\u00e7ons et de poursuivre l\u2019exp\u00e9rience jusqu\u2019\u00e0 ce que le secteur priv\u00e9 adopte lui aussi la construction modulaire. C\u2019est ce qu\u2019ont fait les autres pays. Je crois que cela s\u2019en vient chez nous, mais il faut que le secteur public montre la voie. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:12:04] \u2013 Ce serait donc affaire d\u2019approche r\u00e9gionale, de collecte de donn\u00e9es et de prise en charge des risques par le secteur public, auquel le priv\u00e9 pourrait ensuite embo\u00eeter le pas. D\u2019excellentes pistes \u00e0 suivre ! Merci beaucoup d\u2019avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 des n\u00f4tres et de nous avoir \u00e9clair\u00e9s. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 2<\/b> [00:12:17] \u2013 Ce fut un plaisir. Merci, Theresa. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:12:22] \u2013 Notre prochaine invit\u00e9e est Michele Tung, PDG de HomeD, une entreprise sp\u00e9cialis\u00e9e dans la construction modulaire \u00e9cologique et l\u2019offre de logements abordables (refuges et autres). Michelle fait \u00e9galement partie du conseil d\u2019administration du First Nations Housing and Infrastructure Council de Vancouver et travaille \u00e0 titre de b\u00e9n\u00e9vole au sein du comit\u00e9 des affaires gouvernementales du Modular Building Institute. Bienvenue aux Innovateurs, Michelle. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:12:42] \u2013 Je suis ravie d\u2019\u00eatre ici. Merci beaucoup, Theresa. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:12:44] \u2013 Nous essayons de voir aujourd\u2019hui en quoi la pr\u00e9fabrication peut contribuer \u00e0 att\u00e9nuer la crise du logement. Comment et pourquoi les modules fabriqu\u00e9s en usine peuvent-ils r\u00e9soudre les probl\u00e8mes d\u2019abordabilit\u00e9 et d\u2019itin\u00e9rance ?<br \/>\n<b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:12:56] \u2013 Combin\u00e9es, la pr\u00e9fabrication et la modularit\u00e9 permettent de r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 la demande rapidement et avec beaucoup d\u2019efficacit\u00e9. En changeant de m\u00e9thodes de fabrication, on peut faire des gains d\u2019efficacit\u00e9, r\u00e9duire les co\u00fbts et r\u00e9aliser des \u00e9conomies d\u2019\u00e9chelle. En usine, le travail se fait dans des conditions id\u00e9ales. Le risque d\u2019accidents est moindre, la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 accrue. De plus, qui dit centralisation dit optimisation du transport comme de l\u2019approvisionnement en ressources et en fournitures, sans parler de la diminution des d\u00e9chets. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:13:34] \u2013 Pourquoi avez-vous d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de fonder une entreprise dans le secteur de la construction modulaire ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:13:37] \u2013 J\u2019ai lanc\u00e9 HomeD avec deux associ\u00e9s. L\u2019un est architecte \u2013 un excellent ami, qui poss\u00e8de plus de 20 ans d\u2019exp\u00e9rience en construction de gratte-ciel sous tous les cieux. Il a constat\u00e9 que les m\u00e9thodes traditionnelles font progressivement place \u00e0 la construction modulaire. Il a donc cr\u00e9\u00e9 son propre style de module, que nous avons utilis\u00e9 \u00e0 Vancouver et qui constitue une autre solution que les ossatures de bois ou la construction m\u00e9tallique classiques. C\u2019est l\u2019une des raisons pour lesquelles nous avons cr\u00e9\u00e9 HomeD. Il y en a une autre : nous \u00e9tions au paroxysme de la pand\u00e9mie et, pour la maman que j\u2019\u00e9tais d\u00e9j\u00e0, le moment \u00e9tait venu de r\u00e9fl\u00e9chir, de penser aux prochaines g\u00e9n\u00e9rations. Je voulais faire quelque chose qui ait une port\u00e9e sociale, un impact social, compte tenu de cet \u00e9cart croissant entre les poss\u00e9dants et les d\u00e9munis, entre les propri\u00e9taires et ceux qui ne trouvent pas de logement abordable. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:14:31] \u2013 Oui, un tr\u00e8s grand int\u00e9r\u00eat de la construction modulaire, c\u2019est qu\u2019elle permet de b\u00e2tir \u00e0 grande \u00e9chelle et tr\u00e8s vite. Immense avantage, \u00e0 l\u2019heure o\u00f9 tant de gens peinent \u00e0 se loger, d\u2019un bout \u00e0 l\u2019autre du pays. Par rapport \u00e0 un logement classique, combien en co\u00fbte-t-il d\u2019assembler une maison modulaire, de type conteneur par exemple, comme les v\u00f4tres ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:14:51] \u2013 Excellente question, qu\u2019on nous pose souvent : la construction modulaire est-elle meilleure march\u00e9 que la construction traditionnelle ? Si l\u2019on consid\u00e8re simplement le co\u00fbt de construction, un b\u00e2timent modulaire est forc\u00e9ment moins cher. Consid\u00e9rons maintenant les co\u00fbts associ\u00e9s \u00e0 l\u2019ensemble du cycle de vie. Les travaux s\u2019ex\u00e9cutent toujours plus vite \u2013 ils n\u00e9cessitent environ vingt \u00e0 cinquante pour cent moins de temps. Par ailleurs, quand on centralise les op\u00e9rations de fabrication, on peut optimiser certains postes, par exemple l\u2019achat des mat\u00e9riaux. De plus, la qualit\u00e9 du produit fini est meilleure. Bref, ramen\u00e9e \u00e0 la dur\u00e9e de vie utile du logement, l\u2019approche modulaire permet d\u2019\u00e9conomiser de l\u2019argent. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:15:37] \u2013 Combien de temps prend la construction d\u2019une maison modulaire, par rapport \u00e0 une maison classique ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:15:44] \u2013 Un projet de 30 unit\u00e9s prend en moyenne 26 mois si l\u2019on proc\u00e8de par ossatures de bois. Le recours \u00e0 des \u00e9l\u00e9ments modulaires ram\u00e8ne les d\u00e9lais \u00e0 neuf mois. On gagne donc \u00e9norm\u00e9ment de temps. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:15:59] \u2013 Ce sont d\u2019appr\u00e9ciables \u00e9conomies, en temps comme en co\u00fbts. Il n\u2019y a qu\u2019\u00e0 songer aux frais d\u2019assurance li\u00e9s \u00e0 la tenue du chantier : si les travaux se terminent plus t\u00f4t, vous \u00e9conomisez \u00e9norm\u00e9ment. HomeD propose des modules standardis\u00e9s qui peuvent \u00eatre r\u00e9utilis\u00e9s, d\u00e9plac\u00e9s et reconfigur\u00e9s. Pour quels types de logements la construction modulaire convient-elle le mieux ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:16:23] \u2013 Avant tout, pour des assemblages r\u00e9p\u00e9titifs. Pour vous donner un exemple, les unit\u00e9s tiennent sur un camion. Elles r\u00e9pondent donc tr\u00e8s bien \u00e0 la demande en logements abordables (habitations sociales, villages de retrait\u00e9s, etc.). C\u2019est \u00e9galement l\u2019id\u00e9al pour les r\u00e9sidences universitaires, les h\u00f4tels, les refuges ou les auberges de jeunesse. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:16:44] \u2013 Avec quels organismes travaillez-vous ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:16:47] \u2013 HomeD a d\u00e9j\u00e0 collabor\u00e9 avec la Lu\u2019ma Native Housing Society de Vancouver, un organisme fort de plus de 30 ann\u00e9es d\u2019exp\u00e9rience et bien au fait des besoins du march\u00e9. Ses membres ont vu que nous proposions une solution originale, diff\u00e9rente des ossatures de bois et des constructions m\u00e9talliques traditionnelles. Nous avons examin\u00e9 avec eux les besoins \u00e0 combler et comment rem\u00e9dier aux probl\u00e8mes. Les modules que nous avons cr\u00e9\u00e9s avec Lu\u2019ma r\u00e9sultent d\u2019un effort de collaboration visant \u00e0 offrir un produit qui trouve toute son utilit\u00e9 au Canada, pas seulement en ville, mais aussi dans les zones rurales et les contr\u00e9es \u00e9loign\u00e9es. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:17:22] \u2013 Fantastique. Cela nous am\u00e8ne \u00e0 ma prochaine question, qui est en rapport avec les enjeux climatiques et \u00e9cologiques. Il est tr\u00e8s tentant aujourd\u2019hui de consid\u00e9rer les besoins en logements aussi nombreux et abordables que possible comme plus importants que, par exemple, la crise climatique. Or nous savons qu\u2019il faut construire des maisons qui r\u00e9sisteront aux catastrophes climatiques et qui n\u2019augmenteront pas notre empreinte carbone. J\u2019aimerais que vous nous expliquiez en quoi les logements pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9s sont ou peuvent \u00eatre plus \u00e9cologiques que les logements classiques. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:17:52] \u2013 Actuellement, la construction d\u2019une maison modulaire, au Canada, n\u2019est gu\u00e8re autre chose que le montage en usine d\u2019une ossature de bois traditionnelle. Nous n\u2019avons donc pas encore tir\u00e9 tout le parti de la formule. Du point de vue climatique, l\u2019efficacit\u00e9 est loin d\u2019\u00eatre maximale. Mais d\u00e8s que nous en serons \u00e0 utiliser des mat\u00e9riaux de meilleure qualit\u00e9, notamment pour tout ce qui nuit \u00e0 l\u2019efficacit\u00e9 \u00e9nerg\u00e9tique, nous aurons des logements bien isol\u00e9s et nous constaterons alors tout l\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eat de la construction modulaire en mati\u00e8re climatique.<br \/>\n<b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:18:27] \u2013 D\u2019apr\u00e8s votre exp\u00e9rience, compte tenu de l\u2019\u00e9tat actuel du secteur du b\u00e2timent et du parc de logements actuel, de quels moyens disposent les constructeurs, toutes techniques confondues, pour r\u00e9duire leurs \u00e9missions ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:18:41] \u2013 Ce ne sont pas les moyens qui manquent. Revoir la conception, choisir de meilleurs emplacements, r\u00e9nover en fonction du climat&#8230; Celui-ci se r\u00e9chauffe, mais les syst\u00e8mes de climatisation ne s\u2019imposent pas dans tous les cas ; il existe des solutions \u00ab passives \u00bb (\u00e9crans, volets roulants et autres dispositifs r\u00e9fl\u00e9chissant le rayonnement UV). On peut encore se conformer aux normes et certifications ad hoc (LEED and Green, par exemple). Et puis il est possible aussi d\u2019optimiser nos \u00e9quipements domestiques (syst\u00e8mes de chauffage, de ventilation et de climatisation, appareils d\u2019\u00e9clairage ou \u00e9lectrom\u00e9nagers). Am\u00e9liorer l\u2019enveloppe des b\u00e2timents, v\u00e9rifier l\u2019\u00e9tanch\u00e9it\u00e9, opter pour des fen\u00eatres de meilleure qualit\u00e9&#8230; <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:19:24] \u2013 Que faudrait-il, selon vous, pour g\u00e9n\u00e9raliser la construction modulaire au Canada? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:19:29] \u2013 Beaucoup d\u2019\u00e9ducation ! Dans ce domaine, il reste beaucoup \u00e0 apprendre. Certes, le gouvernement doit pousser \u00e0 la roue et les municipalit\u00e9s doivent suivre un plan de match, mais il faut faire bien davantage, je crois. Proposer plus de programmes incitatifs, par exemple. Je ne nous vois pas atteindre notre objectif (5,8 millions de logements suppl\u00e9mentaires d\u2019ici 2030) si nous ne recourons pas \u00e0 la construction modulaire. Il faut donc rendre la formule attrayante pour les promoteurs. Il faut que, dans les usines, les m\u00e9thodologies JAT (juste-\u00e0-temps), TQM (gestion de la qualit\u00e9 totale), PVA (production \u00e0 valeur ajout\u00e9e ou lean), etc. deviennent famili\u00e8res. La collaboration et l\u2019ouverture d\u2019esprit sont donc de mise. En mati\u00e8re de financement, la SCHL doit revoir son approche qui, actuellement, n\u2019est adapt\u00e9e qu\u2019aux modes de construction traditionnels. Il faut bien comprendre que, en construction modulaire, une bonne partie du financement des immobilisations est requise en amont des projets. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:20:27] \u2013 Ce sont l\u00e0 de vibrants appels \u00e0 l\u2019action. Merci d\u2019avoir particip\u00e9 aux Innovateurs, Michelle. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 3<\/b> [00:20:31] \u2013 Merci \u00e0 vous, Theresa. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:20:36] \u2013 Notre dernier invit\u00e9 est Mark Stephenson, fondateur et pr\u00e9sident de Cube Building Systems, une entreprise sp\u00e9cialis\u00e9e dans les sciences du b\u00e2timent et les technologies connexes. Gr\u00e2ce aux techniques et processus que lui inspirent l\u2019industrie automobile et le secteur a\u00e9ronautique, Cube con\u00e7oit des immeubles modulaires de taille moyenne ou \u00e9lev\u00e9e. Bienvenue aux Innovateurs, Mark.<br \/>\n<b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:20:52] \u2013 Bonjour. Merci de m\u2019avoir invit\u00e9. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:20:53] \u2013 Rappelons le sujet du jour : les logements pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9s et la construction modulaire. On en parle depuis des dizaines d\u2019ann\u00e9es, mais ce n\u2019est que maintenant qu\u2019on y voit un rem\u00e8de \u00e0 la crise du logement. Pourquoi maintenant, Mark ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:21:06] \u2013 Parce que nous y sommes accul\u00e9s ! La demande en logements est si forte qu\u2019on ne peut y r\u00e9pondre uniquement par des moyens classiques. Nous devons faire autrement, nous tourner vers la pr\u00e9fabrication, la modularisation et autres approches modernes. Nous ne pensons pas que la pr\u00e9fabrication est la panac\u00e9e ; c\u2019est un \u00e9l\u00e9ment de solution. Ce secteur s\u2019est beaucoup d\u00e9velopp\u00e9, notamment ces dix derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es ; on a propos\u00e9 des modules universels, g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement install\u00e9s dans le cadre de projets modestes ou peu prestigieux, ce qui, je crois, a quelque peu discr\u00e9dit\u00e9 la formule. \u00c0 pr\u00e9sent, toutefois, on reconna\u00eet qu\u2019elle est de port\u00e9e beaucoup plus \u00e9tendue et peut donner lieu \u00e0 de remarquables r\u00e9alisations. Cet engouement a de quoi nous r\u00e9jouir, nous qui \u0153uvrons depuis longtemps dans ce domaine. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:22:06] \u2013 Pouvez-vous nous donner une id\u00e9e des \u00e9tapes que suit votre entreprise pour construire un b\u00e2timent, par rapport aux m\u00e9thodes classiques ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:22:15] \u2013 Une remarque importante s\u2019impose : nous ne parlons pas de phases ou d\u2019\u00e9tapes. Tout le projet ne constitue qu\u2019une seule et m\u00eame op\u00e9ration. C\u2019est l\u00e0 que r\u00e9side au fond toute notre fa\u00e7on de penser. L\u2019un des freins auxquels se heurte l\u2019industrie du b\u00e2timent est que les acteurs y travaillent chacun de son c\u00f4t\u00e9, ce qui les am\u00e8ne souvent en opposition. Le risque se propage le long de la cha\u00eene de valeur et cela complique beaucoup les choses. Notre approche est beaucoup plus ouverte : parce que nous avons con\u00e7u un mode de construction int\u00e9gr\u00e9 \u2013 suivant en cela une approche qui, elle-m\u00eame, est \u00ab orient\u00e9e produit \u00bb \u2013, nous pouvons placer le produit, son am\u00e9lioration continue, son transport, son installation, sa mise en service et son exploitation au c\u0153ur de l\u2019ensemble circulaire que constituent d\u00e8s lors sa cha\u00eene de valeur et les acteurs qui y participent. C\u2019est une approche totalement diff\u00e9rente, parce que tout est con\u00e7u en fonction de l\u2019utilisateur final \u2013 l\u2019occupant \u2013, la question \u00e9tant : quel type d\u2019immeuble devons-nous offrir ? La conception repose sur notre syst\u00e8me de construction, qui prend tout en compte \u2013 r\u00e9partition des unit\u00e9s de l\u2019immeuble, mixit\u00e9 des usages, fonctions, accessoires, composantes&#8230; C\u2019est une approche particuli\u00e8rement holistique \u2013 int\u00e9grale. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:23:39] \u2013 Qu\u2019entendez-vous par l\u00e0 ? Traditionnellement, on convoque des architectes, des ing\u00e9nieurs, des \u00e9quipes diverses qui, apr\u00e8s chaque \u00e9tape, se passent le flambeau. Vous nous dites ici que Cube Building Systems s\u2019occupe de tout cela elle-m\u00eame. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019une int\u00e9gration verticale. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:23:59] \u2013 Oui, d\u2019une certaine fa\u00e7on. Mais il faut quand m\u00eame travailler avec des partenaires, et non pas de mani\u00e8re isol\u00e9e. Ainsi, les syst\u00e8mes de fourniture d\u2019\u00e9nergie ou CVC, la fa\u00e7ade du b\u00e2timent, les dispositifs d\u2019isolation thermique, tout cela est d\u00e9j\u00e0 con\u00e7u dans notre produit \u2013 de mani\u00e8re configurable, bien entendu : quand les sp\u00e9cificit\u00e9s du projet exigent de recueillir l\u2019avis des partenaires, ing\u00e9nieurs ou architectes externes, nous apportons \u00e0 notre syst\u00e8me de construction les quelques modifications que r\u00e9clame le cahier des charges. Le plus gros de l\u2019ing\u00e9nierie, toutefois, est d\u00e9j\u00e0 contenue dans notre produit. Nous ne nous substituons donc pas aux autres acteurs de la cha\u00eene de valeur ; nous changeons l\u2019ordre des \u00e9v\u00e9nements en fonction de tel ou tel \u00e9l\u00e9ment de conception ou d\u2019ex\u00e9cution du projet. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:24:58] \u2013 Pouvez-vous nous d\u00e9crire le processus que vous suivez, depuis la vision initiale jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la construction proprement dite, en passant par la conception de l\u2019immeuble ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:25:09] \u2013 Tout \u00e0 fait. Je dirais que la premi\u00e8re \u00e9tape consiste \u00e0 d\u00e9terminer pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment le cas d\u2019utilisation en jeu. Quel type d\u2019immeuble allons-nous b\u00e2tir ? Qui y r\u00e9sidera ? Qui en seront les occupants ? Nous \u00e9tudions d\u2019abord les possibilit\u00e9s d\u2019optimisation de la densit\u00e9 et les facteurs \u00e9conomiques connexes. Nous proc\u00e9dons \u00e0 la distribution des masses, peu importe que ce soit dans une perspective de location au taux du march\u00e9 ou de location \u00e9conomique (abordable). Nous nous penchons sur la diversit\u00e9 des unit\u00e9s d\u00e8s le d\u00e9but du projet, en r\u00e9fl\u00e9chissant \u00e0 ce que vont n\u00e9cessiter la fabrication des modules et composantes, leur transport, leur installation et leur mise en service, autrement dit le passage \u00e0 un immeuble fonctionnel. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:25:53] \u2013 Quelles difficult\u00e9s cherchez-vous \u00e0 r\u00e9soudre avec votre syst\u00e8me ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:25:57] \u2013 Quand nous avons lanc\u00e9 notre entreprise, nous avons men\u00e9 une \u00e9tude qui laissait entrevoir un cr\u00e9neau \u2013 une solution compl\u00e9mentaire dans le secteur de la construction. C\u2019est en fait cette pr\u00e9misse qui nous a amen\u00e9s \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper notre syst\u00e8me. Nous avons d\u2019embl\u00e9e d\u00e9cid\u00e9 que nous \u00e9tions davantage vers\u00e9s dans les sciences et technologies du b\u00e2timent que dans la construction et la pr\u00e9fabrication. Ces deux aspects ne sont que des sous-\u00e9l\u00e9ments du syst\u00e8me que nous cherchions \u00e0 produire. Nous avons voulu d\u00e9velopper un syst\u00e8me \u00e0 part enti\u00e8re, de mani\u00e8re tr\u00e8s semblable \u00e0 ce qui se fait dans l\u2019industrie automobile ou dans le secteur a\u00e9ronautique. Nous empruntons \u00e0 la construction traditionnelle et aux mat\u00e9riaux traditionnels, mais nous cherchons aussi ailleurs \u2013 d\u2019autres mat\u00e9riaux, d\u2019autres m\u00e9thodes d\u2019installation. Nous ne voulions pas proposer quelque chose de \u00ab b\u00e2ti \u00bb, de \u00ab construit \u00bb. Nous visions un produit pr\u00e9fabriqu\u00e9, assembl\u00e9, install\u00e9. Nous pr\u00e9f\u00e9rons utiliser ce vocabulaire, qui exprime mieux notre vision. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:27:10] \u2013 Vous le savez, le secteur du b\u00e2timent est bien connu pour entretenir le statu quo. La mani\u00e8re de b\u00e2tir actuelle n\u2019est gu\u00e8re diff\u00e9rente de celle qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 employ\u00e9e pendant des g\u00e9n\u00e9rations. Bien des constructeurs avec lesquels je me suis entretenue n\u2019en sont m\u00eame pas encore \u00e0 la pr\u00e9fabrication, alors n\u2019allez pas leur parler de construction industrialis\u00e9e ou de syst\u00e8me totalement int\u00e9gr\u00e9 comme celui de Cube. Qu\u2019est-ce qu\u2019il faudrait pour que les constructeurs adoptent une telle approche ? <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:27:32] \u2013 Regardez les perspectives actuelles du march\u00e9 : l\u2019offre de logements est extr\u00eamement r\u00e9duite. Les constructeurs classiques ne peuvent r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 la demande. C\u2019est pour cela que l\u2019innovation doit entrer en sc\u00e8ne. Nous avons r\u00e9alis\u00e9 d\u2019entr\u00e9e de jeu qu\u2019il nous faudrait faire nos preuves : d\u00e9velopper un syst\u00e8me, l\u2019essayer, l\u2019appliquer dans le cadre de projets r\u00e9els. La r\u00e9sistance habituelle, la pr\u00e9f\u00e9rence pour le statu quo font qu\u2019on ne veut pas essayer \u2013 on pr\u00e9f\u00e8re attendre que le risque ait \u00e9t\u00e9 att\u00e9nu\u00e9 ou soit devenu acceptable par le plus grand nombre. Pour emporter l\u2019adh\u00e9sion du march\u00e9, il faut faire la d\u00e9monstration de la solution propos\u00e9e, faire preuve de leadership avis\u00e9 et pr\u00e9senter le produit en action. Alors, peut-\u00eatre d\u2019autres s\u2019accrocheront-ils au v\u00e9hicule de t\u00eate et contribueront-ils \u00e0 vaincre l\u2019inertie. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:28:21] \u2013 Eh bien l\u2019invitation est lanc\u00e9e ! Merci infiniment d\u2019avoir particip\u00e9 aux Innovateurs, Mark. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 4<\/b> [00:28:25] \u2013 Merci de m\u2019avoir invit\u00e9. <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 1<\/b> [00:28:29] \u2013 Nous avons entendu aujourd\u2019hui trois experts en pr\u00e9fabrication \u2013 des innovateurs. Misant sur la technologie, ils repensent l\u2019univers de la construction. Objectif : permettre que des habitations soient b\u00e2ties plus vite, mieux et en grand nombre. La pr\u00e9fabrication exige encore le soutien de l\u2019\u00c9tat et du secteur priv\u00e9. Pour convaincre les Canadiens, l\u2019industrie a besoin de solutions probantes et de r\u00e9ussites manifestes. C\u2019est l\u2019objet de notre dernier rapport sur le logement (\u00ab La grande reconstruction \u00bb) qui, sur la question de l\u2019offre et de l\u2019abordabilit\u00e9, fait six autres recommandations. Pour en prendre connaissance, consultez la page rbc.com\/lagrandereconstruction. <\/p>\n<p>[00:29:00] Le Canada est \u00e0 m\u00eame de mieux construire afin de r\u00e9pondre aux besoins d\u2019une population en pleine croissance. Comment y parvenir ? Je m\u2019appelle Trinh Theresa Do et vous venez d\u2019\u00e9couter le balado de RBC \u00ab Les innovateurs \u00bb. \u00c0 la prochaine fois ! <\/p>\n<p><b>Intervenant 5<\/b> [00:29:19] \u2013 Le balado \u00ab Les innovateurs \u00bb est produit par le groupe Leadership avis\u00e9 RBC et ne vise pas \u00e0 recommander une organisation, un produit ou un service. Pour \u00e9couter d\u2019autres balados de la s\u00e9rie \u00ab Les innovateurs \u00bb, consultez le site RBC.com\/Lesinnovateurs. Si vous avez aim\u00e9 notre balado, n\u2019h\u00e9sitez pas \u00e0 nous octroyer une note de cinq \u00e9toiles.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is homebuilding innovation the solution to the housing crisis?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":300,"featured_media":8945,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"disable_focal_point":true,"featured_image_focal_point":{"x":0.5,"y":0.5},"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"rbc_tl_category":[109,100],"rbc_tl_tag":[],"class_list":["post-8944","rbc_tl","type-rbc_tl","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rbc_tl_category-disruptors","rbc_tl_category-innovation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Building Blocks:  Solving the Supply Shortage with Prefabricated Homes - 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