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Modular housing catalogue developed by Canadian government to be available by the end of 2024.
The momentum for implementing government-led modular housing catalogues is gaining international traction. In response to Canada’s current housing crisis, reminiscent of challenges faced post-World War II, the Canadian government plans to introduce a catalogue of pre-approved modular home designs. (main pic: “Strawberry box” modular houses or “victory homes,” were built for returning Canadian Second World War veterans.)
Their approach, inspired by Canada’s 1950s modular housing catalogues offering prefabricated/modular building options, aims to expedite construction and reduce build times significantly.
Interestingly, during the 1950s a homeowner could buy a modular housing design for CAD $10, and in a majority of instances, have it built within 36 hours.
The initiative, led by Canadian Housing Minister Sean Frasier, includes diverse housing types like multiplexes, student, and senior residences. It forms part of a broader strategy to address the affordability crisis that has left many Canadians struggling with high rents and priced out of homeownership.
On launching the modular housing initiative, Sean Frasier said: “We are living in a housing crisis, but it’s not the first time Canada’s been here. We are going to be moving forward with a catalogue of pre-approved designs.”
A consultation process will begin next month on developing a catalogue of pre-approved modular home designs to accelerate the home-building process for developers.
The goal is to better ensure housing builds can be fast-tracked for approval from the CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) and others, while also promoting larger-scale production through factory-based construction.
“I have seen estimates from experts on the field indicating this could cut up to one year off the construction time on a project,” said Fraser.
The government is aiming to have the catalogue ready sometime next year.
Fraser said it will go hand-in-hand with the national building code. The code, which the minister said the government is planning to update, offers guidelines that are only enforceable if a province or territory chooses to adopt them.
