Build Canada Homes - cost-efficient and modern methods of construction such as factory-built, modular, and mass timber

14.09.2025

Why create Build Canada Homes when other federal organizations exist to support housing?

What makes Build Canada Homes different is how it works:

• Unlocking multi-year pipelines of projects through the portfolio approach,
• Leveraging modern methods of construction such as factory-built housing, and
• Building on public lands to deliver more affordable homes faster.

By combining flexible financing, access to land, and development expertise under one roof, Build Canada Homes will make it simpler and faster to get big projects off the ground. Introducing early federal financing will decrease project risk and incentivize private investment.

Build Canada Homes will act as a one-stop-shop for proponents at every phase of the development process, working in close partnership with developers, investors, manufacturers, other orders of government and Indigenous partners to get housing financed and built.

What is considered affordable and deeply affordable for Build Canada Homes?

Build Canada Homes recognizes that housing should cost less than 30% of household's before-tax income and will seek to build homes at prices that reflect the realities of different regions across Canada and across the income spectrum.

Affordable Housing

Housing is considered affordable when it costs less than 30% of a household's before-tax income, based on the median household income in a given region.

This type of housing is aimed at middle-income households, such as essential workers (e.g., construction workers, care providers, teachers, nurses, etc.).

It reflects what people in the middle of the income spectrum can reasonably afford in their local area.

Deeply Affordable Housing

Housing is considered deeply affordable when it costs less than 30% of a household's before-tax income, based on the median income of low- or very-low-income households in a region.

This type of housing supports those with limited or fixed incomes, such as minimum wage earners, low-income seniors, or people receiving social assistance.

It ensures that even the most economically vulnerable can access safe and stable housing, including people experiencing homelessness through housing first approaches and supportive housing options.

Samsung Smart Modular Home: a New Generation of Living Spaces with Artificial Intelligence Support

At the international consumer electronics exhibition IFA 2025, Samsung Electronics presented the Smart Modular Home concept — an integrated solution for organizing a new format of living space using artificial intelligence technologies.

The concept combines AI functions, home appliances, energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as centralized control through the SmartThings and SmartThings Pro platforms. All components operate within a single ecosystem, which provides a comprehensive approach to creating modern housing. The presentation of Smart Modular Home took place at IFA 2025. The company also announced plans to bring the solution to the global B2B market.

Berkshire House - 3 Bedrooms 2,227 sf Modular Home, West Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Floor Plans
About Resolution: 4 Architecture

Project	Berkshire House
Architects	Resolution: 4 Architecture
Manufacturer	Simplex Homes
Area	2,227 sf
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
Modules	6 modules, Butterfly Roof
Location	West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Year	2007

Description by architects

Situated three hours north of New York City and two hours west of Boston, the Berkshire Mountains have long been a vacation destination for urban dwellers. This particular escape was designed for a Brooklyn couple and their teenage son for use primarily on the weekends throughout the year. Raised slightly above grade, the house sits in a natural clearing on the edge of a plateau, overlooking a steep drop formed by the Housatonic River.

Leaving the car behind, visitors enter the house up a gently sloping ramp, transitioning to a large outdoor covered space. Designed to accommodate a future screened porch, this entry threshold frames views of the woods, valley, and mountains beyond. The single-story main volume of the home, clad in cement board panels and glass, is placed perpendicularly to the two-story cedar volume. Similar to The Dwell Home, this 2,100-square-foot composition is also a variation of the Two-Bar Bridge in the L Series typology. Both have communal loftlike spaces that are wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass, surrounded by trees, and flanked by decks. An upper bar of private spaces bridges over the large exterior space, forming a portal to the site.

Whereas The Dwell Home contains a carport under the bridge piece, the Berkshire House includes space for a future screened porch surrounding the house's main entrance. Similar to The Dwell Home though, this home responds to its climate and site with a roof deck, a butterfly roof to collect rainwater, and clerestory windows that face south in the Berkshire's northern climate to maximize solar heat gain. Utilizing the constant temperature of the earth, the Berkshire House is heated and cooled through the use of geothermal energy, increasing the sustainability factor beyond that of The Dwell Home.

Simplex Homes

Simplex Homes is a modern, technically advanced, nationally recognized leader in modular construction.

Simplex Homes management team is among the most experienced in the industry. Simplex Homes are among the largest modular industry employers in Pennsylvania but remain a family owned firm. Simplex Homes craftsmen are among the most skilled in prefabricated modular industry and many have been with the company almost since the founding of Simplex Homes over 5 decades ago.

Simplex Homes concentrates their efforts on building the highest possible quality modular structures. Simplex Homes build first homes and dream homes as well as architecturally significant homes and commercial buildings that range from dormitories to hotels, from professional office space to light industrial buildings.

Shift | House - 1,600 SF 2 Bedrooms Modular House by Palette Architecture, East Hampton, Long Island, New York

Scheme
Floor Plans
Installation Process
About Palette Architecture

Project	Shift | House
Architects	Palette Architecture
Manufacturer	Simplex Homes
Contractor	Cedar Knolls Homes
MEP Engineer	RAAD
Area	1,600 SF
Bedrooms	2
Modules	3 modules, 5 panels
Installation Time	1 day (+days of finishing)
Location	East Hampton, Long Island, New York
Year	2023
Photography	Jody Kivort

Description by architects

Shift | House is a 1,600 SF, new house for a family of four. It is constructed of prefabricated, modular components that were factory fabricated and connected on site. The design takes advantage of prefabrication’s economies in budget and schedule, without compromising on the overall design intent. These tools are deployed in a house enriched by its natural surroundings, and supportive of the family’s activities.

In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, there was a desire amongst many New Yorkers to supplement their homes in the city with ones more connected to nature. A prior client asked us to design a second home away from their Brooklyn townhouse. They quickly settled on a tree lined subdivision in East Hampton, in relative visual seclusion from its neighbors. The house was to be modest in scale and budget, with an urgency to occupy it quickly.

Concurrent with the start of this project, we were navigating contractor shortages and long wait times on a number of our projects. We suggested prefabrication to achieve lower construction costs, an expedited schedule, and improved budget and schedule certainty. We embarked on a design process that worked within prefabrication’s limits, while pressing the fabricator to expand their offerings to meet our design goals.

Prefabricated Construction in the Residential Real Estate Market

March 2025

http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/remav-2025-0004

Authors:

Małgorzata Krajewska
Nicolaus Copernicus University

Ewa Siemińska
Nicolaus Copernicus University

Izabela Rącka
Calisia University - Kalisz Poland

Kinga Szopińska
Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology

Ivo Kostov
University of Economics Varna

PREFABRICATED CONSTRUCTION IN THE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

Małgorzata Krajewska¹, Ewa Siemińska², Izabela Rącka³*, Kinga Szopińska¹, Ivo Kostov⁴

1. Department of Geodesy, Spatial Management and Real Estate, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 7 prof. S. Kaliskiego Av., 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland, (MK) e-mail: malgorzata.krajewska@pbs.edu.pl, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8541-2295; (KS) e-mail: k.szopinska@pbs.edu.pl, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2702-936X
2. Department of Investment and Real Estate, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, ul. Gagarina 11, 87-100 Toruń, Poland, e-mail: ewahsiem@umk.pl, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8885-0338
3. Institute of Social Sciences, University of Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland, e-mail: i.racka@uniwersytetkaliski.edu.pl, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2344-0901
4. Department of Business, Investment, Real Estate, University of Economics – Varna, 77 Kniaz Boris I Blvd., 9002 Varna, Bulgaria, e-mail: i.kostov@ue-varna.bg, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5623-471X
* Corresponding author

Abstract

Persistent housing shortages and escalating housing investment costs in numerous countries drive the search for technologies that enable faster, cost-effective housing development. Prefabrication technology has emerged as a promising solution, which enables buildings to be constructed in significantly shorter timeframes compared to traditional methods. This approach utilizes prefabricated structural elements manufactured in controlled factory settings, leading to a substantial reduction in the carbon footprint associated with the construction process.

This study focuses on two primary objectives: 1) Identifying the key factors for integrating prefabricated construction technology into the multifamily housing market, especially within the framework of sustainable development policies and the growing housing gap, and 2) Examining buyer preferences to assess their openness toward prefabricated construction in the multifamily residential market. Identification of the determinants of the implementation of prefabricated technology was carried out based on comprehensive literature review and critique of source documents. Additionally, buyer preference surveys were conducted among residents in post-communist Central and Eastern European countries (Poland, Bulgaria, and Ukraine).

$220,000 Four Story Four Apartments Prefabricated Modular Housing, Chile

Floor Plans
3D Renderings
Construction Process
About ELEMENTAL Architecture

Project	Chusmisa Housing Wildfire Reconstruction
Architects	ELEMENTAL
Area	252m² (4 apartments of 63m²)
Modules	8 prefabricated living modules and 3 prefabricated roof modules
Manufacturing Time	1 month
Installation Time	1 day (+5 days of finishing)
Project Cost	$220,000
Location	Viña del Mar, Chile
Year	2025

A year after the mega-fire in Viña del Mar and with only 26% progress in the reconstruction work in the area, the ELEMENTAL office and local authorities began the construction of a prefabricated modular housing project in one of the residential neighborhoods most affected by the catastrophe. It is a medium-density residential building with a modular metal structure that aims to serve as a starting point for other similar modular projects, in response to what is now considered one of the most catastrophic events in the recent history of Chile. The objective, declared by both Alejandro Aravena and the mayor of the city, Macarena Ripamonti, is that the technology and management model behind this prefabricated housing project serve as a precedent to deliver rapid and definitive modular housing solutions in emergency scenarios.

NKN-Softshell - Semi-Permanent Prefab Cabin with Fabric Roof and Walls, Allow for Easy Transport and Assembly

Floor Plans
About Nokken
About Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

Project	NKN-Softshell
Architects	Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Nokken
Area	18sqm (195sqft)
Outer Dimentions	4.2m (w) x 4.2m (l) x 4.6m (h)
Price	From € 18,950 / $ 22,500
Year	2024

Nokken and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) collaborate on Softshell, a semi-permanent prefab cabin addressing the evolving needs of hospitality and residential markets. Combining architectural innovation with environmental responsibility, Softshell redefines mobile accommodations for eco-resorts, glamping sites, boutique hotels, and beyond. Softshell caters to a global shift toward experiential, eco-friendly travel, offering a low-impact structure that blends harmoniously with its surroundings. The lightweight sustainably sourced timber frame and recyclable canvas, produced in Spain, allow for easy transport and assembly in remote areas.

Nokken cofounder Nathan Aylott explains that the Softshell cabin, developed with BIG, is a direct response to the glamping market’s reliance on yurts and bell tents. “For the past fifteen to twenty years, bell tents and yurts have essentially become the default choice for new glamping sites,” he says. The Softshell offers an alternative — a structure instantly recognizable as a cabin but with a far smaller footprint than standard prefabricated buildings.

Each cabin is delivered in four compact crates, enabling operators to set it up without heavy construction equipment. Its assembly is deliberately simple: two people can erect the frame within a few hours by connecting precut timber sections and sliding them into metal fasteners. This modular approach allows the Softshell to be installed even in locations where traditional building methods are impractical.

Ecocapsule - 10 sqm (≈100 sqft) Off-The-Grid Portable Home by Nice Architects

Video
Contact Info
About Nice Architects

Ecocapsule is an off-the-grid portable home designed by Nice Architects and offering an unmatched dwelling experience. With its flexibility, worldwide portability and immense off-the-grid life span it is suitable for a wide range of applications and purposes: from a tourist lodge or an independent research station to a humanitarian-action unit or an emergency housing.

Ecocapsule is a low-energy prefab home packed into a compact and efficient form. It merges a off-the-grid capabilities, compact volume and close to maximum energy efficient shape with the luxuries of a hot meal, running water and a warm bed.




Even though very small in size, each unit comfortably houses two adults. The efficient spatial layout design allows you to enjoy familiar convenience of usual homehold facilities in off-the-grid conditions. Hot shower, built-in kitchenette and toilet are luxuries of a hotel room that are now available for using in wilderness also.

Plenty of storage space can fit all your travel, research or sport equipment. Despite its small size each Ecocapsule unit is fitted with all basic and essential features necessary for a prolonged and comfortable stay without a need to re-supply or recharge.

Power

Ecocapsule off-the-grid portable home is powered by an array of solar cells complemented with a built-in wind turbine. High-capacity battery (9744Wh) and dual power system ensures that unit will have enough power during periods of reduced wind or solar activity. The surface of an Ecocapsule unit is covered with high-efficiency solar cells with 2.6 sqm of area (600W) and a retractable pole holding a wind turbine (750W) is further attached to the unit. This creates a system with possibility to harvest an energy that can support comfortable conditions almost year-round in many off-the-grid locations.

Water

External spherical shape is designed with optimization for the collection of dew and rainwater. Moreover, water from any sources can be cleaned and utilized by built-in water filters.

Dimensions, weigh and shipping

Sizes of Ecocapsule (HxLxW 2.55×4.45×2.25m/4.5m with extended pole) allow it to be shipped into a standard shipping container. No precautions or special preparations are necessary to transport the cabin worldwide. It can be towed, airlifted, shipped or even pulled by a pack animal. Weigh of the off-the-grid portable home is 1500kg.

Walking Robotic Off-Grid Mobile Home Concept by Encho Enchev

About Encho Enchev

Description by designer

This is a mobile vacation home concept. The house is meant to be for 2 people and a pet. It is fully functional and in theory should be possible to be built in the near future :) I am posting a lot of renders that present most of the features of the house. One of the things that is not visible in the images is the 4 deployable harpoons for additional stability in rough sloped terrain. The mechanical legs are equipped with 5cm layer of non-slippery rubber on the bottom. They also have 2 deployable spikes on each leg. The design of the interior is modern, high-tech and minimalistic. All the windows are using the "smart glass" technology. There are also traditional curtains for the old fashioned customers. The bathroom is situated in the middle of the interior (for privacy). There is a large storage space under the living area.

The "standart" version includes: 1 ATW / 2 mountain bikes / 2 shezlong / 2 terrace chairs + table / 1 emergency diesel fuel generator / 1 BBQ unit and additional supply and tool boxes.

Cheers!