Cities that are facing housing shortages should push for more instances of modular construction to increase options for potential homebuyers and tenants, says Kasun Hewage, an associate professor of engineering at UBC’s Okanagan campus.
Modular construction refers to factory-built buildings or residential homes that can span up to thousands of square feet in size, and are then transported in blocks and assembled on building sites. Hewage believes this construction method would be particularly useful in the development of multi-family dwellings, especially in cities such as Vancouver and Kelowna, B.C., to help ease housing shortages.
“With increasing housing prices and decreasing availability in Canadian cities, the research is telling us that modular construction can offer housing that is cheaper, faster and results in fewer workplace injuries,” said Hewage, in a press release. “While this kind of construction will need to overcome transportation challenges and perceived product inferiority, it’s clear we need to start looking at this as a viable alternative as demand outstrips conventional construction’s ability to keep up.”
When Hewage and UBC researcher and PhD candidate Mohammad Kamali reviewed research data to determine the potential of modular construction, they concluded that as housing pressures and sustainability expectations continue to grow, information on the benefits and drawbacks of different construction methods will become ever more important to both individual and corporate housing consumers.
“The public’s negative perception of new construction methods is a considerable factor that hinders the development and use of modular construction as they are often thought to be similar to mobile homes found in trailer parks,” said Kamali. “The next step in our research is to develop a tool that offers consumers, developers and government decision-makers the option of comparing the sustainable construction aspects of modular and conventional construction methods.”
“It’s important to be able to make an informed choice about the environmental, social and economic impacts of each building type,” he added.
To read more of Hewage and Kamali’s research, visit the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
Photo caption: UBC researchers Kasun Hewage (left) and Mohammad Kamali believe modular construction needs a closer look.
