Earlier this year, the Canadian government released a new housing plan aimed at building more homes and addressing housing unaffordability. As part of that plan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that $600 million in funding will be provided to build homes cheaper and quicker using “innovative technologies.”

The funding is earmarked for building more housing, including prefab and modular homes, by automating processes and using materials like mass timber construction, robotics and 3D printing.

With the possibility of accelerating house delivery and lowering environmental impacts, this investment marks major progress toward addressing Canada’s housing crisis. Modern methods of construction (MMC), like those the government is funding, aim to improve efficiency, sustainability and affordability in the building sector using innovative technologies.

However, fixing Canada’s housing issues requires a multifaceted strategy beyond funding innovative construction technology. A holistic solution must include policy reforms that bridge the gaps between federal and provincial governments, the industry and other stakeholders.

Using modern construction methods such as prefabrication and modular construction to build components offsite can result in significant savings in costs and time and markedly reduce carbon emissions. Building materials like mass timber, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), offer a renewable low-carbon substitute for conventional materials, reducing a building’s carbon footprint.

One study from the Netherlands indicates that 3D concrete printing can reduce material waste........

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