Off-site Construction Research Centre

---

A closer look at off-site construction’s impact in Atlantic Canada

Off-site construction (OSC) has long been seen as a promising approach to modernizing how we build. But here in 2025, it’s no longer just a promise—it’s a necessity. Especially in Atlantic Canada, where rural housing needs, climate resilience, and workforce challenges are uniquely pressing.

So, why does off-site construction still matter in 2025? And why does it matter here?

1. Atlantic Canada faces unique housing pressures

Across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, housing affordability and availability remain critical concerns. Many communities face aging housing stock, long waitlists for public housing, and limited construction capacity in remote and rural regions, despite national and regional targets to double housing supply.

Case in point: Kent Homes Modular deliveries in New Brunswick

In 2024, Kent Homes, a local modular manufacturer, delivered 14 new affordable housing units across several New Brunswick communities—including Shediac, Miramichi, and Edmundston—comprising two duplexes and a 10-unit apartment complex. According to Kent Homes’ General Manager, these modular homes are manufactured 30–50% faster than traditional builds. (Kent Homes Boost Housing Supply in New Brunswick via Modular Construction)

2. Climate resilience requires better building

With increased flooding, hurricanes, and extreme temperatures, Atlantic Canada, like many regions globally, is feeling the effects of climate change acutely. Governments and municipalities are now mandating stricter emissions regulations and green building standards.

Off-site methods enable precision-built, airtight, and well-insulated homes. Many factories incorporate digital design tools resulting in lower waste, use of sustainable materials and an opportunity for renewable energy in the factory to align with net-zero goals. The ability to track and reduce carbon at every stage—from design to site assembly—is a major asset.

Case in point: Greenwood Zero Industrial Facility (Summerside, PEI)—A passive-ready modular success story

Under construction in the Summerside Business Commons, this two-storey 17,000 ft² manufacturing building is one of Canada’s first industrial-scale Passive House projects. With ICF walls (R-55), highly insulated roofing (R-65), airtight overhead doors, geothermal heating, and daylighting strategies via Solatubes, Greenwood Zero demonstrates how off-site modular methods can deliver precision-built, airtight, and energy-resilient structures—even at commercial scale. The project is powered by Summerside’s renewable energy grid, reinforcing the region’s leadership in climate-responsive construction. (Designers tackle an uncommon Passive House industrial building • SustainableBiz Canada • Sustainable Business News)

3. Skilled workforce shortages in rural Atlantic communities

According to BuildForce Canada, the national construction unemployment rate reached its lowest level of the year at 4.4% in July 2025. (Construction unemployment reaches YTD low in July 2025, as non-residential demands lead the way - BuildForce Canada) In many Atlantic provinces, construction firms are struggling to attract and retain skilled workers. The gap continues to widen as experienced workers retire, and fewer young people enter the construction field. This trend isn’t temporary—it’s structural. Off-site construction provides an opportunity to reimagine construction jobs: moving the skilled workforce from volatile job sites to safer, centralized, climate-controlled facilities where training, safety, and efficiency are easier to manage. This helps in optimizing the existing workforce to increase housing supply, attract a more diverse, tech-savvy workforce, including women, newcomers, and younger workers. Future factory automation, robotics, and AI integration can also help fill productivity gaps.

4. Off-site supports economic growth across the region

In 2025, the construction industry is evolving with new technology including data analytics, sensors, automation and AI and off-site construction sits at the intersection of design, manufacturing, and technology.

With the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), simulation, IoT sensors, building science and integrated supply chains, off-site approaches are leading the charge in digital transformation. Factories are no longer just production lines—they’re innovation labs for scalable, repeatable, and high-performing construction, building economic ecosystems. Every new factory can support hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in manufacturing, design, logistics, and installation.

Case in point: OSCO Construction Group & OCRC Collaboration (NB)

New Brunswick-based OSCO Construction Group, in partnership with the Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC) at the University of New Brunswick, is advancing R&D in off-site and prefabricated building systems. This collaboration helps form two thirds of the triple helix model of innovation, bridging government, academia and industry collaboration, focusing on smart prefab innovation, regional and national supply chains, and improved production methods—all rooted in Canadian priorities.

5. Flexibility and community fit are no longer barriers

The old perception that prefab or modular construction means “cookie cutter” is being challenged across the region. Today’s off-site systems offer design flexibility, hybrid options, and locally tailored solutions that align with community needs—from Indigenous housing to student residences.

The shift toward early stakeholder collaboration—including owner/operators, developers, and manufacturers—is making off-site construction more adaptable and accepted across urban and rural communities.

Building smarter, together

We often see growth of the prefab or off-site construction industry following a crisis but, in this national housing crisis, off-site construction is here to stay— it is not just a trend, it’s a smarter, faster, and more sustainable way to build. And in 2025, it’s helping Atlantic Canada respond to urgent challenges with innovation, resilience, and purpose.

Whether you're a policymaker, developer, academic, or community leader, now is the time to reimagine how we build—not just what we build.

Curious about what’s possible?

Explore how the Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC) at the University of New Brunswick is shaping the future of building in Atlantic Canada and beyond. From cutting-edge research to real-world projects, OCRC is where collaboration meets impact.

Visit: Project profiles | Off-site Construction Research Centre | UNB to learn more, connect with our team and see what we’re building next.

Let’s build better—together.