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Prefabricated and modular buildings

Towered said:
Needs retail.
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there are shops etc along the ground floor!

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I thought I would summarize recent pre-fab news. In total, there are now 3 new pre-fab factories set to open next year in Ontario.

In a recent article from Renx on the growth of the pre-fab industry in Canada, they mention that Stelumar's first development will apparently be in Mississauga, and will consist of three 6-storey buildings. Stelumar's new factory is supposed to open next year, with a capacity to produce more than 3,000 units per year.

The same article also mentions that Assembly Corp. is building a factory near Downsview, which will reportedly be able to churn out 1,600 units per year. The construction of that new factory already has a UT project thread.

Toronto-based Assembly Corp. (formerly known as R-Hauz) wasn't on my radar before I read this Renx article. A quick UT search shows they've been around a few years and have erected a few pre-fabs already. They built a pair of buildings at 1598 Queen St (project thread) and 1602 Queen St (project thread). They are also behind the Danforth Baptist Church re-development (project thread), the Thunder Woman Healing Lodge (project thread), 1120 Ossington (project thread) and 215 Wellesley (project thread).

Also in recent pre-fab news, Intelligent City has announced a big new 18-storey development in Barrie. In a second Renx article, they have re-stated their desire to build an Ontario factory by end of next year, which they say will have a 1,200 unit per year capacity. Credit to @Branden Simon and @Northern Light for digging up the details on this development in the project thread.
 
The Triumph Group of companies is getting into the prefabricated business. This CTV article says that their new division, PrimeFab, plans to open a new factory in Midland next year. According to their website, they plan to produce both wood and aluminum panels. They say they can produce the equivalent of three 1,700 foot homes each day, which is about 600 panels.
 
A friend of mine from Sweden told me to have a look at a company called Lyndbacks. Interesting business. Factory built homes, multi story construction.

"Lindbäcks is a family business that develops and offers climate-neutral construction and healthy living for a sustainable future." They are a group of 20 or so companies. "The Lindbäcks Group has grown since 1924 and today consists of several companies, some wholly owned, others part-owned. What they all have in common is that they contribute to sustainable construction."

The website is https://lindbacks.se/ Translates into English readily and is quite interesting. As Sweden shares much commonality with us, one wonders for a few nano-seconds why something similar would not be attainable or useful in this country....
 
just east of the creek said:
A friend of mine from Sweden told me to have a look at a company called Lyndbacks. Interesting business. Factory built homes, multi story construction.

"Lindbäcks is a family business that develops and offers climate-neutral construction and healthy living for a sustainable future." They are a group of 20 or so companies. "The Lindbäcks Group has grown since 1924 and today consists of several companies, some wholly owned, others part-owned. What they all have in common is that they contribute to sustainable construction."

The website is https://lindbacks.se/ Translates into English readily and is quite interesting. As Sweden shares much commonality with us, one wonders for a few nano-seconds why something similar would not be attainable or useful in this country....
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Toronto-based Assembly Corp. announced a partnership deal last month with Lindbäcks Group to build Assembly Corp.'s new Toronto factory.

I've copied the press release below and you can also check out the factory's UT project thread.
TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Assembly Corp., a housing provider of efficient, panelized, wood buildings, is thrilled to announce a transformative partnership with Lindbäcks Group, one of the world's leading producers of factory-built housing. This collaboration will allow Assembly to bring cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities to Canada, significantly advancing the country's industrialized housing sector.

Geoff Cape, CEO, Assembly Corp: "Through off-site construction in a state-of-the art factory with detailed control of quality and security, Lindbäcks is able to deliver beautiful buildings that drastically reduce development schedules, costs, and environmental footprint, on a scale that is unmatched globally. We are very excited to bring both this equipment and expertise to Canada. "

The seeds of the partnership were sown in 2024, during a Learning Network event, prompted by funding received through the Housing Supply Challenge, an initiative managed by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the Government of Canada'sNational Housing Strategy to advance Assembly's factory plans. The Learning Network is a knowledge sharing program that focuses on expanding innovation and creating opportunities for expertise to be shared globally. Members of the Swedish delegation and key companies were invited to showcase how their country has developed such a successful, widespread adoption of prefabricated housing. With as many as 84 percent of Swedish detached homes having prefabricated elements, Sweden is the world leader in industrialized modular building.

Stefan Lindbäck, CEO, Lindbäcks Group:
"Our smart industrialized system combined with our wood structure can reduce more than 50 percent of the carbon emissions compared to traditional buildings using concrete and steel."

A Serendipitous Opportunity
Recognizing the immense growth potential and challenges in the Canadian market, Assembly initiated discussions with global leaders in manufactured wood housing. In a fortuitous turn of events, Assembly's inquiry coincided with Lindbäcks' consideration to sell their equipment, originally from their 200,000 sq ft factory in Piteå. Due to the increased productivity of Lindbäcks' new 460,000 sq ft facility, they were no longer in need of a second factory. Within weeks, Geoff Cape and Stefan Lindbäck met in Sweden to develop a plan for the purchase, training and transport of the equipment.

"The partnership with Lindbäcks is a game-changer for the Canadian housing market. By combining our local experience with Lindbäcks' leading technology, we're poised to address Canada's housing crisis in a significant way." stated Geoff Cape.

Rapid Implementation and Significant Capacity
The partnership will bring Lindbäcks' state-of-the-art manufacturing system to Canada. This fully automated factory system, currently housed in 31 shipping containers, is ready for deployment. See here for a video of the equipment.

Key equipment features include:

  • Robotic gluing, nailing, and cladding
  • Automatic stud storage and feeding for wall, floor, and ceiling lines
  • Advanced drywall and mudding systems
This technology represents the most advanced manufacturing capabilities in Canada's industrialized housing sector. With Lindbäcks' support, Assembly plans to have the new facility operational within 8 months. Located in Toronto, the factory will have an impressive output capacity of 1,600 units annually, marking the potential for a significant boost to Canada's industrialized construction production capabilities.

"We are excited to share our experience and cutting-edge technology with Canada through this partnership with Assembly." says Stefan Lindbäck.

"This collaboration represents a significant step in advancing factory-built housing solutions on a global scale." adds Geoff Cape.

About Assembly Corp.

Founded in 2017 in Toronto, Assembly Corp. (formerly R-Hauz) specializes in efficient, prefabricated timber buildings for urban environments. The company offers a stipulated price, turnkey service for mid-rise residential buildings, laneway and garden suites, and affordable housing solutions.

About Lindbäcks

Lindbäcks is a Swedish company specializing in sustainable construction, particularly in the development and production of multi-family residential buildings. Founded in 1924, the company has a 100 year history of success in the construction industry.

See here for the Lindbäcks housing approach: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/08/headway/how-an-american-dream-of-housing-became-a-reality-in-sweden.html

SOURCE Assembly Corp.
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KAR246 said:
A new development application from Mattamy Homes for an employment subdivision in North Oakville that includes a Stelumar Advanced Manufacturing Inc. modular home assembly plant. Development application can be found here. The plant itself will be 150000 sqft and Mattamy is looking to construct it with an accelerated timeline, with construction aiming to start in September this year and the plant being operational 12 months later in fall 2027. It is expected to be producing 20 modular boxes per day.

The other part of the subdivision south of William Halton is expected to have further (lighter) employment areas.

Conceptual Site Plan:
View attachment 725852
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I thought I would post this here as well. The credit goes to @KAR246 for digging up the details.
 
T-Bor said:
20 modular boxes per day, what does that equate to, square footage wise
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I'm not sure, but I get the impression that each box is limited by what can fit on a flat bed truck. Stelumar has previously said that most of their apartments and condos will be 2 or 3 bedrooms, with most composed of about 3 modular components. They also said that they were looking at more than 700 square feet for their 1-bedroom condos. If we assume that the one bedrooms are composed of just 2 modular boxes, each box would be about 350 square feet. I believe that is slightly bigger than the size of a large shipping container.

So, my best guess is that 20 boxes per day is about 7,000 square feet. That would be 10 1-bedroom units each day, or 6.6 per day of the 2/3 bedroom units. Stelumar has said that each modular box will come out of the factory with all its interior finishings, before being fitted together onsite.

It's also important to note that Stelumar has said they will produce panels (i.e. individual sections of walls and floors) as well as boxes. I'm not sure if the panels are included in the 20 boxes per day. They have previously said they intend to produce 1,800 modular homes, and 1,500 panels each year.

They suggested they were looking at 6-storey buildings with 150 modular boxes, and 47 condos. If they really produce 20 boxes per day, that would be 7,300 modular boxes per year. At 150 modular boxes per building, they could theoretically produce 48.6 such buildings every year, or 2,284 condos/apartments annually. My understanding is that Toronto's new zoning laws mean they can build up to 6 storeys on major streets without having to ask for re-zoning permission from the city planning department.

6 storey units of 150 modular boxes implies each floor has 25 boxes each. If each box has 350 square feet, that implies a floor plan of 8,750 square feet, so they would need at least that much land to build, and probably a bit more. I think they probably could find that much land with a couple of single family home sized lots side by side, so they might not need large assemblies of lots.
 
just east of the creek said:
From my travels in Northern Ontario / Northern Manitoba, had a chance to view a couple of units and was impressed.

bisonmodular.ca

Bison Modular | Indigenous Housing Solutions

Bison Modular, offering sustainable, durable, and affordable housing solutions designed for First Nations and Indigenous Communities.
bisonmodular.ca bisonmodular.ca
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Seems pretty impressive. The designs are repetitive but aesthetics are at the bottom of the pile of issues when it comes to remote FN housing. Their highlighting of mould and rot resistance means they understand the issue much better than the federal government and its parade of lowest bid contractors.
 
lenaitch said:
Seems pretty impressive. The designs are repetitive but aesthetics are at the bottom of the pile of issues when it comes to remote FN housing. Their highlighting of mould and rot resistance means they understand the issue much better than the federal government and its parade of lowest bid contractors.
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I agree. The underlying services are also key - hydro, water, sewage - and often a challenge in the remote settlements. Even the settlements with road access as conditions can be challenging.

Constructions seems to be modular, but winter road access is a must, unless you have access to a Buffalo or a Hercules…..

On the other hand, and I have been in an out of settlements in remoter parts of Northern Canada for more then a few years, there is not one reason why this country cannot solve housing problems in the north. Not one. And it is pathetic that people like Doug Ford can drivel on about tunnels under the 401 and still across Ontario, we deal with ongoing housing and water issues in many remoter settlements.
 
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