Imagine if instead of ordering a dresser from IKEA, you had to hire carpenters to buy unfinished boards of wood and then come to your house to cut them up into the correct sizes, assemble them, and then finish them. Dressers would take much longer to build and cost much more.
Today, too many homes are built this way. Typically, contractors bring the raw building materials for the walls and roof on site, cut them to size, and then assemble and finish them. This method has been used for decades, if not hundreds of years, and contributes to the high cost of construction.
In contrast, many builders in other countries rely on modular construction. Parts of walls and the roof are built offsite, and then brought to the construction site where they are assembled, almost like IKEA furniture. This modular construction approach is much faster and more cost effective.
This is just one example of how building smarter and faster can save us a lot of money.
Another way to build smarter and faster is to eliminate the requirement for building costly infrastructure that may no longer be needed. For example, fewer and fewer people own cars, especially in downtown neighbourhoods, yet builders are still required to create parking spaces. This often means constructing parking lots, typically underground, that add huge costs to any new construction. By eliminating this requirement, we pay less for each unit.
Another way to build smarter and faster, and that also helps the planet, is to use construction materials that are more sustainable. For example, buildings made from wood instead of expensive and carbon-intensive concrete have lower construction costs, and reduce time and climate-damaging emissions.
New tools are being created all the time to build smarter and faster. For those homeowners interested in adding another unit to their home or building, like a garden suite or laneway house, for example, downloadable designs are helping them build smarter and faster. Access to pre-approved building designs reduces the time and costs involved in the early stages of planning and design.
We also need to ensure there are enough properly trained construction workers to build the homes we need. This can be done by making it easier for young people to enter skilled trades programs and for qualified foreign workers to get on job sites faster.
To take advantage of these smarter and faster building methods, governments must update existing laws and policies. For example, current building codes make it impossible to use smarter building methods or put too many roadblocks in the way of using them.
If we want to build smarter and faster to bring down construction costs, build more sustainably, and make housing more affordable, we need to change government rules and laws.
Update building codes and land use planning laws to encourage the use of labour-efficient and less expensive construction methods and building formats (e.g., wood frame apartment buildings, factory-built walls).
Update building codes and land use planning laws to promote the use of lower-cost, labour-efficient sustainable materials (e.g., mass timber, high-rises without parking garages).
Require municipalities to permit developments with the use of pre-approved building designs.
Eliminate parking requirements for new construction.
Use financial tools, tax powers, and funding programs to incentivize the use of faster, lower-cost, and labour-efficient construction methods and sustainable materials.
Update the model national building codes to encourage the use of more labour and cost-effective construction methods and sustainable materials.
Lead a national effort to create a successful modular construction industry.
Update immigration policies to support the changing labour needs of the home construction industry.
Use tax powers and funding programs to incentivize the use of faster, lower-cost, and labour-efficient construction methods and sustainable materials.
