Housing Growth Innovation
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Ideas in practice

Projects

Explore 14 funded projects, their partners, approaches, and reported results.

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Ideas in motion.

Explore the people, approaches, and reported signals behind each funded project.

The opportunity

Why this work matters

Complex, time-consuming CSA certification and supply-chain inefficiencies constrain how fast Canada's modular housing sector can scale.

The approach

How the project responds

Common Green is a B2B software platform for the modular housing industry that streamlines CSA certification, boosts operational efficiency and increases supply-chain transparency — uniting modular manufacturers with data collection, product traceability and building commissioning tools.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

40% faster construction through modularization

10–25% cost savings from off-site efficiencies

80% fewer on-site accidents in controlled environments

30% lower GHG emissions via embodied-carbon tracking

Project team

Green Metrics Technologies · CSA · Modular Building Institute · Scott Builders · Dune Engineering

Project evidence

Material behind this story

HGI. Common Green Proposal.Feb2024 Collateral
Complete with Docusign BuildBlox HGI Change Collateral
BuildBlox HGI Project Scale Up Template 03.2025 v3 April 17 2025 Scale Up
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Indigenous communities face critical housing shortages while conventional timber stays expensive and local aspen goes unharvested.

The approach

How the project responds

Mass Timber Home Kits pairs densified aspen lumber with parametric design and BIM to create cost-effective, sustainable, repeatable home kits — turning underused local forest resources into Indigenous-led housing across B.C. and beyond.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

3–52% lower material cost vs. spruce-pine-fir

20,000 t CO₂ avoided per 30,000 m³ of aspen

10–50% faster builds via off-site manufacturing

Tackles a 45 -unit shortage at Nak'azdli; scales to 4–6 homes/yr

Project team

Nak'azdli Development Corp · Deadwood Innovations · Nak'azdli Whut'en · Prakash Architects · UNBC

Project evidence

Material behind this story

TimberHouse FPP Collateral
MTHK WP6 Report Vf Collateral
260531 MTH Business Plan Draft Collateral
Nak'azdli Mass Timber HGI Project Scale Up Template 03.2025 Scale Up
Nakazdli Adoption Strategy VF Adoption
The opportunity

Why this work matters

B.C. doesn't have enough experienced building inspectors, and manual inspections create bottlenecks that slow housing down.

The approach

How the project responds

Inspector AI is a digital assistant that uses machine learning to make building inspections faster and more consistent — automating reports, predicting likely code deficiencies and guiding inspectors in real time inside the Cloudpermit platform.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

85–95% accuracy matching notes to BC Building Code

Predicts the top 10 likely deficiencies per stage

Autofill, scheduling and notifications built into Cloudpermit

Public MVP released and deployed

Project team

Cloudpermit · Amii · TedfordAI

Project evidence

Material behind this story

InspectorAI Final Report VF Collateral
2024-04-19 HGI Proposal V2 - InspectorAI Collateral
Adoption Strategy Cloudpermit V3 Revised Adoption
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Traditional masterplanning and approval cycles are slow and iterative, delaying the housing communities need.

The approach

How the project responds

This project brings Archistar's 3D generative-AI building design technology to the Malahat Nation's 600+ acre masterplan — automatically generating code-compliant design options optimised for prefabrication, density and community fit.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Generates multiple design alternatives in a fraction of the time

Fewer revision cycles, faster approval-to-construction

More units and density within the same footprint

Optimised for energy efficiency and prefab readiness

Project team

Malahat Nation · Archistar.ai

Project evidence

Material behind this story

240425 Malahat Archistar Proposal Collateral
HGI Malahat National Project Scale Up - 22.4.25 Collateral
Malahat Final Report Vf Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Municipal permitting is fragmented, with no province-wide picture of tools, gaps or readiness — a hidden brake on housing approvals.

The approach

How the project responds

Clarity BC is the first comprehensive study of housing permitting across B.C.'s 161 municipalities — mapping processes, technologies and integration readiness to reveal the gaps and best practices that will shape province-wide digital permitting.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

First full survey of 161 municipalities' permitting

Identifies gaps, commonalities and best practices

Assesses readiness for the BC Building Permit Hub

Open findings inform standardisation decisions

Project team

Radical I/O · SimpliCity Digital · District of North Vancouver

Project evidence

Material behind this story

HGI FPP Application Radical-SimpliCity vF Collateral
ClarityBC Report v2 - for Partner review Collateral
ClarityBC Housing Permit Digital Readiness Interactive Companion Example Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

On-site steel stud work wastes up to 10% of material and eats skilled labour that the industry doesn't have to spare.

The approach

How the project responds

Wesgroup is introducing digitally manufactured cold-formed steel studs and prefabricated wall panels — using digital precision and local production to streamline wall installation and slash time, waste and labour on site.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

30% faster interior wall installation

25% better exterior wall labour productivity

Eliminates 2,000+ cuts per floor

Precision cutting cuts waste and environmental impact

Project team

Wesgroup Contracting · Velgor Construction

Project evidence

Material behind this story

20241030 Wesgroup HGI FPP-vF Collateral
HGI Project Extension Wesgroup Collateral
Wesgroup Final Report VF Collateral
Steelwrx Digital Jan 2026 3 Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Mid-rise housing is scarce because every project is bespoke — slow to design, slow to permit, hard to scale.

The approach

How the project responds

Perkins & Will is developing an adaptable, regulations-ready prototype for 7–8 storey multi-family buildings in modular, prefabricated mass timber — plus a design library and code-compliance tools to accelerate mid-rise housing across B.C.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Regulations-ready 7–8 storey mass timber design

Lower embodied carbon, verified by lifecycle analysis

Pre-engineered, semi-configurable system speeds delivery

Prefabrication drives construction costs down

Project team

Perkins & Will · ASPECT Structural Engineers · Introba · SFU

Project evidence

Material behind this story

Perkins&Will FPP Collateral
Amendment - Perkins and Will CO 001 v1.1 Collateral
Modular Timber Housing - Milestone 1 - Appendix 1 Collateral
MTH - Intermediate Analysis Report Collateral
Perkins&Will Final Report WP4 VF (2) Collateral
HGI Modular Timber Housing Study - Final Report 1 Collateral
2025-10-31 - HGI Modular Timber Housing Study - BC Housing Case Study 3 Collateral
Perkins & Will Adoption Strategy Vf Adoption
The opportunity

Why this work matters

B.C. is short on skilled labour, construction productivity lags other industries, and remote communities face the worst housing gaps.

The approach

How the project responds

Naikoon's Flying Factory is a mobile, digitally equipped prefabrication facility that travels to the build site. The project analysed automation and advanced technologies to boost factory productivity, cut waste and expand prefab capacity province-wide.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

300,000 sq ft of wall panels a year — about 200 homes

Digital shop drawings and AR/VR-assisted assembly

BIM-enabled design-to-fabrication coordination

Deploying to five First Nations by 2027

Project team

Naikoon Contracting

Project evidence

Material behind this story

Analysis of FF Tech Vf Collateral
FLYFA Final Report Vf Collateral
HGI FPP Application Naikoon FINAL 20241218 vF Collateral
Naikoon-Flying Factory-HGI-IP Disclosure-signed Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Metro Vancouver misses its housing targets by 9,500 units a year, yet developers still doubt BIM pays off — so adoption stalls.

The approach

How the project responds

MID-MULTI verifies the return on investment of BIM and digital automation for mid-scale housing — demonstrating time and cost savings through automated permit processing, published as an open case study to drive industry adoption.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Just 5% time savings could unlock 2,500 more units/yr in B.C.

BIM-automated municipal processing eases permit bottlenecks

Digital optimisation enables prefabricated components

Published case study to spread BIM adoption

Project team

Arno Matis Architecture · SOLIDCAD · Holistic Engineering · Archistar

Project evidence

Material behind this story

AMA FPP 2025 Collateral
AMA WP3 Final Report VF Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Kelowna needs 2,700 new homes in 8 years and $1M single-family houses won't get there; Canada needs 3.5M homes by 2030.

The approach

How the project responds

Mddl's FIELD HOUSE6 demonstration uses Kelowna's Fast-Track program to speed approval and construction of middle housing — duplexes to townhomes — combining pre-approved designs with modular manufacturing as a scalable proof of concept.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Building permit in 10 days — an 80% faster timeline

Up to 20% cost reduction via modular and bulk purchasing

Construction compressed from 8–10 months to 4 weeks

150+ potential homes from just 2% of eligible Kelowna lots

Project team

Mddl · SRI Homes · Maximum Modular · FAAS Architecture

Project evidence

Material behind this story

mddl HGI-FPP Application-vF Collateral
DIGITAL Amendment - MDDL 001 - Kelowna Scaling Housing Project V14 Collateral
Mddl Pivot Strategy GIS Tool Scale and Systems Innovation Collateral
Mddl CO-002 vF Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Developers hesitate on mass timber mid-rise because of knowledge gaps and cost uncertainty — right when Canada needs 3.5M more homes.

The approach

How the project responds

A free, public, interactive tool that simulates CLT and cold-formed-steel hybrid building systems for 5–12 storey housing — delivering real-time cost estimates, carbon analysis and fabrication-ready member sizing so developers can adopt mass timber with confidence.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Free, public tool removing mass timber adoption barriers

25% faster construction, up to 80% less material waste

Real-time cost and carbon feedback while you design

Replaces carbon-intensive concrete and steel

Project team

OK Laminators

Project evidence

Material behind this story

HGI FPP Application MMT OKN Vf Collateral
Amendment - OK Laminators Inc CO1 V1.1 SIGNED Collateral
OKLaminators Final Report Vf Collateral
MMT OK Laminators-IP-Disclosure-BuildSpec Web App-signed Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Washrooms can consume up to 40% of a residential build schedule, and on-site MEP work is slow, complex and labour-hungry.

The approach

How the project responds

ETRO is developing standardized, open-source MEP assemblies for prefabricated washroom cassettes optimised for BC Housing's DASH platform — with manufacturing-ready BIM families, a physical prototype, and measured time and cost savings from factory production.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Targets 15% less on-site construction time

Open-source BIM families for industry-wide adoption

Quantified cost-benefit and economies of scale

Plugs into BC Housing's DASH standardised housing

Project team

ETRO Construction · BC Housing

Project evidence

Material behind this story

HGI- Etro FPP Application Vf Collateral
ETRO Final Report VF Collateral
ETRO Adoption SOW vf Adoption
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Indigenous communities advancing housing face structural barriers, and hard-won implementation knowledge too often goes undocumented and unshared.

The approach

How the project responds

A province-wide knowledge mobilisation initiative convening Indigenous housing leaders across four B.C. regions in structured workshops — documenting practical delivery pathways on land readiness, infrastructure, financing, governance and procurement, and publishing open-access knowledge products.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Four regional workshops, 10+ Indigenous communities

A province-wide peer-to-peer learning network

Open-access toolkit and implementation pathways

Strengthens Indigenous leadership over housing solutions

Project team

Turtle Island Connection

Project evidence

Material behind this story

Revised End To End Indigenous Housing Growth Initiative Under 100k.docx (1) Collateral
Services Agreement(61984102.1) Turtle Island Aug 26 2025 Vf (1) Collateral
TurtleIslandConnection Amendment March 2026 V1.1 Collateral
The opportunity

Why this work matters

Chronic workforce shortages and skills gaps cap how much housing the sector can deliver, and workers lack a clear path in.

The approach

How the project responds

Faber is mapping the housing sector's workforce ecosystem and building an AI-driven platform that centralises training, career pathways and labour-market intelligence — matching workers to jobs and personalised upskilling in real time.

Reported signals

What the project is showing

Sector-wide workforce map exposing critical skills gaps

One platform for training, pathways and market data

AI matching of workers to jobs and upskilling

Fuels tech adoption across housing production

Project team

Faber Technologies

Project evidence

Material behind this story

Faber Independent Contractor Vf Collateral
Faber Connect Phase 1 Workforce Mapping One Pager Collateral
Faber Phase1 Workforce Mapping Report V2 Collateral
Faber Connect Phase 1 Workforce Mapping Three Pager Collateral
Digital-Faber Project Testing Report (1) Collateral
faber final recap Collateral
Faber Digital Project Finalization Summary Collateral
Offsite Course Modules Collateral