Confronted with a housing crisis, policymakers are challenged to facilitate building new infrastructure—and quickly—to catch up to rising demand as the population grows and the skilled labour force shrinks. Innovative construction methods need to be explored to address these mounting issues.

In January 2024, CSA Public Policy Centre’s published, Seizing the Modular Opportunity, a report that highlights how consideration needs to be given to modular construction: the practice of fabricating building components, or “modules,” in a factory-controlled environment. CSA’s report outlines what are deemed to be the key benefits of modular construction, as well as the main barriers impeding its wider adoption in Canada.

As a leader in North American standards development and in product testing, inspection, and certification around the world, CSA has developed three standards to address various aspects of modular construction:

1. CSA A277, Procedure for Certification of Prefabricated Buildings, Modules, and Panels

This standard helps ensure that factory-built modules and buildings are constructed to meet the requirements of applicable building codes and to deliver a consistent level of manufacturing quality, safety, and durability.

2. CSA Z252:23, Volumetric Modular Construction: Guide to Compliance and Approval Processes

This standard provides guidance for approving permanent modular buildings of any size and occupancy type. It outlines what can be expected at each stage of the building permit review, off-site and on-site inspections, and approvals, as well as the roles and responsibilities of third-party inspection agencies within the modular construction process.

 3. CSA Z250 Process for Delivery of Volumetric Modular Buildings

This standard describes the processes for the delivery of permanent volumetric modular buildings that have been constructed in a factory. It specifies several key processes, including:

• design;
• logistics, transportation, and storage;
• non-modular and modular site work;
• lifting, placement, and setting;
• installation and finishing; and
• commissioning and handover.

All three of these CSA standards are included in the OAA’s 2024/2025 NBC/OBC Standards Access Collection, available free to licensed OAA members via the CSA Standards Access Program.

Additional Reading from CSA

This article was written in collaboration with the CSA Group’s Public Policy Centre. The following other articles provide further background reading:

Seizing the Modular Construction Opportunity

Modular Construction can Help Address Canada’s Housing Crisis, New Report Finds

Standards for More Efficient Modular Construction Projects

This article originally appeared in the Practice Advisory—the OAA’s bimonthly e-newsletter developed by the OAA’s Practice Advisory Services team, comprising architects and other staff, which offers numerous resources for both member and the public. The OAA does not provide legal, insurance, or accounting advice. Readers are advised to consult their own such representatives to obtain suitable professional advice in those regards.