BIM Academy talks about the value of offsite with top Canadian construction firm

In recent years, offsite manufacture has made a significant impact on the construction industry and introduced new technologies that have positively influenced building methods. This is now driving productivity gains and increasing capacity, whilst maintaining quality and reducing environmental impact.   

In the new episode of the Digital Climate podcast series, host Peter Barker invited two offsite specialists to discuss how Modular and Offsite Manufacture have changed in recent years, and in particular how they have become a positive influence on sustainable design.

Jared Dielwart, VP, Corporate Development & Innovation and Chris Boucher, Director of Design & Engineering of Nomodic – one of Canada’s largest specialised construction management firms dedicated solely to modular and offsite construction – talk to Peter about what excites them in offsite right now and what changes they have seen over the past few years.

Peter asked Jared and Chris if the rise in the use of Modular and Offsite Manufacture has been a catalyst in influencing behavioural change – and is it forcing increased integration and greater communication across multiple disciplines?

Jared explained that offsite is a world-class solution and the key to its success is in creating a seamless transition from construction to manufacturing and back to construction.  Initially it requires a shift in mindsets for many within the industry, however with the emphasis on investing more quality time and effort in early preparation, which ultimately means savings on budgets, it is encouraging that more people in the industry are now embracing this approach.

Peter posited that the optimum approach to offsite manufacture could be to “standardise the invisible, customise the visible”. Chris agreed and mentioned this is very much the Nomodic way, adding that increasing the range of solutions to offer design flexibility means they can offer more choice to the client or the end user.  

Peter asked if Jared and Chris would say working with modular buildings allows them to apply new manufacturing techniques which deliver precision and quality at scale, whilst offering opportunities for mass customisation.

Chris replied that offsite offers endless opportunities to refine the design and build process, with obvious savings being presented in cost and time as well as reduced waste, both during the manufacture stage and on site. Offsite construction moves much of the building process from the actual construction site itself into a factory setting, where processes and conditions are more like the manufacturing industry rather than traditional construction methods. This provides many advantages over “onsite” construction.

Peter asked whether this means they adopt a “product before project” stance. Chris responded that working in a factory means conditions can be much more predictable than on a building site: materials can be ordered and manufactured to precisely calculated requirements, not to mention that it is often easier and cheaper to handle waste in the factory setting. Therefore, if we look to the product as the driver for the build we can control, cost, quantity and waste far more easily. Not to mention minimising material waste is a saving solution that benefits both the project and the planet.

Sustainability is very much a strong part of Nomodic’s work ethic. Not only does offsite require fewer deliveries to site, fewer movements on site and overall, less traffic for a shorter amount of time (which results in less carbon emissions), but it also has less actual waste on products and materials.

As most of the build is created in the factory, a high percentage of the waste can be recycled – typically onsite waste would be disposed of and not recycled.  If we attribute this to the full project build time, this is months of reduced waste – not just on one project, but on multiple projects.

For many, offsite manufacture has been labelled the new sustainable way to build – but for Nomodic, this principle is far from new.  

Buildings generate almost 40% of annual global CO² emissions – of these emissions, building operations are responsible for 28%, with building materials being responsible for an additional 11%. Offsite Manufacture allows us to tackle these emissions head-on through the reduction of time on site, reducing waste and using more sustainable materials.

At Nomodic, they believe building in this way provides greater control of people, products and projects. To hear the full discussion on the benefits of offsite manufacture and what projects are benefitting from this in Canada right now, list to the full podcast here.