New modular apartment building assembled in Westboro

A new modular apartment building is taking shape in Ottawa, with prefab pieces snapping into place. CTV’s Dave Charbonneau reports.

A new modular apartment building is quickly taking shape in Westboro as part of an effort to bring more housing to the city.

Crews are assembling the eight-unit building at 263 Currell Ave., near Carling and Churchill avenues. Over three days, 12 prefabricated apartment modules are being positioned, bringing the project to 85 per cent completion.

The goal is to create rapidly deployable apartments across Ottawa, each built in under four months.

“It’s eight apartments that have been built down the road in Morewood by our partners at Guildcrest Homes,” said Jeremy Silburt, director of planning, acquisitions and development at Theberge Homes.

“These modules are dropped into place with drywall, lights, kitchen cabinets, everything.”

Silburt said the modular approach significantly reduces construction timelines compared to traditional methods.

“Stick frame for a project this size would probably be about 12 months,” he said. “We’re hoping to be in and out of the ground from demo all the way through to finished product in about four months.”

Sean Kelly, Ontario sales director for https://guildcrest.com/, said modular construction eliminates many challenges posed by traditional building methods.

“What we’re doing is now we’re eliminating all the factors of the elements, mother nature here today,” Kelly said. “This is built in an enclosed area where no rain, no snow, again, no mold spores at the end. So 75 to 85 per cent of the project is completed within the factory.”

Kelly added that modular construction also streamlines inspections and boosts energy efficiency.

“Plumbing’s in, electrical fixtures are in, tested within the factory and inspected before they even reach the site,” he said. “That means fewer inspections on-site and a more efficient building process.”

The project has been in the works for over a year, with plans to replicate the model across the city. With Ottawa facing a housing crisis, developers say modular construction could be a faster, more efficient way to get people into homes.