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Calgary Herald

‘Akin to Lego': Homes built in a factory may be ‘next frontier'

Article content Still, she said the federal government deserves credit for programs that support both non-profit housing and private involvement in constructing more purpose-built rentals. Article content Carney also pledged to create a federal entity to oversee the development of affordable housing in Canada. The plan could provide more than $25 billion in financing to prefabricated homebuilders. Article content Article content Modular houses are built in a factory and transported to the site. They're making up an increasing part of the overall housing mix. Article content 'We're going to see more and more, if not completely manufactured units, component manufacturing of housing that gets kind of assembled on site, akin to Lego,' Hahn said. Article content Still, Hahn cautioned against the government playing a major role in the private sector, which he said is already building housing at a rapid pace in Alberta. Article content Alberta could, for the first time in over 40 years, top Ontario in new home construction, with the western province being on pace to build nearly 60,000 homes by the end of 2025. Article content Article content According to Tsenkova, modular houses have the advantage of being delivered quickly — and, in some cases, assembled on-site overnight. Article content In contrast, another apartment building across the street, which Attainable Homes built with traditional methods, took more than twice the amount of time. Article content When fully assembled, the apartment units will have rents below market rates, at around $1,100 including heat, water and electricity. Article content In contrast, the average rent for a studio apartment in Calgary is $1,433, according to RentFaster. Article content Article content Article content Income eligibility requirements are set so that clients spend about 30 per cent of their gross income on rent, or have a target income of around $44,000. Article content 'My personal dream would be that everyone has access to a place they can afford that's (a) dignified shelter for them,' Tait said. Article content ATCO has worked on other housing projects throughout the country, including seven for BC Housing, the City of Toronto and more. Article content Although modular isn't the only solution for the housing crisis, Beattie argues it has to be a bigger part of it.