Standardized House Plans for the Modular Industry of BC.

In partnership with municipal leaders and Modular BC, BRYN Drafting & Design has had the exciting opportunity to provide standardized modular factory-built home designs which will be offered to modular home builders to use in factories across BC. The first two standardized designs of eight were officially debuted at the Penticton 2025 MHABC Summit on May 5, 2025.

The 4 plex and 6 plex designs offer interchangeable floor plans that can be mixed and matched and layered 2-3 stories high. The buildings can be personalized with different interior and exterior materials as well as different roof styles to choose from. The designs meet Step 4 of the BC energy step code, a requirement for the program so that the buildings are environmentally friendly and are suitable for most of BC’s climates and regions.

There are plans to build quite a few pilot projects throughout BC. This was announced at the 2025 MHABC Summit by the mayor’s task force and Modular BC. Stay tuned for more information on these pilot projects!

Additional information about the program and designs below.

The standardization of factory built modular homes across the province is a fast way to increase housing supply with expedited municipal permitting and they can also reduce negative impacts on local infrastructure & communities.

A mayor’s task force for standardized modular factory-built homes was formed in November 2024 to support the streamlining of factory-built homes to deliver much needed affordable housing supply quickly in all communities across BC. The task force is a coalition of municipal leaders who partnered with Modular BC with the primary goal to streamline the approval process, create standardized modular friendly designs, and to educate municipalities on the modular industry and the quality products that they can offer.

Another effort to speed up addressing the housing crisis is the development of a modular standardized building permit guide for municipalities and a standardized modular building guide for builders. These are being developed by MHABC, Modular BC, and the BOABC.

Currently there are still many municipalities and financial institutions that don’t support modular or factory-built homes or building. For a long time there has been a stigma surrounding modular housing but thankfully it is fading as the industry grows. The industry has shown time and time again that modular housing can provide good quality attractive homes and buildings that you may not even realize are prefabricated off-site.

The goal is not to prevent the construction of other types of homes but to collectively find a way to work with the industry to provide another option to address the housing crisis that many BC communities are facing today.

The first two standardized designs are a 4 plex and 6 plex design which are part of Modular BC’s 5-year plan and will be followed by further designs that will be prioritized by the mayor’s task force.

The 4 plex & 6 plex designs were chosen first because of the new provincial legislation (Bill 44) allowing these types of buildings to be built throughout BC. These designs also represent a “missing middle’ housing type that can be more affordable and quicker to build than single family homes. Further designs will also include infill designs to support the development of vacant or underutilized parcels of land within the urban or suburban areas.

Advantages to Building Modular

• 50-70% reduction in waste.

• 42% reduction in emissions compared to traditional construction.

• Building in a controlled environment.

• Cost saving

• Approx. 2 months to produce the modules depending on the size of the project. Factory homes can be built in a fraction of the time req. for traditional construction and can be built and shipped while the building site is being prepared.

• Factory built homes in BC will not only benefit the ones that are building them, but it will also benefit the foresty industry and other related trades while creating many quality jobs across the province.

• Flexibility & Reusability

• Improved safety and quality of work environment for the employees.