2021 Canadian Off-Site Construction Student Design Competition
The first annual Canadian Off-Site Construction Student Design Competition invited student teams to explore modular, prefabricated, panelized and other forms of off-site construction. Entrants were asked to select a site in Canada and design a building in which off-site production played a meaningful role.
Organizer and competition purpose
The competition was presented by the University of New Brunswick’s Off-Site Construction Research Centre (OCRC) in partnership with the Modular Building Institute (MBI). The announcement identified OSCO Construction Company as a founding supporter of the research centre. Its purpose was to encourage student interest in off-site construction and make emerging Canadian design work visible.
Entry requirements
Teams could include one to four students. Each proposal had to set out both an off-site construction strategy and a plan for assembly on site. The required submission consisted of one to three presentation boards and a 400-word project summary. Interdisciplinary teams were encouraged.
Prizes
- First prize: $2,500 per team
- Second prize: $1,000 per team
- Third prize: $500 per team
- Fourth through tenth places: honourable mentions
The prize amounts are stated in dollars; the available 2021 announcement does not specify the dollar currency.
Documented 2021 results
The organizer’s published results identify The Impetus in Nelson, British Columbia, by Jesse Martyn of the University of British Columbia as first prize. Peace Garden Village in Edmonton placed second, while Iqaluit Community Housing in Nunavut placed third.
The seven honourable mentions were New Outremont, Decastelneau Street Affordable Housing, Bank Street Corridor, Separately Together, Hyperloop Station, Catalogue, and West Don Lands Transitional Housing.
Related reading
For broader context, ArchUp’s archive also examines modern manufacturing techniques, surveys architecture and design competitions that included this Canadian call, and presents a built modular-construction case study in Tbilisi.
