A Toronto-based company is selling a line of affordable, modular prefabricated home designs that meet and exceed net-zero standards.
CABN lists designs ranging from 540 to 2,500 square feet and from one to four bedrooms. Standard features include: Forest Stewardship Council certified wood; Helical pile foundations that typically use no concrete and can be installed in a couple of days; Net-zero, passive solar designs; Solar and battery storage systems integrated with high-performance building components; Smart home monitoring systems.
Despite the urgency of Canada’s housing crisis, the vast majority of new homes are still constructed the same way they were 10, 25, even 50 years ago: with the same tools, the same choreography between multiple contractors, and the same delays. Advanced manufacturing is a cornerstone of the effort to speed up construction timelines, cut costs, boost quality, and reduce the industry’s environmental impact.
CABN takes a “full-system approach” to sustainable manufacturing, from net-zero facilities to a value chain where some components are compostable or carbon-negative. They like to build communities and look at where sustainable materials and resources come from. This includes turning to underutilized tree species, from hemlock in Eastern Canada to poplar in the west, that grow too small for traditional wood frame construction but work well for manufactured housing, and at lower cost.
By reducing heat transmission and air leakage through the building envelope, combined with efficient energy recovery in the active ventilation system and ‘smart’ use of outdoor air and shading for cooling, energy use is minimized while maintaining air quality and occupant comfort.
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