Washington, October 7th / PRNewswire / — The National Institute of Building Sciences ( National Institute of Building Sciences , NIBS ) of the United States has been selected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ) to support a new initiative aimed at expanding the use of prefabricated construction in multi-family housing.
Industrialized construction refers to the process of producing all or part of the components of a building in a controlled environment, followed by transportation to the site for assembly. Although this method can make housing construction faster, more consistent, and more efficient, multi-unit residential projects still face obstacles related to building codes, financing, insurance, and regulatory approvals.
In this 12-month plan, NIBS and its strategic partner MOD X will collaborate with experts from government, industry, building science, engineering, finance, and standards-setting fields to help HUD address these challenges. The focus of the work will be to establish a clear path for projects involving the construction of five or more housing units, and to support HUD in planning for future factory-based multi-unit residential demonstration projects.
The projects awarded this time are based on the research previously completed by NIBS and MOD X, which was funded by the Policy Development and Research Office of HUD ( PD &R). This includes the "Housing Demolition Construction Research Roadmap" ( Offsite Construction for Housing : Research Roadmap ); "The Past, Present, and Future Roles of HUD in Accelerating Housing Demolition Construction" ( HUD 's Past , Present , and Future Role in Accelerating Offsite Construction for Housing ); and the "HUD Demolition Construction Breakthrough Pilot Manual: Promoting Growth in Housing Demolition Construction through Regional Pilot Projects" ( HUD Breakthrough Pilot Handbook : Growing Offsite Construction for Housing Through Regional Pilot Projects ).
"The gap in resilience and affordable housing in the United States is widening. To meet the needs of individuals, families, and communities across the country, we must boldly adopt proven methods for designing, producing, and delivering high-quality, resilient, and affordable housing," said George Guszcza, President and CEO of NIBS. "Prefabrication, off-site construction, modular building, and industrialized methods have great potential, but innovation cannot succeed if standards, financing, insurance, and approval processes are not aligned. This initiative will help the nation understand these connections and identify practical ways to move the housing industry forward."
Create a clearer path for innovation
Most building codes describe the specific materials and construction methods that must be used. In contrast, performance-based approaches focus more on the goals that a building must achieve, such as protecting residents from fires, resisting wind and other dangers, and providing a healthy indoor environment.
According to the project authorized by HUD, NIBS and its partners will draft a framework that outlines the safety, quality, and performance expectations that must be met when factory-built housing is used in development projects involving five or more units. The framework will also explain how builders should document the design, demonstrate that the required results have been achieved, and obtain independent technical reviews.
This approach may provide manufacturers with greater flexibility to adopt new designs, materials, and production methods, while still maintaining strict requirements for public safety and building performance. The work is intended to provide a technical foundation for future deliberations on HUD and will not change existing federal requirements.
"Building codes and standards must protect individuals and families, but they also need to keep up with the pace of innovation to benefit communities," stated Guszcza. "By focusing on building performance, we can create better opportunities for a way of constructing that prioritizes safety, quality, resilience, and long-term value."
Help HUD plan future demonstration projects.
The project will also support HUD in planning future pilot projects for factory-built multi-family residences. These pilot projects will help HUD understand how their housing projects, financing tools, and insurance requirements interact with construction methods that differ from traditional on-site building.
HUD will lead the development and implementation of the demonstration projects. NIBS and its partners will provide technical reviews and expert opinions, including identifying potential obstacles, reviewing materials prepared by HUD, providing suggestions on risks, and advising HUD on how to measure the results of future demonstration projects. Under this grant, NIBS will not build, operate, or implement these demonstration projects.
This work will take into account both manufactured housing that is regulated by the federal HUD Code and modular housing that is typically reviewed by state and local building codes. It will also examine practical issues affecting real-world projects, including whether existing financing, insurance, approval, and assessment processes appropriately consider factory-built construction.
This plan is built upon the research conducted by HUD regarding construction activities that were previously underway, and it further advances the role established by NIBS through congressional legislation, which is to bring together public and private sectors to improve the safety, performance, and affordability of the built environment in the United States.
About the National Institute of Building Sciences of the United States
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) was established in 1974 by Congressional legislation and serves as a leading source of discovery and recommendations in the United States for advancing environmental innovation and ensuring the safety, livelihoods, and well-being of communities nationwide. As an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, NIBS promotes and safeguards national interests by bringing together public and private sectors in the economy, and collaborates with federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local leaders and organizations to enhance the positive outcomes for all communities.
At the National Institute of Building Sciences ( NIBS ), we bring together public and private sectors in the economy to connect research, policy, and practical applications, driving innovation in building environments. Our mission is to create safer, more resilient, and technologically advanced infrastructure that serves American communities and enhances the nation's future.
“Building American Innovation” is not only our slogan, but also our commitment, because architectural innovation has always been the foundation of American innovation.
For more information, please visit nibs.org. Or follow @bldgsciences on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About MOD X
MOD X is a research-based consulting team and an international knowledge exchange network that integrates academia, industry, government, and related non-profit sectors (the 'four helices'), focusing on the prefabricated and volumetric modular off-site construction industry. The organization promotes a global network composed of industry leaders and organizations to advance scalable off-site construction through professional knowledge exchange, factory/on-site visits, customized research, and consulting services.
For more information, please visit modx.world, or follow us on LinkedIn.
