In collaboration with Stéphan Langevin

Between preconceptions and innovation, is prefabrication opening new pathways for Québec architecture?

The parallel between Lego blocks and prefabrication has been drawn many times. This construction toy, which has captivated generations, is produced with unmatched precision and efficiency—two qualities the construction industry in Québec can no longer do without.

Architects have long been interested in the advantages of prefabrication and have made use of it in various forms. Consider the dramatic acceleration made possible by steel structural components—from the Eiffel Tower to Habitat 67, and even to ready-to-deliver homes. Prefabrication is, in fact, a vast and highly diversified industry.

Inspired by certain European business models and driven by growing demand, more and more players are entering the market—an encouraging development for Québec designers.

However, many still believe that prefabrication cannot be synonymous with beauty, a perception that may hinder enthusiasm for this type of construction.

« I asked the box »

One of the most well-known—and least appreciated—forms of prefabrication is the modular unit. It is often associated with installations in remote regions and, more recently, with the temporary school classrooms that have multiplied across the province.

While these factory-built structures, designed for speed, may appear unremarkable, they have nevertheless enabled our industries to refine their expertise. This accumulated know-how, combined with building information modeling (BIM) technologies and new collaborative construction methods, is key to taking modular construction out of the box.

Much like Louis Kahn’s famous anecdote about the brick, which reminds us that every material comes with its own imperatives, architects must understand the logic of prefabrication in order to design high-quality buildings. When this happens, the limits of the box dissolve, giving way to environments that are well-adapted, durable, and resilient.

Pushing beyond constraints

At a time when the housing crisis is deepening, the wood industry is struggling to regain momentum, labour shortages are slowing our ambitions, and climate urgency is catching up with us, it has become imperative to rethink how we build.

The buildings of tomorrow must meet increasingly demanding objectives: higher envelope performance requirements, a growing number of architectural integration regulations, densification of constrained sites, reduction of embodied carbon, and more.

By enabling controlled and comfortable construction conditions, accelerating mass production through industrialization, shortening construction timelines, reducing waste, and fostering continuous collaboration between designers and builders, modular prefabrication offers structured responses to these challenges.

While a shift in the value chain is required, and while the industrialization of construction does carry risks, the fear of standardizing our neighbourhoods is legitimate.

That said, these concerns (and examples of major failures, such as the AC Hotel New York NoMad) should be used not as deterrents, but as tools for vigilance and drivers of innovation. The Swedish example is telling: according to the Sweden Prefabricated Housing Market report published in 2024, 84% of single-family homes in Sweden incorporate prefabricated elements. With the right economic and regulatory levers, progress is both possible and beneficial.

And inspiration can be found closer to home as well. Between the Build Canada Homes program, new regulations allowing encapsulated mass timber construction up to 18 storeys, and research initiatives such as Reconstruct led by McGill University’s Chair in architecture, energy and the environment, and aimed at developing large-scale energy renovation solutions using prefabricated panels, the prefabrication industry is clearly in motion.

Innovating for tomorrow

Prefabrication is not a new idea. Yet despite the urgency of today’s socio-economic and climate context, we continue to rely largely on traditional construction methods, even as that familiar path grows increasingly narrow. It is becoming clear that this route is saturated, and that continuing along it will not solve the challenges we are trying to address.

Collectively, we must carve out a new path—more sober, more agile, and more resilient—where prefabrication becomes an essential lever for innovation. By understanding its constraints and fully leveraging its potential, we have a rare opportunity to transform our practices and respond more effectively to today’s challenges.

This shift cannot happen in isolation. It requires the commitment of an entire, forward-looking industry—architects, engineers, manufacturers, and decision-makers alike. Ultimately, it opens up a very concrete possibility: building faster, better, and more sustainably. It is up to us to seize this opportunity and collectively shape what comes next.

Note – This article was originally published in Voir Vert on January 20, 2026.