“Good planning, creative design solutions must lead the way” article by Ron Rapp, HAVAN CEO in The Province and the Vancouver Sun
As quoted from article in the Province and the Vancouver Sun
Increased housing supply is generally the answer to address demand, and infusing this supply with a choice of housing forms adapted to rapidly changing conditions and evolving homeowner needs is essential.
A necessary first step in meeting current housing needs is the reduction or removal of planning department ‘hurdles.’ We witnessed the effectiveness of eliminating these hurdles in the implementation of the Government of British Columbia’s temporary modular housing program begun in 2017. Under that initiative, modular housing was constructed on vacant or underused sites across Vancouver in less than three months. I am thinking if there is a will, there is a way. And where there is a winning solution, there are countless new applications.
For instance, Steve Kemp from Kemp Construction told me recently that panelized wall systems similar to those seen in modular housing can be used in any new home, renovation, or retrofit project. Steve told me his team recently finished a project where the homeowners wanted to remain in their traditional Pan Abode Home, a red-cedar modular home design from the 1960s, but get rid of the drafts and increase comfort, space, and light.
“When I saw the plans, I had to shake my head,” Steve admits, extending kudos to Sarah Gallop Design, which had the vision to combine the older modular system with the new. “Once the foundation was laid, the extension using custom-built panelized walls was put up in a day versus weeks if we were to frame and build onsite.”
“Once the foundation was laid, the extension using custom-built panelized walls was put up in a day versus weeks if we were to frame and build onsite.”
Steve Kemp