EP 15 · 2021-08-02 · 51:18
How UNB's Off-site Research Centre Is Bringing Modular Construction to Atlantic Canada (And the Financial Risks GCs Need to Know)
Brandon Searle of UNB's Off-site Construction Research Centre explains how applied research is helping Atlantic Canada's construction industry adopt DFMA, BIM, and hybrid modular methods.
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Brandon Searle
⟶ The story, written up — a sharp read with every fact on the record.
// CHAPTERS — TAP TO JUMP THE PLAYER
0:04Brandon Searle's Background and Path to UNB OCRC — Searle recounts growing up in a construction family, civil engineering at UNB, work at OPUS consulting (acquired by WSP), and then joining OCRC in May 2019. He notes his nomination to the CanBIM board (first Atlantic Canada representative) and joining the Modular Building Institute's Canadian Council.4:07The Centre's Mission, Four Themes, and Applied Research Model — OCRC's founding story via OSCO Construction Group is laid out. Four themes: digital technology implementation, constructability and testing, lean construction, industry-driven research. The centre's applied-research model pairs graduate students with industry projects. The DFMA concept and the UK mandate for BIM Level 2 as a cautionary tale about mandates disadvantaging SMEs are discussed.11:16Off-site Construction: Reality, Resistance, and the Hybrid Model — Searle explains DFMA, why off-site won't replace all on-site work, and the assembly-line factory mindset shift. He addresses naysayers, notes the stigma around 'manufactured homes,' and describes hybrid business models where companies run both a modular plant and a traditional GC arm.18:20Specific Projects: MEP-in-Precast, AR/VR, and Building Envelope Research — Details on embedding mechanical, electrical, and plumbing into precast concrete panels to eliminate on-site connection bottlenecks. OCRC's role as an AR/VR test bed is explained (companies avoiding $20-30k hardware investment risk). Plans for a 30x14-foot building envelope research facility for structural, air-pressure, and impact testing are outlined.28:20Off-site Benefits, Modular Hotels, and Financial Risk for GCs — Searle quantifies benefits: Marriott hotel delivered in 15 months vs. 2 years. Winter construction quality and mental health impacts on workers are named as underquantified benefits. Financial risks for GCs contracting with modular manufacturers are flagged: 50% deposits and bonding uncertainty as the off-site sector grows.35:00Atlantic Canada Case Studies: Florenceville Hotel and Nunavut Project — The Florenceville-Bristol, NB fully modular hotel (Sussex-based manufacturer, Bird Construction's Quality Inn Fredericton expansion) is discussed. OCRC's Nunavut project: supply-chain simulation and material testing at -65C for affordable modular homes. National network ambitions: partnership with Dalhousie, University of Wolverhampton (UK), and 15+ active industry projects.41:40Funding, Partners, Upcoming Events, and Closing — Partners include City of Edmonton, NB Department of Transportation, modular manufacturers, GCs, and a Nunavut startup. Funding programs named: NRC IRAP (free to companies under 500 employees), NBIF, ACOA, ENCIR/CIRC Alliance grants, Mitacs. Events: Canadian Ostrites student poster competition, summer webinar series, 2022 AR/VR specialty conference with CanBIM, UK exchange cohort.
// THE INTRO
In this Episode 15 (August 2021), host Daniel Arsenault talks with Brandon Searle, Innovation Director at the University of New Brunswick's Off-site Construction Research Centre (UNB OCRC). Searle traces his background from civil engineering and road construction through a stint at OPUS/WSP to joining OCRC in 2019 when it had two staff and now has six staff and 19 researchers. The conversation covers the centre's four research themes: digital technology implementation, constructability and testing, lean construction, and industry-driven research. Searle describes real projects including embedded MEP in precast concrete panels, a fully modular hotel in Florenceville-Bristol NB, and a supply-chain study for a Nunavut affordable housing startup. He addresses the off-site stigma ('people think manufactured homes'), quantifies the schedule advantage (Marriott 15-month hotel versus 2-year traditional), names specific financial risks for GCs using modular (50% deposits, bonding uncertainty), and closes with a rundown of funding mechanisms available to Atlantic Canadian industry players (NRC IRAP, NBIF, ACOA). The episode lands firmly in the OCRC's own promotional wheelhouse and serves the show's community-of-record function for innovation-oriented Atlantic Canada construction.
// THE LESSONS
See all 12 lessons ▸Embedding MEP into precast panels off-site can eliminate the on-site connection bottleneck that eats schedule gains from prefab.
“what if we could move some of our trades inside the factory”
The first two to three modular projects are a learning curve, not a cost saving — operators must budget for that.
“the first three are going to be a learning experience right because it's just a different way of managing”
Modular construction is not categorically cheaper; its competitive advantage is schedule compression and revenue acceleration, especially in commercial hospitality.
“i don't necessarily think it's always cheaper”
A Marriott hotel done in 15 months versus 2 years means guests (and revenue) arrive 9 months earlier — quantify schedule benefit in revenue, not just time.
“having a hotel done that was traditionally going to take two years they had that done in 15 months”
GCs hiring modular manufacturers face a 50% deposit exposure with limited bonding protection; this financial risk must be priced into project financing before committing.
“there's a risk to the gc of over you know a 50 down payment essentially for the modules”
Using a university research centre as a low-risk test bed for AR/VR and other unproven technologies avoids the $20-30k hardware gamble while generating real operational insight.
“they're not wanting to invest you know 20 30 grand in the hardware and licenses right away to test it out”
UK's BIM mandate (LOD 200 for all government projects) gave large firms a head start but left SMEs stranded; any Atlantic Canada mandate must include SME capacity-building.
“the smaller companies struggled and they saw it as this black box that they didn't know where to start”
Moving to an assembly-line factory model requires cross-training trades rather than strict trade silos — this is a workforce culture shift, not just a process change.
“you'd be trained to put your drywall up you'd also be trained to run all the electrical lines”
Off-site construction improves worker mental health through predictable shift work and family stability — an underquantified competitive advantage when recruiting trades.
“if you're in a manufacturing plant where you have shift work you have regular work how that impacts the rest of your”
Atlantic Canada's extreme freeze-thaw cycling may stress materials more severely than northern Canada's stable cold — local material research is not a second-tier problem.
“we go from in january we'll have like a random 12 degree day and then we're back down to minus 20”
NRC IRAP funding gives companies under 500 employees free access to university applied research — most small contractors don't know this exists.
“they budget some of the or they have some funding to bring industry companies under 500 employees to us to do research for them at no cost”
Hybrid business models — a GC arm plus a modular plant — let Atlantic Canadian firms balance traditional and offsite volume to avoid bottlenecks on either side.
“there's these hybrid kind of business models that are happening for sure”
All 12 lessons from this episode, on one page.
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// FEATURED BUSINESSES
// FACT-CHECKED ✓ web-verified, with sources
✓ VERIFIED
The UK government mandated BIM Level 2 for all centrally procured government projects; large firms benefited while SMEs were left stranded.
UK BIM Level 2 mandate took effect April 2016 for all centrally procured UK government projects. Confirmed by multiple academic and industry sources. SME struggle is well-documented: approx. 60% of SMEs were aware but hesitated to implement; research confirms larger firms had a head start due to gre…
SOURCE ▸✓ VERIFIED
NRC IRAP designates certain research groups and provides free applied research access for companies under 500 employees.
NRC IRAP eligibility confirmed at 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees. The programme provides financial assistance and connects SMEs with university and research expertise. The 'free to the company' framing Searle uses refers to the IRAP-funded cost-sharing model where IRAP funds the researc…
SOURCE ▸// COMPANIES & ORGS ✓ verified
UNB Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC)Brandon SearleOSCO Construction Group ▸Opus International Consultants (now WSP Global)Stack ModularAmsterdam Inn & Suites Florenceville-Bristol (Iron Maple / Alantra project)Aqsarniit Hotel and Convention Centre, Iqaluit
// PROJECTS NAMED
Amsterdam Inn & Suites Florenceville-Bristol (Iron Maple / Alantra project)Quality Inn Fredericton Expansion (Bird Construction)Aqsarniit Hotel and Convention Centre, IqaluitNunavut Affordable Housing PilotCanadian Ostrites Student Poster CompetitionParks of West Bedford
SOURCE: podscope · public episode data · t9yEc8CAgwI