In Niagara, the first foray into modular home construction was undertaken by Aduvo Inc. The company built Niagara’s first shipping container home in the Western Hill community of St. Catharines. Shipping container builds are popular across the world because they reduce construction costs and amplify the speed in which a development can be completed.
Shipping containers are not the only modular system gaining momentum in Ontario; Toronto based Vector Praxis is making waves with the VectorBloc modular construction system.
What is VectorBloc?
VectroBloc is sold as “the scalable multi-site precision modular construction system.” The system is based around a cast steel connector inspired by the ISO corners built for ocean freight containers. This family of connectors allows steel modules to stack and bolt together to create fully-braced structures. The entire construction system includes 7 groups of products and services like the VectorJig, VectorRig and modular design services. This system comes together to connect steel hollow structural sections (HSS) and allow constructions teams to quickly stack building frames.
Types of Structures that could be built with VectorBlocs
- Low rise and high-rise buildings
- Single family dwellings in a variety of settings
- Apartments, hotels and dormitories
- Hospitals and clinics
- Offices, research and administration buildings
- Energy and chemical facilities
- Urban infill projects, especially sites with access issues
- Relocatable / emergency facilities
- Model suites, travelling exhibits, retail, food and beverage kiosks, special event facilities and other relocatable or plug-and-play applications
- Warehouses
VectorBloc system in use
In February of this year, construction started on an 8 storey, 140-unit retirement home in Cambridge, Ontario. The module frames/chassis are in production at a plant owned by Connexio VectorBlocs first licensee. The building, designed by Glos Associates Architects is the first of its kind and consists of over 350 modules. This build will be the first true ‘proof of concept’ to be completed using the system.
The capabilities of the VectorBloc system shows how efficient modular construction can be. To learn more about VectorBloc and how the system works in full, visit their site, and I encourage you to read this detailed article here.
