In just over a month’s time, Toronto will welcome the return of the premier event for the offsite arm of the construction industry, the Offsite Construction Expo. Organized by the Offsite Construction Network, the event will bring together hundreds of industry professionals to attend a series of highly specialized presentations from an esteemed group of speakers, while also providing an opportunity for attendees to meet and network with exhibitors, sharing knowledge and making stronger connections within this evolving sector of the construction industry.
Scheduled for Wednesday June 21st, the event will be held at The Westin Harbour Castle, located at Bay Street and Queens Quay West. Speaking about the goals of the event in a statement shared with UrbanToronto, Offsite Construction Network Executive Director Tom Hardiman, CAE, commented that “typically, we have about 150-200 regional qualified attendees at these events, they are designed to help make regional connections within the industry. We want architects, developers, and contractors to connect with local manufacturers to help create new opportunities for everyone.”
Used as an umbrella term to describe things like volumetric modular construction, prefabricated panel systems, precast concretes, and even tiny homes and container buildings, offsite construction is one of the focal points of innovation in building science, and has the potential to play a pivotal role in the future of sustainable construction and the housing crisis.
For the Offsite Construction Network, securing Toronto as one of the locations for their four Expos in 2023 was a key part of their efforts to advance the prospects for offsite construction in one of North America’s most active development markets. “We see Toronto, and really all of Eastern Canada as a real growth opportunity for modular and offsite construction,” Hardiman said. “With the Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation’s Rapid Housing Initiative, modular construction has become much more mainstream.”
The program for the event already includes five different presentations, digging into important topics like the fundamentals of modular design, or how offsite construction can function as a global industry, while also looking at the success these practices have seen through a case study of specific projects. The confirmed speakers are listed in the image below, and the full list of presentation topics can be found here.
Ludovick Gauvin, Director of the Prefabricated Technical Buildings Department at SM Construction, slated to present on the latter topic, told UrbanToronto that the event “offers a unique platform to showcase the transformative potential of modular construction, using the Grise Fjord power plant project as a prime example.” Speaking more generally about the event, Gauvin expressed that it presents “an exceptional opportunity to engage with industry experts, exchange ideas, and contribute to the evolution of construction practices.’’
As for the exhibitors, the Expo has already had over a dozen companies specializing in a diverse array of offsite construction streams register to host a booth at the event, with more still to be announced. The current list of exhibitors is pictured in the image below, while the current floorplan for the event can be accessed at the link here.
Beyond the informative presentations that will make up the programming of the event, Hardiman commented that the real value is in the networking opportunities. “We pride ourselves on making those valuable connections at our shows,” he said. “We know being out of the office at events like these can be costly and we want to make sure all attendees and exhibitors get real value from this show.” Registration is still open through the Offsite Construction Network’s website, linked here.
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