10/01/2026
Canada now has a national standard for designing modular buildings, and it's one we're glad to see.
Last week, CSA Group published CSA Z251:26, Design of volumetric modular structures. It sets design requirements for buildings made from factory-built modules: structure (including transport, storage and installation), building services, fire protection, environmental separation, energy efficiency, manufacturing and architectural considerations. It works alongside the building code, not in place of it.
Why does that matter? A lot of modular design has come down to engineering judgment and project-by-project conversations with building officials. A shared framework gives designers, manufacturers and inspectors a common starting point.
For us at Design Works Engineering, this one is personal. Modular is a core part of what we do, with more than 20 modular projects in our portfolio, including:
• The 64-unit Cu**er Ave. and Trenton Ave. housing buildings in Toronto for CreateTO
• A Certified Passive House modular building with 24 studios in Hamilton
• Affordable housing with Horizon North and BC Housing in Hope, Nanaimo, Campbell River and Kelowna
• Student housing at Selkirk College (114 beds) and Coast Mountain College (108 beds)
The lesson we keep relearning: modular is won or lost in design, long before the first module is lifted into place. We'll be digging into Z251 and putting it to work.
