BC Housing is advancing a new construction model that could significantly reshape how affordable housing is delivered across Canada.
The agency has issued a request for proposals seeking construction manager and manufacturer teams to deliver the first two projects under its Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing (DASH) program. The demonstration developments, located in Prince George and Abbotsford, will total approximately 90 homes, including affordable rental units and transitional housing.
At the core of the initiative is a digital platform designed to compress development timelines from roughly three years to one by combining standardized building designs, prefabricated components and coordinated digital review tools.
A Digital Blueprint for Faster Approvals
DASH provides ready-to-use digital building tools and permit-friendly designs aimed at multi-family projects between three and six storeys. The system includes blueprint designs aligned with the BC Building Code, a standardized kit-of-parts featuring prefabricated wall assemblies and mass timber systems, and digital tools that connect planners, architects, developers and manufacturers.
By using Building Information Modelling and standardized templates, project teams can generate site-specific designs quickly, assess costs and environmental impacts and reduce the risk of costly redesigns. Municipal alignment is also built into the model through sample zoning language intended to streamline local approvals.
The approach addresses long-standing bottlenecks in Canada’s housing system, where inconsistent zoning rules, permitting delays and labour shortages have slowed delivery and driven up costs.
From Pilot Projects to Provincial Scale
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Metro Vancouver is already leading a pilot under the DASH framework to build 300 to 350 units across four buildings in Burnaby. As of early 2025, 16 DASH-related projects were under feasibility review, with the potential to generate nearly 1,500 new homes if all proceed.
BC Housing expects the model to accelerate more than 1,500 units by 2030. The broader objective is to create a repeatable system that municipalities and builders can adopt without starting from scratch on every project.
The Vienna House development in East Vancouver, a six-storey non-market project that made extensive use of prefabrication and BIM, served as inspiration for the program. Lessons from that project informed DASH’s emphasis on early collaboration between contractors and off-site manufacturers.
National Implications
Although rooted in British Columbia, the framework has been designed to scale nationally. The kit-of-parts is technology-agnostic, allowing manufacturers across Canada to contribute components and municipalities to integrate the system regardless of their e-permitting platforms.
With housing affordability a pressing issue nationwide, the ability to standardize mid-rise construction, reduce change orders and support off-site productivity could help stabilize costs and expand supply.
If the Prince George and Abbotsford demonstration projects meet their targets, DASH could emerge as a template for accelerating sustainable, affordable housing across the country, positioning digital coordination and prefabrication as mainstream delivery tools rather than specialized alternatives.
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