IHD
Focusing on the goal of increasing housing supply, MOD X, NIBS, and HUD have partnered to accelerate the adoption of innovative and effective IHD practices and policies around the country. Working closely with several U.S. regions, the group is developing Regional Action Plans and Pilot Programs to:
- Identify regulatory and demand aggregation barriers to IHD in each region; and
- Develop strategic plans to support regional IHD growth.
The findings will inform the development of a HUD Breakthrough Pilot Handbook, a technical assistance resource to support states, regions, counties, and cities nationwide to enhance their IHD adoption and capacity.
Over several years, MOD X has collaborated with key partners in multiple regions across the U.S., including the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Intermountain West, West, and Pacific Northwest (Fig.1). As part of this effort, each of these regions will participate in virtual workshops to develop tailored Regional Action Plans to increase housing supply through IHD.
Building on insights from these regional collaborations, MOD X is planning to organize two Regional Offsite Construction for Housing Summits. These in-person events will provide a platform for participating regions to present their Regional Action Plans thereby fostering knowledge-sharing among regions pursuing similar efforts. Summit participants will include state housing finance agencies, state code building offices, state economic development agencies, industrialized building program offices, industry representatives, and nonprofit representatives. The summits provide a key opportunity for federal and local leadership to contribute to a national framework to accelerate housing production, strengthen local economies, and expand affordable housing options. Expect more information about these events in the near future. In addition to Pilot Partners from the regions, the project includes Strategic Partners that provide fundamental knowledge, advocacy, and relational networking value. These partners include the International Code Council (ICC), ICC-NTA, Harvard Joint Centers for Housing Studies (JCHS), and Ivory Innovations. Ivory Innovations, a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to catalyzing innovative solutions in housing affordability, has also partnered with MOD X to develop and launch a national Offsite Accelerator industrialized construction educational program designed to inform and assist regions to overcome knowledge barriers associated with offsite construction for housing. The Offsite Accelerator was developed to address the needs of a broad audience including finance and insurance professionals, AEC professionals. Developers, suppliers, building code officials, government officials, etc. The program includes the delivery of a 4-session interactive course supported by content illustrating offsite housing context, domestic and international case studies, technology, and delivery. Participants will benefit from a worldwide network of offsite industry, academic, government, and related nonprofit thought leaders. Sessions are a mix of core theory, practical application, and case study examples of projects and companies in the offsite housing industry from the U.S. and around the world.