What’s Next for Rural Housing Innovation?

Deadwood Innovations, an emerging leader in sustainable forestry technology, is addressing a significant challenge facing rural and remote regions in Canada: the shortage of affordable, durable housing built to withstand northern climates. With construction costs rising and local sawmills under strain, communities across northern B.C. have faced barriers to accessing high-quality homes to meet local needs.

Through a Mitacs-supported collaboration with the University of Northern British Columbia, Deadwood Innovations and Nak’azdli Development Corporation are developing a first-of-its-kind prefabricated mass timber housing system designed specifically for rural communities. The partnership integrates cutting-edge research into digital automation tools that streamline engineering for prefabrication and innovative processes that convert low-value timber into high-performance structural lumber.

Together, these advancements enable housing kits to be created in controlled facilities during winter months and assembled on-site in a matter of days, dramatically improving construction timelines, quality, and cost efficiency while strengthening the regional forestry supply chain.

By connecting the Canadian company with top engineering talent, Mitacs’ support has been instrumental in expanding Deadwood Innovations’ research capacity and accelerating product development. “Housing demand across Canada is real and, no matter where you live, everyone is looking for solutions. This Mitacs-supported research is allowing us to check all boxes when it comes to providing affordable, sustainable housing.” — Owen Miller, CEO and Co-founder, Deadwood Innovations

Mitacs’s programs receive funding from multiple partners across Canada. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon for supporting us to empower Canadian innovation. 

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: [email protected].