In today’s building landscape—where skilled labour is scarce, costs are rising, and climate goals are urgent—prefabrication is rapidly gaining traction as a smarter, faster, and more sustainable way to build. Invermere-based Collective Carpentry has been leading this charge for over a decade. On September 12, 2025, the company will host a two-part Prefab Showcase designed to demonstrate just how far high-performance prefab has come.

The day will begin in Panorama, where attendees can tour a newly assembled high-performance home built in collaboration with a local energy-efficient builder. “With everything we know today about building science, and everything we know that prefabrication can bring to our projects, it’s impossible for us to go back to the old way,” says Craig Toohey, Director of Business Development at Collective Carpentry. “We can build faster and better without losing focus on building energy-efficient buildings that tread lightly on the planet.”

Toohey believes prefabrication is particularly relevant in Canada’s current housing crisis. “We often look to Europe and how many countries have embraced prefabrication, but now BC and the federal government are both putting serious emphasis on this being a big part of the solution,” he explains. “The factory environment allows for better quality control, safer working conditions, and more predictable schedules, things the construction industry desperately needs.”

Prefabrication Meets Today’s Priorities

The approach also intersects with the BC Energy Step Code and climate adaptation strategies. “With prefabrication we can build more houses faster, build them to a higher level of quality and code compliance, and serve a variety of local general contractors with a standardized building system that meets Step Code Level 5, up to 90% less energy use and carbon emissions than a home built just 20 years ago,” Toohey notes.

Still, the shift isn’t without its challenges. “The industry is slow to change,” he admits. “Some developers and regulators still think prefab means outdated foam-and-OSB systems with poor performance. We want this event to show them the sophisticated new generation of solutions that are durable, efficient, and beautiful.”

 

 

A New Era for Collective Carpentry

Following the Panorama site tour, the event will continue at Collective Carpentry’s new Invermere facility, its second shop, equipped with automated framing and insulating machinery. “After 10 years learning all the lessons the hard way, we’ve created a model that could be replicated all across Canada,” says Toohey. “It’s allowing us to produce panels more efficiently, with better output, better employee engagement, and better quality control.”

The facility tour will include guest speakers and examples of recent multifamily projects, which Toohey hopes will inspire more developers to embrace prefab. “When governments set clear targets or offer incentives, the industry finds a way. Prefabrication is one of those solutions—we just need more people to see it up close.”

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