What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:15am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8:15am - 4:30pm

UNB OCRC, Head Hall, 17 Dineen Drive Faculty of Engineering University of New Brunswick P. O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB (2026)

Q: What is the address?

Head Hall, 17 Dineen Drive Faculty Of Engineering University Of New Brunswick P. O. Box 4400

10/13/2026

🔬 𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐍𝐁 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤!

Last week, OCRC joined UNB’s to connect with students, faculty and the wider campus community and share a closer look at what we do.

From off-site construction and advanced manufacturing to building performance and digital technologies, it was a chance to show how research can help tackle real-world challenges in the construction industry.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth, joined our Lunch & Learn, asked questions and showed interest in our work!

👀 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Join us on October 22 for our next Transforming Construction Webinar, featuring Michael Lacasse of Concordia University on Applying Building Science to Pre-fabricated, Off-Site Construction.

Discover how building science principles shape the performance of prefabricated and modular buildings.

🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰: https://bit.ly/TC26-27Oct22Webinar

10/12/2026

🏗️ What happens when building science meets off-site construction?

We’re exploring that question on October 22 as part of OCRC’s Transforming Construction Webinar Series, featuring Michael Lacasse, Research Associate & Project Manager at Concordia University.

This webinar is also part of 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐛: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤, an initiative supported by the Government of New Brunswick’s Environmental Trust Fund.

The program brings together building science and technology education, hands-on research using instrumented mini homes, and industry engagement to strengthen skills and knowledge in high-performance buildings across Atlantic Canada.

🔎 Applying Building Science to Pre-fabricated, Off-Site Construction

Michael will explore how building science and building performance principles apply to prefabricated and modular construction — including:

• Heat, air and moisture movement
• Moisture control and air sealing
• Thermal bridging
• Building envelope performance
• Design considerations unique to off-site construction

If you work with or are curious about prefabricated, modular or off-site construction, this is a conversation worth joining.

𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰: https://bit.ly/TC26-27Oct22Webinar

10/10/2026

What if mental health in construction is partly a question of where the work happens?
Construction workers deal with more than physical hazards. Long hours. Weather. Changing worksites. Tight schedules. Workload. Trade overlap. Uncertainty. And the pressure that comes with getting everything done on site.
We often respond to these challenges with wellness programs, awareness campaigns and individual support.

Those things matter. But there’s another question worth asking: 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?

is beginning to suggest that the working environment may matter more than we think. (Swipe through the images to read in detail)

- 2024 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11431501/?)

- A systematic review from 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐖 (https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/14/12/4025?)

And the physical side matters too.
- 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 (https://www.op.ac.nz/research/research-stories/prefabricated-construction-safety)

That distinction is important. OSC isn't a shortcut to better mental health.

A factory can introduce its own pressures : production targets, repetitive work, coordination demands and new safety risks. But it gives us something a traditional construction site often doesn't: more control over the conditions in which people work.

-More predictable environments.
-More opportunities for mechanization.
-Better control of weather exposure.
-Less work happening simultaneously in the same space.
-And the ability to design processes around people, rather than asking people to constantly adapt to unpredictable sites.

Interestingly, a 2026 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 found that only one of 160 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 it examined specifically addressed psychosocial exposures in off-site or prefabricated construction. (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2026.1868534)

And perhaps that's the conversation worth having this .

Not just: “How can we help construction workers cope with the pressures of the job?” But also: “How can we design the job so that some of those pressures aren't there in the first place?”

At OCRC, we're interested in what happens when we look at construction through that lens: productivity, safety, building performance and worker well-being aren't necessarily separate conversations.

What would construction look like if worker well-being was considered at the design stage of the work itself?

10/05/2026

Free pizza. Cool research. What more do you need? 🍕

Join the UNB Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC) for a casual Lunch & Learn as part of UNB’s Research Celebration Week.

📅 Thursday, October 8
🕧 12:30–1:30 p.m.
📍 Head Hall, Room C9

Come grab some pizza and get a quick look at what’s happening at OCRC. From off-site and modular construction and advanced manufacturing to building performance, digital technologies and our High Performance Buildings Research Lab.

We’ll also highlight how students can get involved in OCRC research and industry projects.

Register Now: https://lnkd.in/gTxS6EqZ

Come for the pizza. Stay for the research. 🍕🏗️

No need to overthink it; just bring yourself (and maybe a friend) and drop by!

10/05/2026

🏠 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Canada doesn’t have one climate, one building code, or one housing need.

So why would we expect one construction solution to work everywhere?

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) offer something more valuable than simply building faster: the ability to adapt.

🌨️ 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.
A housing system designed for Atlantic Canada needs to account for snow, wind, freeze-thaw cycles, moisture and coastal exposure. Off-site construction can improve consistency and quality control by moving much of the work into a controlled factory environment.

🏗️ 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.
Standards such as CSA A277 provide a framework for certifying the manufacturing process and quality control of factory-built and modular construction.

🏘️ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.
In Nova Scotia, modular public housing has been used across communities including Glace Bay, Ingonish, Port Hawkesbury, Antigonish, Amherst, Springhill, Westville and Barrington, showing how a common construction approach can serve very different communities. (https://lnkd.in/eTpq_4xi)

🏠 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨.
A 10-unit public housing development in Fredericton is using modular construction, with components built off-site using local materials and assembled on site. (https://lnkd.in/gkPx-wX9)

🚛 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
A 38-unit modular rental townhome project in Halifax used modules manufactured at the Prestige Homes facility in Sussex, New Brunswick, then transported and craned into place in Halifax. The project demonstrated how factory production can help address both skilled-labour constraints and Atlantic Canada’s challenging construction seasons (https://lnkd.in/gTrpZ-XT)

And that's the key: 𝐌𝐌𝐂 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚. It's about creating systems that can be standardized where it makes sense; and adapted where it matters.

Different climate.
Different community.
Different housing type.
Different site.

𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥: 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.

For Atlantic Canada, the future of MMC isn't 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞-𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬-𝐚𝐥𝐥. It's 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 + 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

10/01/2026

☕ 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲!

Today at UNB Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC), we’re celebrating the one thing that has supported more meetings, deadlines and questionable early-morning decisions than any project plan ever could.

𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞.

Hot. Iced. Black. Milky. Fancy. Questionably strong.

Whatever your order, we hope your cup is full and your caffeine levels are appropriately managed. 😂

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐕𝐏 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐂’𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠. ☕

10/01/2026

🍕 Pizza + research? We’re in.

Join UNB Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC) for the Lunch & Learn and get a behind-the-scenes look at what we do; from our HPBR Lab and industry research to advanced manufacturing and opportunities for students to get involved.

📅 Thursday, October 8
🕧 12:30–1:30 p.m.
📍 Head Hall, C9

We’ll bring the pizza. You bring the questions.
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐰: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/s16E3s3CTq

Come grab a slice and find out what’s happening at OCRC!

09/30/2026

🧡 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

September 30 is a day to listen, learn, reflect and remember.

At OCRC, we recognize the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools and honour the Survivors, their families and the children who never returned home.

Truth and reconciliation calls on all of us to understand the past, acknowledge its impacts, and contribute to building a future grounded in respect, understanding and meaningful relationships.

Today, we encourage our community to take time to learn from Indigenous voices, reflect on what reconciliation means in our work and communities, and consider the role each of us can play.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 🧡

09/25/2026

🔬 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐍𝐁? 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬.

UNB Off-site Construction Research Centre (OCRC) will be at the UNB Research Centre & Institute Showcase on 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 7, as part of 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 2026.

Stop by our booth to learn more about how we’re working with industry, researchers and students to tackle real-world challenges in construction — from 𝐨𝐟𝐟-𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

📍 Richard J. Currie Center, UNB Fredericton
📅 Wednesday, October 7
🕤 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Drop-in

Whether you’re already familiar with OCRC or hearing about us for the first time, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐢, 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧.

See you there! 👋

09/24/2026

🚧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐲

Construction is complex. But some rules should be simple.

Here are a few that every construction site should live by:

1. Safety is never the schedule’s problem.
No deadline is more important than sending everyone home safely.

2. Measure twice. Build once.
Small mistakes in the field can become expensive problems later.

3. If you can’t build it consistently, you can’t scale it.
Repeatability is at the heart of productivity.

4. Don’t solve the same problem twice.
Document lessons learned and make them part of the next project not just the next meeting.

5. Design for the way it will actually be built.
A great design on paper means little if it creates unnecessary complexity in the field.

6. Keep materials moving, not people searching.
Good logistics and planning can save hours of wasted labor.

7. Quality starts before the materials reach the site.
Better design, procurement, prefabrication and quality control upstream can prevent problems downstream.

8. Standardize what you can. Customize what you must.
Not every building needs to be reinvented from scratch.

9. Build the feedback loop.
The people doing the work often know where the process breaks down. Listen to them.

10. Leave the next project better than you found it.
Every project should generate knowledge that makes the next one safer, faster and better.

The future of construction isn't just about new technology.

It's about 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒅𝒐.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭?

UNB OCRC

10/13/2026

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10/10/2026

10/05/2026

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