Healthy Product Platforms
Standardized and adaptable product platforms that balance efficiency with design freedom to support scalable, resilient housing delivery.
Vision
The North American IC Product Platform Rulebook is an open-access guide to support industry – clients, consultants, contractors, manufacturers and product suppliers – in building capability and capacity to develop and deploy product platforms to meet demand.”
Problem
The offsite construction industry is bringing ETO products to market, largely without studying how to delivery such elements in a CTO marketplace. Firm leaders and designers need a handbook to orient them to this larger context, and how to organize their own R & D to ensure firm survival.
The Current Awkward Hybrid
North American offsite firms are experimenting with elements of platform thinking, but without a coherent framework. Manufacturers release ETO versions of pods, panels, or modules, to serve clients, not customers. Still, each is tied to proprietary interfaces and firm-specific processes. Designers treat components as bespoke, integrating them project-by-project. This leads to redundancy, limited reuse, and fragile supply chains. Without a high-order rulebook, firms cannot distinguish between incremental innovation and systemic alignment. As a result, promising prototypes rarely scale, and the market remains fragmented.
The CTO Marketplace
A US IC Product Platform Rulebook anchors the industry in a shared language and set of design rules. Instead of bespoke silos, interoperable product families emerge, each structured around common interfaces and data standards. Manufacturers can specialize, designers can configure, and clients can procure with confidence. The result is a healthy ecosystem where innovation propagates across projects, competition drives quality, and scale economies lower costs.
| GRANT PROPOSAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
Project Narrative
To develop a consensus-based, open-access guide that establishes the rules, principles, and development framework for product platforms in North American construction. The Rulebook will provide manufacturers, designers, and clients with a common language, performance expectations, and guidance for creating interoperable kits-of-parts, enabling a Configure-to-Order (CTO) building marketplace.
Rationale
- The UK Product Platform Rulebook has shown that common, repeatable elements, stable interfaces, and open standards can accelerate productivity, reduce cost, and improve quality in construction.
- North America lacks a harmonized framework for product platforms that can bridge the client–project–product domains across jurisdictions, codes, and supply chains.
- A North American version would adapt the UK framework to U.S., Canadian, and Mexican market conditions, regulatory systems, and industrial capabilities.
Deliverables
Rulebook Structure
- Fundamentals – definitions, benefits, and challenges of product platforms in the North American context.
- Rules & Principles – defining deployable, configurable platforms with common repeatable elements, open interfaces, structured information, and circularity requirements.
- Guidance – a Product Platform Development Framework tailored to North American procurement, manufacturing, and building code realities.
- Recommendations & Legacy – governance, updates, and adoption strategies.
- Best Practice – North American case studies across housing, healthcare, education, and commercial sectors.
Pilot Application
- Measure against metrics for productivity, cost, carbon, and social value.
- Partner with selected manufacturers and developers to test the draft Rulebook on at least two live projects (e.g., affordable housing, modular schools).
Budget
| Project Phase | Description | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Project Initiation & Steering Committee Formation | Recruitment, charter development, governance framework, and stakeholder mapping | $50,000 |
| Phase 2: Research & Literature Review | Analysis of UK Rulebook, related standards, and North American regulatory landscape | $50,000 |
| Phase 3: Stakeholder Engagement & Workshops | Multi-city in-person and virtual sessions with manufacturers, regulators, and clients | $400,000 |
| Phase 4: Drafting Core Rules & Framework | Authoring Rulebook sections, interface standards, and platform guidance | $450,000 |
| Phase 5: Pilot Testing & Case Studies | Partner-led project implementation to test draft provisions, collect data | $350,000 |
| Phase 6: Revisions & Public Consultation | Feedback incorporation, open comment portal, targeted stakeholder reviews | $300,000 |
| Phase 7: Publication & Dissemination | Graphic design, digital publication, printing, launch events, and conference presentations | $150,000 |
| Phase 8: Project Management & Administration | Full-time project manager, admin support, reporting, and compliance | $50,000 |
| Contingency | Reserve for unforeseen costs | $150,000 |
| Total | $1,950,000 | |
Key Outcomes
- A widely endorsed North American Product Platform Rulebook that accelerates the shift from bespoke, project-based delivery toward interoperable, manufacturing-informed systems.
- Reduced barriers to market entry for product platform providers.
- A stronger foundation for CTO marketplaces and AI-driven configurators.
- A path toward regulatory and code alignment across jurisdictions.
Assessment
The project is best assessed by UK counterparts. Evaluation will track three measures:
- (1) consensus-building — the extent to which diverse stakeholders endorse the Rulebook;
- (2) adoption — evidence of manufacturers, developers, and regulators applying its principles in live projects; and
- (3) impact — measurable improvements in speed, cost, or carbon reduction compared to baseline ETO delivery.
Success means the Rulebook is not just published but actively structuring the CTO marketplace.
Key Partners
- Modular Building Institute (MBI) – Convene industry manufacturers, integrate Rulebook with ongoing modular standards efforts, and coordinate outreach to member companies.
- International Code Council (ICC) – Advise on code alignment and interface with regulatory authorities to ensure Rulebook compatibility with U.S., Canadian, and Mexican building codes.
- Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) – Provide cross-border technical standards expertise and harmonization strategies for manufacturing and product performance requirements.
- Leading Manufacturers & Developers – Supply case studies, participate in pilot testing, and validate Rulebook provisions through real-world project implementation.