S.J. Company Invests $2-Million To Research ‘Off-Site Construction’ At UNB
SAINT JOHN – Local construction group OSCO is investing $2-million in the University of New Brunswick to establish a new Centre for Off-site Construction and to fund research led by the new OSCO Chair in Off-site Construction.
Off-site construction essentially means planning, designing and fabricating building elements in a factory-controlled environment for rapid assembly at a job site.
Off-site building elements can incorporate a wide range of materials made into many sizes and configurations, such as individual components, flat-packed panels and room-size modules.
This method of construction reduces waste, promotes sustainability, compresses time schedules and overall, results in better quality products.
The OSCO Chair in Off-site Construction will be a leading specialist in the field and build on the faculty of engineering’s current strengths in civil engineering and related pre-manufacturing technology. The Chair will seek opportunities for partnership within the university and with world-renowned construction experts.
“The University of New Brunswick and OSCO Construction Group share a vision to make New Brunswick a global leader in modular manufacturing and off-site construction,” said UNB President and Vice-Chancellor Eddy Campbell in a release.
“This partnership will bring UNB to the forefront of innovation in the world and increase product export opportunities for New Brunswick manufacturing companies.”
UNB boasts a unique combination of strengths in research, teaching, and entrepreneurship that facilitate growth in this important sector of Canada’s economy.
Many civil engineering faculty members have international profiles, with expertise in the fields of construction, materials, structural, and transportation engineering.
Hans Klohn, president of OSCO Construction Group, believes that the investment in research at UNB will build critical capacity in this emerging area of construction.
“OSCO is focused on creating more value-added construction solutions and improving the overall construction delivery model for our customers,” said Klohn.
“Designs which can optimize both off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly are faster, cheaper, safer and better for the environment than using the traditional ‘stick-built’ method.”
Banner photo: Eddy Campbell, President and Vice-Chancellor, UNB; Hans O. Klohn, President, OSCO Construction Group; Jeff Rankin, Chair of Civil Engineering, UNB; Chris Diduch, Dean of Engineering, UNB; John K.F. Irving, Chairman and CEO of OSCO Construction Group and President of Ocean Capital Holdings Limited; Bob Skillen, Vice-President (Advancement), UNB. Image: submitted/UNB Media Services.