Ryan Smith co-authors HUD report advancing offsite construction for U.S. housing

Ryan Smith, director of the University of Arizona’s School of Architecture, is serving as a lead author on a newly released U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report titled “HUD’s Past, Present, and Future Role in Accelerating U.S. Offsite Construction for Housing: A Comparative Study and Action Plan.”

The report, published in partnership with MOD X and the National Institute of Building Sciences in March, outlines a comprehensive strategy to expand the role of offsite construction in addressing the nation’s housing challenges.

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Smith co-authored the report alongside Ivan Rupnik and Tyler Schmetterer, his collaborators and co-founders at MOD X.

Drawing from international case studies in the United States, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the report highlights how:

• Accelerating offsite construction can significantly increase housing supply, affordability, accessibility and overall quality.
• Regulatory reform and demand aggregation are prerequisites for effective offsite construction acceleration.
• A high-technology housing sector and national innovation system ensure that an offsite construction industry can function without government-led action and ongoing future investment.
• Education and knowledge exchange must be consistent throughout offsite construction acceleration efforts.

A central contribution of the report is the U.S. Offsite Action Plan, which proposes three key strategies:

1. Standard award criteria as an immediate demand aggregation tool.
2. Housing system certification as an intermediate regulatory reform mechanism.
3. Performance-based building code as a long-term framework for a national innovation system.

Smith emphasized that the work reflects broader efforts within the college, noting that he sees this report as part of multiple initiatives that reinforce CAPLA’s commitment to housing affordability and community equity through research, education and outreach.

Looking ahead, Smith outlined key indicators of progress for the Offsite Action Plan over the next five years. “Success in realizing the recommendations in the Offsite Action Plan will include the development of a Housing System Certification Program for authorities having jurisdiction to expedite housing approvals and inspections, and fostering regional housing innovation hubs for knowledge transfer in offsite construction,” he said.

Smith’s leadership in this effort reflects his longstanding work at the intersection of design, construction innovation and housing systems. The report also underscores the importance of collaboration, bringing together more than 200 experts across government, industry, academia and nonprofit sectors to inform its recommendations.

As housing affordability and supply remain critical national concerns, the report positions offsite construction as a viable and scalable solution—one that will require sustained coordination, education and policy alignment to realize its full potential.

Smith, who joined CAPLA in 2022 as the director of the School of Architecture, is a professor of architecture. He has been teaching, researching and consulting on offsite construction and housing, modular product research and development, and business strategy and market assessment for nearly 20 years.