Laurentian professor wins award for sustainable housing research using low-carbon materials and robotics

A Laurentian University architecture professor, Steven Beites, received an award for research on sustainable housing that combines robotics, digital fabrication, and low-carbon bio-based materials. His work focuses on building affordable homes for rural and remote communities in Northern Ontario using methods that reduce material waste and construction time. Beites is developing a cable-driven parallel robot that can be assembled on site to 3D print housing components. The goal is to augment skilled labor, not replace it, while cutting waste and making housing more affordable. The Institute for Northern Housing Innovation, which Beites directs, is prototyping a low-carbon prefabricated panel system designed for real world use in northern climates.