MODS, a Canadian modular construction company focused on multi-residential projects, has started integrating Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform across its housing developments as it works to bring design, fabrication, and on-site assembly into a single connected system.
The deployment brings digital twin technology into the core of MODS’s development process, covering work from early-stage design through to delivery. The company is also bringing its supplier network onto the same system, bringing coordination closer to a manufacturing-style workflow.
The plan is linked to a $500m pipeline of construction projects that MODS intends to deliver using virtual twin models, supply chain tools, and AI-based features available on Dassault Systèmes’ cloud platform. The system will be run under a Virtual Twin-as-a-Service model, where Dassault Systèmes manages updates and ongoing maintenance of the platform.
Rethinking how housing projects are coordinated
Dassault Systèmes, a France-based software company that develops 3D design, simulation, and product lifecycle management tools, is providing the digital infrastructure behind MODS’s approach. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will be used to link design teams, off-site fabrication units, and on-site construction activity within a shared digital environment.
The integration is intended to reduce fragmentation across project stages by allowing different participants in the construction process to work within a common virtual model. This includes coordination with suppliers and production partners involved in modular housing delivery.
The approach treats multi-residential construction less as a step-by-step process and more as a connected system, with digital modelling used to align different stages of development.
Housing demand adds pressure to construction timelines
The deployment comes as Canada faces a significant housing shortfall, with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimating that 3.5 million additional homes will be needed by 2030 to restore affordability levels.
Traditional multi-residential construction follows a linear process from site preparation to completion, and is often affected by labour shortages, weather conditions, fragmented supply chains, and variations in execution timelines.
MODS says projects delivered through the virtual twin system could be completed approximately 20% to 50% faster than conventional construction, depending on project conditions. The company also estimates potential cost reductions of 10% to 20%, pointing to reduced material waste, bulk procurement, fixed-price factory contracts, and supply chain efficiencies.
Faster completion timelines may also reduce financing costs, shorten interest and carrying periods, and accelerate refinancing cycles for developers involved in multi-residential projects.
Shift towards more integrated construction systems
MODS founder and chief executive Matteo Fiorilli said construction has traditionally been a fragmented, site-driven industry, and that the company aims to apply industrial manufacturing principles to multi-residential development through virtual twin systems.
Erik Swedberg, executive vice president, Americas at Dassault Systèmes, said the combination of MODS’s modular construction expertise and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform creates a connected environment designed to improve coordination and scalability across construction workflows.
The announcement reflects a wider shift towards digital tools that align design, manufacturing, and assembly processes in construction, particularly in modular housing, where off-site production already plays a central role.
