People searching for a home in New Brunswick could soon move into a place built in a warehouse and quickly assembled on-site like giant building blocks.

The province hopes modular housing will be one of the keys to ramping up new projects and addressing the housing shortage. But the construction industry says this building approach is still new to New Brunswick and it will take time and government investment for the supply chain to catch up.

Jill Green, New Brunswick’s housing minister, said modular building is a growing, cost-effective way to get units built faster. She said it could shave months or even years off construction timelines.