In our final discussion, the CfOC staff and guests focused on how standardized interfaces—like a “USB for buildings”—could accelerate the modular industry and unlock a true configure-to-order (CTO) marketplace. The CfOC is entering an agreement with the ICC to write that standard with our ANSI accreditation. 

This will quickly change many firm's path-to-market. As a result, we also announced an agreement the CfOC entered with Good Developments Group – to found the CTO Housing Alliance, and build a platform for CTO-capable firms to find (and delivery) multifamily projects faster. 

We asked:

• How do we engineer compatibility across manufacturers and trades?
• What makes a modular product viable at scale—technically, financially, and culturally?
• Who needs to be in the room to write the standards?

Key takeaways:

• Interface standards can reduce soft costs, increase reuse, and support global scaling.
• Building a CTO ecosystem means aligning engineering, finance, manufacturing, and inspection.
• Collaboration needs to start early—with investors, cities, GCs, and universities at the table.
• Modular isn’t one-size-fits-all, but strategic partnerships can shape repeatable models.
• It’s not just about raising capital—it’s about building a stable, mission-aligned market.

This is how you build a marketplace: not with hype, but with standards.
Let’s write the specs for the future of housing.

Some amazing feedback we heard after the discussion includes:

“The problem we’re solving for is a better requirement for simplicity. All these systems have to work together for functionality. We want to standardize the interfaces between all our products to reach that goal.We’ve seen folks try to enforce that vision by imposing it within an entire ecosystem that they own. That’s top-heavy and difficult to keep profitable. The CfOC is trying top create a de-centralized ecosystem, where stakeholders can tackle assembly constraints and limitations as like-minded teams – not employees. This is the way to a vibrant US offsite industry.” 

– Matt Ford (NY Tech School of Architecture)

“It was an honor to be a part of what you guys are building. You have a knack for finding those folks that are the most open to change and bringing them all into the same room. The energy was inspiring and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.“ 

- Aaron Small (ReFrame Systems)

#ModularMarketplace #CTO #OffsiteConstruction #BuildingStandards #ModularInterface #HousingInnovation #CfOC