Based on Standards
Built on existing and emerging national standards — informing future standards and practical CTO adoption.
Configure-to-Order Housing: Simple, Affordable, Scalable
Upgrading how we deliver housing, with standardized, pre-engineered, interoperable home products — all pre-designed to scale sustainably and affordably.
About the Alliance
Who We Are
The CTO Housing Alliance is an industry alliance dedicated to transforming construction from custom-engineered projects to assembling Configure-to-Order products. We connect supply-side product development with real demand — using shared standards and interoperable components to make better housing easier to deliver.
Car configurator, not custom automobile engineering — that’s the shift: ETO → CTO.
The Shift
From Engineering Projects to Configuring Products
Most buildings are still engineered one at a time — every project starts near a blank slate. Configure-to-Order moves the customer’s order later in the process: design and engineering are completed once, at the product level, so each order configures validated products instead of restarting the work.
Design
Engineering
Production
Assembly
ETO
Engineer-to-Order
MTO
Modify-to-Order
CTO
Configure-to-Order
Our Focus
STO
Select-to-Order
Everything engineered per project
Products configured on demand →
Standardized — engineered once, as a product
Custom — engineered for each project
Customer order point
Framework adapted from Patrik Jensen, Configuration of Platform Architectures in Construction (2014).
This framework is developed and stewarded by the Center for Offsite Construction — the research home of the ETO → CTO transition and the emerging national interface standards behind it. The CTO Housing Alliance is the trade organization built on that model, organizing the industry around Configure-to-Order delivery.
Mission
Leading the Configure-to-Order Housing Revolution
Streamlined Processes
Accelerating design, approval and construction for faster delivery by relying on pre-engineered, listed products.
Sustainable Housing
Promoting scalability, sustainability and affordability by eliminating redundant process and waste.
More Coming Soon
The Alliance Is Just Getting Started
We’re building the foundations of Configure-to-Order housing — standards engagement, member programs and the future CTO Marketplace. Sign up and we’ll keep you informed as each takes shape.
You’re on the list
Thanks — we’ll be in touch as the Alliance grows. In the meantime, reach us anytime at info@ctoha.org.
Get Involved
Join Us in Revolutionizing Housing Practices
Connect with us today to learn how you can contribute to creating affordable, sustainable, and scalable housing solutions nationwide.
Join the Alliance