UNLEARN Podcast: John Avrett on the Future of Modular Home Building

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Manila, Philippines, May 2025. Hive Modular founder and CEO John Avrett joined entrepreneur, author, and business strategist Barry O'Reilly on the UNLEARN Podcast to discuss the future of housing, modular home building, and how factory-style construction can help address the global housing crisis.

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In the conversation, John shares his unusual path from US diplomat and aerospace engineer to founding Hive Modular in the Philippines, and what a prefab home exhibit in Canada first taught him about building smarter, faster homes. The episode explores how Hive applies car-factory production thinking to home construction, why steel frames and standardized modular bases unlock both speed and craft, and how the Philippines became Hive's manufacturing foundation for serving both domestic buyers and future export markets.

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UNLEARN is a podcast for executives, founders, and innovation leaders, and the conversation offers a clear view into the thinking behind Hive Modular's product approach: build like a car factory, design for resilience, and treat speed and quality as compatible rather than opposing goals.

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We're grateful to Barry O'Reilly for the thoughtful conversation, and for helping put Philippine modular construction in front of a global audience of business leaders.‍

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Listen to the full episode on the UNLEARN Podcast

Let's keep building. 🐝

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Originally published on Barry O'Reilly's UNLEARN Podcast.
Recap by the Marketing and Communications Team, Hive Modular.