But permit-ready designs for homebuilders won't be ready until 2025
The federal government will roll out the first iteration of its first standardized housing design catalogue in December, but the designs won’t be ready for permits until early 2025.
Housing minister Sean Fraser announced that the catalogue, a key part of the government's strategy to address the housing crisis, will feature up to 50 conceptual designs, including modular and prefabricated homes.
These initial designs will include row houses, fourplexes, sixplexes, and accessory dwelling units, but builders will need to wait until early next year for the permit-ready, regionally compliant design packages.
"We need to build more homes, faster to end Canada's housing crisis and ensure that everyone has a safe and affordable place to call their own," Fraser said in his announcement. "The Housing Design Catalogue will help get us there by expediting approval processes and building times, and reducing the cost of building."
Once completed, the catalogue is expected to make it easier for builders to access pre-approved designs and reduce bottlenecks in the housing supply chain. The hope is that these measures could help builders navigate complex regional building codes and alleviate some of the pressure from housing shortages across the country
The catalogue will include floor plans, drawings, and basic information, with full details on construction requirements and estimated costs arriving in 2025. The aim is to provide builders with a streamlined process for constructing homes, reducing both time and costs.
The federal government selected two architectural firms to lead the design efforts: MGA | Michael Green Architecture, responsible for designs in British Columbia, and LGA Architectural Partners, covering Alberta, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, and Northern Canada.
Additionally, the government is inviting industry members to submit their existing prefabricated housing designs, with a November 8 deadline for submissions. Companies that specialize in modular, 3D printed, or panelized houses will have a chance to have their designs included in the catalogue.
Read more: Canada opens bids for low-rise housing design catalogue
Canada has committed $11.6 million in the 2024-25 budget to fund the development of the catalogue, which is seen as a critical step toward streamlining the housing approval and construction process.
The government will also launch a competition in November to source innovative designs for mid-rise buildings, with these designs expected to appear in future iterations of the catalogue.
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