Proposals seeks new housing design proposals
Canada has taken another step towards its goal of accelerating housing construction, launching a formal search for design firms to create a national low-rise housing design catalogue.
Infrastructure Canada has announced a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the Housing Design Catalogue, seeking proposals from residential design service firms to produce a series of flexible designs that will form the federal low-rise housing design catalogue.
The RFP, which closes on August 7, aims to develop up to 50 low-rise housing designs, including row housing, fourplexes, sixplexes, and accessory dwelling units. These designs are intended to be used by provinces, territories, and municipalities to simplify and accelerate housing approvals and builds.
"We need to build more homes, faster, and Canada's Housing Plan provides the blueprint to get us there,” Sean Fraser, minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, said in a release. “As a country, we need to innovate, deploy new tools and cut red tape to fast track construction. The Housing Design Catalogue provides an opportunity to find modern day solutions to the housing challenges of today.”
The development of the Housing Design Catalogue follows a series of targeted engagements with industry professionals, technical experts, homebuilders, non-profit housing providers, and various levels of government.
These consultations, conducted since January, have informed the types of designs, features, and amenities to be included in the catalogue, as well as strategies for its adoption and implementation across different regions of Canada.
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The first iteration of the Catalogue is expected to be available in late 2024. Future versions may explore opportunities to leverage new construction methods such as modular and pre-fabrication.
To support this initiative, Budget 2024 allocated $11.6 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The project is being managed by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) on behalf of the Government of Canada.
“I am excited to introduce standardized designs later this year that will help builders construct cost-effective, labour efficient, energy efficient homes that are also built rapidly and affordably,” Fraser added.
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