The Canadian government has introduced a new approach to addressing the national housing crisis that has too many Canadians struggling to find an affordable place to call home. The government has launched a bold new approach to increasing housing supply: Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency that will build and finance affordable housing while improving the productivity of the homebuilding industry.
The Housing Design Catalogue is an attempt by the government to streamline the building process through full technical design packages which include practical, standardized housing designs for gentle density to encourage more building activity. It draws inspiration from the country’s post-war housing design catalogues that resulted in massive housing growth between the 1940s and 1970s.
The Housing Design Catalogue is designed to reduce the time and cost of developing construction plans that include detailed architectural and engineering drawings, reporting timelines, performance reports, a climate resiliency guide, and more that will accelerate approvals and thus construction starts. The catalogue showcases 50 standard housing designs for rowhouses, fourplexes, six-plexes, and accessory dwelling units, and is part of a greater government effort to double the rate of housing construction in Canada to drive affordability and accessibility for Canadians.
The standardization in the catalogue takes into consideration building requirements across Canada, which was possible with strong buy-in from local governments who are participating in a pre-review of the designs to streamline approvals.
The government began conducting targeted engagement with industry professionals and stakeholders in January 2024, to inform the types of designs, features, and amenities in the catalogue and to discuss the best way forward for its implementation. In July of the same year, the government launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) for low-rise designs as part of the Housing Design Catalogue.
Through this initiative, in concert with Build Canada Homes, the government plans to combine access to federal lands, industry experts, and flexible financing options to achieve greater progress on larger projects.
“Canada’s new government is stepping up with a bold new approach to increase the supply of housing in Canada, and with today’s release of the Housing Design Catalogue’s full technical designs, we are taking another important step to empower local builders to get shovels in the ground. By drawing on the expertise of Canadian architects, engineers, and designers—and collaborating closely with other orders of government—we are cutting red tape and helping to speed up approvals,” said the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada.
