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OTTAWA — Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser says the federal government’s new Housing Design Catalogue will be launched in December with 50 conceptual designs commissioned by the federal government through an RFP process.

The catalogue will provide standardized designs and is intended to reduce the time required for design, approvals and construction of new housing.

Row housing, fourplexes, sixplexes and accessory dwelling units will be included. Builders will be able to use the catalogue to speed up the delivery of housing across the country, stated Fraser.

The successful proponents of the RFP process, who will create the low-rise designs, are MGA | Michael Green Architecture, which will deliver designs covering the British Columbia region; and LGA Architectural Partners Ltd., which will work with five other teams of regional experts to deliver designs covering the rest of Canada

In the first iteration of the catalogue, the government will also look to include designs selected through an additional open submission process, launched Oct. 14. The Prefabricated Housing Industry Design Submission process is inviting industry members to submit existing prefabricated housing designs.

The program is also seeking information on the current products, capabilities and technologies in the industry, as well as the role of prefabricated and other innovative homebuilding techniques in speeding up the pace of construction.

Companies building modular, panelized and 3D printed houses have until Nov. 8 to respond to the submission.

The announcement stated the Prefabricated Housing Industry Design Submission will also support an industrial strategy for homebuilding that will help further expedite homebuilding, provide additional ideas on how homes can be built, and reduce housing costs. 

In November, the federal government will also launch a competition to source innovative designs for mid-rise buildings that will help inform the next iteration of the catalogue.

The first iteration of the catalogue will include floor plans, drawings and basic information about each of the proposed designs. This will be followed by permit-ready design packages in early 2025, which will include all the necessary drawings, specifications and documents for how each design will be constructed and perform.

Accessing federal funding under the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund is conditional on provinces and territories collaborating with the federal government to adopt designs from the Housing Design Catalogue.

The federal government is also integrating other programs and initiatives with the Housing Design Catalogue. 

“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,” stated Fraser. “The Housing Design Catalogue will help get us there by expediting approval processes and building times, and reducing the cost of building.”