An innovative tool to support homebuilding
The Housing Design Catalogue draws on lessons from the history of homebuilding in Canada and applies them to the housing challenges of the 21st century.
Flexible Housing Solutions
Canada needs more homes—and we need to build them faster and smarter. The Housing Design Catalogue offers ready-to-use designs for regions across Canada that are affordable, efficient, accessible and sustainable. Using standardized designs helps communities speed up approvals, build faster and deliver housing that works for everyone.
- Features more than 50 home designs for all regions across the country. Designs include rowhouses, townhouses, fourplexes, sixplexes and detached accessory dwelling units. Each design is tailored to regional climate, regulations, construction methods and materials.
- This is one of many initiatives in Canada’s Housing Plan aimed at building more homes.
- Standardized plans reduce the time and cost involved in designing a home. When combined with streamlined local approvals, they can speed up the design and construction process.
- Designs include accessible-ready and enhanced accessible layouts developed with Accessibility Standards Canada.
- Designs exceed code minimum requirements for energy efficiency, targeting National Building Code of Canada 2020 Tier 3 (or Energy Step Code – Step 4 in BC), which leads to enhanced comfort and lower operating costs. Performance can be further upgraded if desired.
- Developed based on the National Building Code of Canada 2020 (Part 9: Housing and Small Buildings and other applicable sections), as adopted by each province and territory.
- Designs are region-specific; using them elsewhere may require modifications.
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Local architects and engineers teams involved in developing the catalogue designs included:
- Michael Green Architecture (MGA) - British Columbia
- LGA Architecture Partners (LGA) - Ontario
- 5468796 Architecture - Manitoba and Saskatchewan
- Abbott Brown Architects - New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
- Dub Architects - Alberta
- Taylor Architecture Group (TAG) - Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
- KANVA - Quebec
Inspired by our history
The Government of Canada is drawing inspiration from CMHC’s post-war housing design catalogue, first developed between the 1940s and 1970s. As an innovative solution to housing shortages, the catalogue provided builders with cost-effective standardized plans, simplifying construction and accelerating the delivery of new homes.
The post-war catalogue had a major influence on urban planning and development. Models such as the 1.5 storey “Victory Home” remain common fixtures in neighbourhoods across Canada.
Consulting with the housing sector
The Government of Canada led a targeted engagement process with the housing sector in Canada to seek expert feedback on the opportunities and challenges of implementing this tool. The results of this process are summarized in the What We Heard report.
Read the report