The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto has announced that Michael Piper, assistant professor of urban design and architecture, in collaboration with Janna Levitt, principal of LGA Architectural Partners, and Samantha Eby, a sessional instructor at the Daniels Faculty have received the 2023 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) President’s Medal for Outstanding Housing Research for a housing platform they co-created called ReHousing.ca.
The award, which includes a $25,000 prize, recognizes innovative and impactful Canadian housing research.
Th ReHousing initiative was developed in hopes of helping to make missing middle housing more attainable and shows “citizen developers” how to transform single-family homes into multiplexes.
While the website offers options for those looking to get into the housing market, it also aims to help mature homeowners who would like to remain in their homes while earning rental income for retirement. Additionally, it can help those looking to build additional housing for extended family, friends, or income tenants.
ReHousing uses clear language and drawings to explain the different types of multiplex housing and includes a step-by-step guide. It also provides information on the key components that make up a multiplex, and includes tips for efficient design.
The website also features a useful tool for Torontonians; a price-conscious housing catalogue that showcases how to convert the 13 most common Toronto houses into multiplexes with low, medium, and high complexity renovations, as well as models for new construction.
“We’re excited that our housing catalogue has received national recognition, especially as all three levels of government are promoting design catalogues as a key approach to realizing small-scale infill housing. The CMHC grant will help us to expand awareness of the ReHousing project by creating more how-to videos and to share our research further through social media,” said Piper.
Piper, Levitt and Eby are currently working on a second Toronto commission to study alternative neighbourhood densities, and have already used their research to contribute design analysis to Toronto’s recent multiplex zoning legislation.
ReHousing is also funded with a grant from the Neptis Foundation.
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