Catalogue Housing

This lecture introduces the work of ReHousing, a design-forward, non-profit organization addressing housing challenges through applied research, consultation, and education. ReHousing brings together practitioners from LGA Architectural Partners and academic collaborators from the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto to explore real-world housing solutions through interdisciplinary experimentation.

Over the past three years, the team has developed a catalogue-based approach to housing design, spanning scales from home-to-multiplex conversions to small-scale apartment buildings. This research investigates the relationship between building typologies and planning policy, resulting in commissioned zoning studies for the Cities of Toronto and Ottawa.

ReHousing’s methodology aligns with national initiatives led by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to expand small- and medium-scale infill housing. Both LGA and ReHousing have been selected by CMHC to develop projects that apply this catalogue-based approach.

The lecture will present key research findings, highlight LGA’s commissioned National Housing Catalogue, and introduce ReHousing’s new web platform for citizen-developers, funded through CMHC’s Housing Supply Challenge. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how systematic, replicable design strategies can accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing across Canadian cities.

Speaker Bio:

Janna Levitt

BA, B.Arch, OAA, AAA, FRAIC

Partner, LGA Architectural Partners

Janna Levitt co-founded LGA Architectural Partners in 1993. As Partner in Charge, her projects include the Laurentian University's new McEwen School of Architecture, the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, the MabelleArts Park Pavilion, the CMHC National Housing Catalogue and the Ulster Multiplex Condo. She is currently teaching in the Housing/Urbanism Studio at U of T Daniels Faculty, having also been an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Waterloo and Dalhousie Schools of Architecture. Janna lectures widely on architecture and the arts and is an active jury member and panellist on architectural and urban design issues across the country. From 2011 to 2015 she served on the Canada Council Venice Biennale Advisory Committee. Janna is currently on the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel.

Samantha Eby

Co-founder and Executive Director, ReHousing

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Waterloo School of Architecture

Samantha Eby is an architect and researcher based in Toronto. She is a Co-founder and the Executive Director of ReHousing, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting housing creation through applied research, consultation, and education. She is also the Director of this—office, an architecture and spatial research practice. Her work investigates how design, policy, financing, and ownership structures intersect to shape the built environment, with particular attention to housing and affordability. In 2020, she was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Prix de Rome for Emerging Practitioners. In addition to her architecture and research practices, Samantha is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture.

Michael Piper

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Toronto, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design

Co-founder and Director of Research, ReHousing (Canada)

Michael Piper is an Associate Professor of urban design and architecture at the University of Toronto, and cofounder and director of research at ReHousing. His applied design research addresses real-world challenges, particularly how methods like typology can inform zoning policy. His interests include suburban retrofit, infill housing, and developing social and cultural bases for design. He pursues these interests by creatively reimagining political and economic challenges. At ReHousing, he develops frameworks and working methods for educational tools, policy consultation, and research. Piper's teaching foregrounds local challenges through engagement with community, institutional, and industry partnerships.

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