1. Affordability and Diverse Housing Options:
- Missing Middle Housing: There's a strong demand for housing types between detached homes and high-rise condos, like townhouses, multiplexes, and low-rise apartment buildings. This helps create more varied and accessible housing options for different income levels and family sizes.
- Affordable Housing: The housing crisis is a major concern. Innovative and scalable solutions for deeply affordable and supportive housing are crucial, often incorporating modular construction and thoughtful design to integrate into existing neighborhoods.
- Multigenerational Living Spaces: With changing demographics, designs that accommodate multiple generations under one roof, offering both shared spaces and privacy, are increasingly sought after.
2. Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility:
- Energy Efficiency: Passive solar design, high-performance building envelopes (advanced insulation, airtight sealing, triple-glazed windows), and energy-efficient appliances are becoming standard.
- Low-Carbon Materials and Construction: A focus on reducing embodied carbon through material choices and construction methods (e.g., prefabrication, modular).
- Green Infrastructure: Incorporating green roofs, urban farming, and biophilic design (connecting occupants with nature) to improve environmental performance and well-being.
- Climate Resilience: Designing buildings and public spaces that can withstand extreme weather events and changing climate conditions.
3. Community-Focused and Human-Centric Design:
- Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Preservation: Breathing new life into historic buildings by repurposing them for modern uses, preserving the city's character while creating unique and sustainable spaces.
- Pedestrian-Friendly Design: Prioritizing pedestrian experience with well-designed street-level interactions, clear pathways, and engaging facades.
4. Innovation and Aesthetics:
- Innovative Building Design: unique architectural expressions to add visual interest and break up monotony.
- Smart Home Integration: Incorporating technology for convenience, comfort, security, and energy management.
- Functionality and Flexibility: Designs that can adapt to changing needs, whether through open-concept layouts in homes or flexible common spaces in larger developments.
- Biophilic Design: Integrating natural elements and views into buildings to enhance occupant well-being and connection to the environment.
5. Thoughtful Urban Integration:
- Contextual Sensitivity: Designing buildings that respond to their surrounding neighborhood, respecting scale, existing character, and sightlines.
- Transit-Oriented Development (TOD): Locating developments near public transit hubs to encourage sustainable transportation and reduce reliance on cars.