Energy-Efficient Supportive Housing Buildings

We partnered with the YW Kitchener-Waterloo and Edge Architects Ltd. to construct two multi-unit residential buildings designed to provide affordable housing for single women experiencing homelessness in the Waterloo Region. A 4-story, 22,000 sq ft building and a smaller 3-story, 11,500 sq ft building occupy the space.

Thoughtfully designed using energy-efficient modular construction, the 41-unit first phase and the 10-unit second phase feature timber framing and cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor, roof, and wall panels. CLT substitutes typical building materials such as concrete, masonry, and steel for one combined modular panel allowing for a more cost-efficient and resilient system. The exterior of the building consists primarily of EIFS with punch-style residential windows.

We constructed the project with the assistance of the Region of Waterloo, CMHC, and the Federal Government’s Rapid Housing Initiative. The Rapid Housing Initiative aims to create and expedite new affordable housing for vulnerable people and populations targeted by the Federal National Housing Strategy.