03 Dec 2024
Twenty + Change, in collaboration with Canadian Architect magazine, proudly announces the release of the sixth edition of Twenty + Change: New Perspectives, featuring 20 emerging Canadian architecture practices that are pushing boundaries and exploring innovative solutions to today’s challenges. This collection highlights projects and practices exploring prefabrication, infill housing, and new models for architectural practice, along with a growing emphasis on environmental sustainability and cross-disciplinary collaboration – paving the way for the next generation to redefine the field and address global challenges.
Twenty + Change is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and showcasing emerging Canadian architectural practices, with a commitment to fostering new perspectives and innovation in contemporary design and the built environment. By promoting the exchange of ideas and highlighting the work of a new generation of architects, Twenty + Change features practices setting a bold agenda for excellence through both built and speculative work.
Led by Heather Dubbeldam, Director of Twenty + Change and Principal of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, along with Elsa Lam, Editor of Canadian Architect magazine, the sixth edition of Twenty + Change represents the outcome of an open call for submissions and careful consideration by a curatorial team representing architectural practices from across the country. The curatorial team includes Marie-Chantal Croft of Écobâtiment (Quebec City), Susan Fitzgerald of FBM (Halifax), Andrew Hill of StudioAC (Toronto), and Ben Klumper of Modern Office of Design + Architecture (Calgary).
“The sixth edition of Twenty + Change presents a diverse array of concerns and preoccupations that respond to the current architectural landscape,” notes Heather Dubbeldam.
A notable rise in firms rooted in environmental sustainability underscores this shift—practices such as Architecture écologique (Montreal), BoON (Quebec City), and Poiesis (Toronto) include Passive House-certified designers, ensuring expertise in creating high-performance buildings. Mindful Architecture (North Vancouver) offers innovative projects that integrate cradle-to-cradle living wall systems, mass timber, and 3D-printed solar pit houses inspired by traditional Indigenous circular forms.
Infill housing and prefabrication are also prominent themes, with firms like COMN (Toronto) and Alexandre Bernier (Montreal) pioneering approaches to urban infill, while AtLRG (Winnipeg) has built a reputation for transforming complex urban sites, from new builds to adaptive reuse such as office-to-residential conversions. Leckie Studio Architecture + Design (Vancouver) and VFA Architecture + Design (Toronto) are notable for their prefabricated housing projects, such as Leckie’s Backcountry Hut cabins and TripTych urban housing, and VFA’s Ukkei Homes, which offer affordable, modular laneway suites.
New models for architectural practice and cross-disciplinary approaches are also well represented. LAAB (Montreal) leverages UX modelling to embed strategic design into its services, while Pivot (Montreal), one of a handful of architecture co-ops in Canada, reimagines traditional practice structures with an egalitarian approach. Monument (Toronto) bridges the gap between art and architecture, and Future Simple Studio (Montreal) integrates branding and product prototyping with residential and commercial projects. Oxbow (Regina and Saskatoon) situates architecture as an extension of landscape design.
The edition also highlights a growing interest in contextualism and cross-cultural influences. Laura Killam (Vancouver) draws inspiration from her upbringing along the Salish Sea, while Blanchette (Montreal) infuses Nordic design sensibilities into its work. s.no (Whitehorse) offers unique perspectives tied to its regional context, and Odami (Toronto) merges European and Canadian architectural ideas through a partnership that embodies cross-cultural dialogue. Rafael Santa Ana Architecture Workshop (Vancouver) emphasizes diversity and draws on the experiences of its immigrant staff to shape its practice, and EHA (Vancouver) takes a cross-generational approach, designing spaces that support community-based elder care.
“Any emerging practice spends some time getting its footing," says Elsa Lam. "And then, with some luck, it begins to be able to ask bigger questions: what is Canadian architecture now? And what might it become?”.
These 20 emerging practices exemplify the evolving landscape of Canadian architecture, showcasing diverse perspectives and inspiring new directions for the profession.
New perspectives featured practices:
Alexandre Bernier Architecte - Montreal, QC
Architecture écologique - Montreal, QC
AtLRG Architecture - Winnipeg, MB
blanchette archi.design - Montreal, QC
BoON Architecture - Quebec City, QC
COMN Architects - Toronto, ON
EHA (Eitaro Hirota Architecture) - Vancouver, BC
Future Simple Studio - Montreal, QC
LAAB architecture - Montreal, QC
Laura Killam Architecture - Vancouver, BC
Leckie Studio Architecture + Design - Vancouver, BC
Mindful Architecture - North Vancouver, BC
Nonument - Toronto, ON
Odami - Toronto, ON
Oxbow Architecture - Regina, SK
Pivot - Montreal, QC
Poiesis Architecture - Toronto, ON
Rafael Santa Ana Architecture Workshop - Vancouver, BC
s.no architecture - Whitehorse, YT
VFA Architecture + Design - Toronto, ON
Sponsors:
Twenty + Change: New Perspectives would not be possible without the financial assistance of our incredible sponsors. We are grateful to the following organizations for their generous support of this initiative.
Patron sponsors—Blackwell Engineers, SvN Architects & Planners and Dubbeldam Architecture + Design;
Supporting sponsors—Diamond Schmitt Architects, KPMB Architects, Arcadis, DTAH, Gow Hastings Architects, Andreu World, MJMA Architecture & Design, DIALOG;
Benefactor sponsors—BDP Quadrangle, Montgomery Sisam Architects, LGA Architectural Partners;
Media sponsors— V2com newswire, A+Dwire
