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September 21 and 22
2 days, 2 disciplines, 2 ways to participate – defining our professional roles and uniting to build more equitable, accessible and inspired communities.
#2GETHER2022
R-Hauz has embraced timber-driven technology to develop “missing middle” housing solutions that are fast, affordable, and sustainable, leveraging innovation in planning and development. Mass timber is a renewable building material, with a carbon impact significantly lower than concrete. Using mass timber and prefabricated materials allows for a shorter on-site construction period than traditional methods. Through timber construction and building information modelling (BIM) software, “missing middle” housing supply can be delivered as an economically feasible product, manufactured off site and assembled on site, incurring less neighbourhood disruption and significantly reducing construction waste. While BIM allows for structural repeatability, the R-Hauz method also allows for flexibility in floor-plan layouts, configurations, and exterior façade customization. The result is housing solutions for a variety of uses, such as purpose-built rental, multi-generational living, affordable housing, and live-work concepts. As mid-rise timber construction is a relatively new product in the market, the permitting and planning approval process required rethinking. Working with the municipality to introduce gentle densification, R-Hauz aligned the product framework to policy objectives and built-form guidelines. Creating an as-of-right model allows R-Hauz projects to move quickly through the entitlement process as a repeatable building permit. R-Hauz builds to a standard that exceeds the municipal and provincial building code for energy efficiency, with a passive house-inspired design. R-Hauz buildings minimize heat loss in cold seasons, offer increased indoor air quality, humidity control, and reduced operating costs and carbon footprint. The dedication to sustainability is furthered by a suite of green features, including electric power, green roofs, storm infiltration systems, grey water recycling, and smart, energy-efficient appliances. This session highlights the benefits of prefabricated panelized mass timber, BIM software, passive house-inspired design, and the potential to create more sustainable and liveable housing solutions across Ontario.