With years of experience leading Paradigm Building Solutions, Philipp knows how to align people, process, and product to build high-performing teams. During his tenure as President and later as Chief Executive Officer of the Paradigm Group of Companies, the business experienced significant and sustained growth. Revenues increased substantially, the number of employees expanded in line with this growth, and the Group strengthened its reputation across the industry. His belief that “Leadership is not about being the best. It’s about making everyone else better” perfectly captures the culture we’re building at Assembly — one centered on growth, collaboration, and shared industry success.
Our next chapter is about more than scaling — it’s about changing the mindset from traditional onsite construction to a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach. Philipp brings valuable lessons and best practices from British Columbia, where DfMA is already proving its impact on quality, speed, and sustainability.
Our platform, into production
Assembly’s DfMA kit-of-parts system bridges customization and standardization to deliver efficient, repeatable buildings that meet the housing needs of the Greater Toronto Area. Philipp’s immediate focus is turning that platform into a fully functional factory — staffing, training, and refining the processes that will bring our vision to life.
Philipp’s role includes staffing the permanent team and training, process mapping, quality systems integration, supplier coordination, and metric development to keep production synchronized with design intent and site execution. As production lines go live and feedback loops tighten, expect streamlined design, increased capacity, and a measurable step-change in predictability across Assembly’s projects. With the factory underway and Philipp with his team now guiding the way, Assembly’s manufacturing era has begun — smarter, faster, and built for impact.
]]>Assembly and Sweden’s Lindbäcks announce factory acquisition and strategic partnership.
On February 6, 2025 we announced our factory acquisition and strategic partnership announcement with Lindbäcks Bygg (Group), a world leader in Industrialized construction out of Sweden. It’s time we take a deep dive, who is Lindbäcks?
Founded in 1924, Lindbäcks Group started as a non-industrialized construction company in the North of Sweden. While Stefan visited the Assembly office in Toronto, he recounted stories from his family’s business, and highlighted a foundational ethos of Lindbäcks; to find better solutions to problems. In his words, his grandfather (founder of Lindbäcks) has instilled the idea to “be curious and do the work.” – a sentiment shared deeply over at Assembly. Over decades of problem identification and creative solutions, a global leader of industrialized construction emerged.
In 2025, Lindbäcks is known for providing sustainable wooden housing solutions in the European market. While Lindbäcks has been approached by a breadth of global interest, the partnership between Lindbäcks and Assembly formed from aligned philosophies and Canada’s access to forest resources. As we know, Canada is amidst a housing crisis and is in critical need of housing, fast. The partnership is a serendipitous opportunity amongst an urgent call for action.
Amidst the housing opportunity, we are also at an ethical crossroads to consider climate action in all decisions moving forward. Thankfully, this is not just an obligatory factor, but a long-term approach that has been intertwined in the Lindbäcks ethos, from how they collaborate with communities to the material choices they make. ‘The development of our business should be driven in such a way that we can satisfy the needs of the market without destroying the opportunities for future generations to live, reside and work. We want to contribute to a sustainable future by building more healthy homes through a rational and industrial work process.’
Predating Lindbäcks operational factory, the company visited the factories of Toyota and Volvo adopting the Lean methodology which is “focusing on reducing work while increasing value.” When eliminating wasteful efforts, an organization notices an increase in efficiency, quality, time effectiveness, and productivity. Assembly followed the same method, pulling inspiration from Toyota, following lean principles. Not only will Assembly acquire factory equipment developed by Lindbäcks, but we will be mentored by them, making sure the planning, building and opening of the factory incorporates their lessons learnt. This global knowledge sharing is huge for the future of industrialized housing and signals a diplomatic recognition that ‘rising tides lift all boats.’
In 2024, The New York Times published, “How an American Dream of Housing Became a Reality in Sweden” which extensively dives into Lindbäcks well deserved podium position, and how North America can learn, adapt, and implement strategies to change the way we think about construction. We are happy to report that we are doing the work at Assembly, and this “American Dream” may in fact be better suited to emerge up North. After all, Canada and Sweden are similar in landscape, available resources and culture – and hockey, of course.
Now we must call on policy makers to work in the direction of sustainability and efficiency. Lindbäcks’ success cannot be siloed to company excellence, but must be recognized within the context of progressive policies from Sweden’s governing entities. While Canada is beginning to adapt, progressive change is paramount to solving the housing crisis.
Benchmarking an exciting milestone of the equipment acquisition and factory building process, the Assembly Factory plans have been sent in for SPA. With each day passing, dreams of Assembly are moving closer towards reality, with hopes of an operational facility in 2026. There is more to come on the official factory location announcement, so stay tuned on our Instagram and LinkedIn for all things Assembly.
IG: assemblycorp_
LinkedIn: Assembly Corp.
Sources:
“Hållbarhet.” Lindbäcks, https://lindbacks.se/bygga/hallbarhet/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Hamja, Amir. “How an American Dream of Housing Became a Reality in Sweden.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 June 2024.
YEC. “Lean Philosophy: The Way Of Business That Gave Rise To Industry Giants.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2021/01/14/lean-philosophy-the-way-of-business-that-gave-rise-to-industry-giants/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Xcq4ANNtE&feature=youtu.be. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Wood is a part of Assembly’s DNA. We love it for a whole host of construction and sustainability reasons, but often find it’s the feeling our wood buildings give that really resonates. Turns out it’s not just us in our feelings – there’s a term and science to back it up.
Wood is a natural element that can evoke a sense of connection with the outdoors and nature, a connection known as biophilia. Nurturing this connection between humans and nature has established wellness benefits and serves as a counterpoint to traditional approaches to the built environment that seek to separate people and the natural world.
People spend more time indoors than ever – these spaces must be conducive to health and happiness. A holistic approach to sustainable building considers the relationship between building materials, occupant experience and environmental impact. By utilizing natural wood materials and exposed wood elements, Assembly promotes psychological and physiological wellness.
Research has used autonomous nervous systems’ responses to wood environments to measure the positive physiological effects of wood. Subjective evaluations of wooden panels have been linked to reduced feelings of depression and dejection, lower blood pressure, and increased relaxation for those who “like” wooden environments and neutral responses from those who “dislike” wooden environments. In healthcare environments, the prevalence of “naked” wood surfaces can actually contribute to shortening the patient’s treatment. Patients’ brain activity measurements in wood environments show they become calmer and less stressed.
Assembly’s wood interiors are more comfortable and induce positive experiences consistent with the positive influence of outdoor natural environments. Wood reflects long-wavelength light of red and yellow hues, consistently perceived by humans as warm and inviting, which has a tangible effect on occupant experience. The natural grain patterns, colours, and textures add depth and dimension to interior spaces, drawing on our positive inclination toward natural elements.
We strive to expose as much wood as possible in our builds. Assembly’s Passage House project is an 11,000 sq ft, 18 unit transitional housing project for the The Blue Door Shelter in York Region. Built in only 7 months, the project has exposed wood ceilings and interior walls for biophilic, wellness effects.
For our residents, Assembly homes are humanizing; they bring the forest back to the city and invoke our innate connection to nature.
]]>We believe that solving Canada’s housing crisis is not just about building more homes – but building homes in communities where people want to live, in a way that is conducive to a sustainable city. Across Canada, most cities consist of high-rise buildings or low-density sprawl. Our mid-rise timber buildings address a gap in our building typologies through infill development that is integrated into the existing fabric of the city.
By injecting new life into under-utilized sites, our infill development preserves natural vegetation and greenspaces while still meeting the needs of Canada‘s rapidly growing urban population. Through prefabrication of building elements, we meet the complexity of tight urban infill lots better than conventional construction. Mid-rise buildings can be built close together while preserving livability and public space without the need for carbon-intensive materials required in high-rise construction. Our buildings emulate the scale of world-class cities like Paris, Barcelona and London, England.
Through infill development, we provides access to housing in vibrant urban communities where people want to live, work and play while capitalizing on existing infrastructure. By building on previously developed lots, mid-rise infill and laneway suites add density to existing urban neighbourhoods. Adding density to existing communities lowers GHG emissions and costs associated with constructing new horizontal infrastructure (like roads and sewers) that accompany new subdivisions or outward urban expansion. Mid-rise and laneway suites maximize this existing infrastructure and increase access to established retail, schools, community services and cultural amenities that make our cities great.
As a result, residents of our buildings live in amenity-rich neighbourhoods and are active participants in their city. Residents do not require a car but are able to embrace a high quality of life by walking, cycling and taking transit. This contributes to the affordability of our offerings, given that the average Canadian household spends upward of 30% of household income on transportation costs. This has environmental implications as well – personal vehicle use is one of the leading causes of climate change in North America. Providing the option of living without a car is one of the key ways that we deliver a more sustainable city and enable residents to live healthier lifestyles.
Contact us here to book a property assessment!
]]>LoD: What does it mean?
Those of us who work in the architecture business are bludgeoned on a daily basis with acronyms. Today, we’re tackling one of the hazier ones. LoD. No, it’s not a reference to everyone’s favourite skateboarding movie starring Heath Ledger or a beloved ’90s WWF wrestling duo. For our purposes LoD refers to Level of Development (sometimes also called Level of Design or Detail). LoD is a system for classifying how much information is contained in a BIM file. Generally speaking, LoD is measured in 100 series increments which range from 100-level conceptual models up to highly detailed, life-cycle maintained 700-level models which can be used at the end of a building’s planned service life. Typically, BIM-focused architectural firms will own and develop models into the 400- to 500-level range, and may transfer ownership of BIM assets to specialized companies for the 500- to 700-level of detail and ongoing maintenance.
Boxes, Cubed
All construction projects begin with constraints to a building’s shape and volume. These basic requirements are worked out in LoD 100. Conceptual models typically contain little specific geometry or locked proportions, instead focusing on the general massing of the project. As work progresses towards an LoD 200 schematic model, designs begin to firm up, solidifying overall dimensions and introducing core, shell, and some structural elements. Approximate quantities, sizing of structural elements, and location of partitions should be available for early costing estimates. The progression through LoD 300 and 350 is where things really start happening. In the Design Development and Construction Documentation phases, the design should be finalized with around 90% of the building’s elements in place. Site-specific construction documents should include details for interfacing with existing buildings on or near the site. Precise quantity take-offs should be available in a properly developed 300-level model.
Beyond the Page
LoD 400 Drawings are the final stop before a design becomes a reality. In a fully developed 400-level model, fabrication detailing, product specs, material information packages, concrete and rebar information, and everything else needed to create finished drawings should be modelled with rich metadata to fill the schedules of a thousand virtual sheets (ARCH or ANSI format!). But the BIM Technologists’ work doesn’t end once the occupants have occupied their gently off-gassing new building. Bringing models into the LOD 500- to 700-range involves post-construction site verification including 3D scanning using LiDAR, modifications required by RFIs during construction, and updates to the model based on changes to occupancy or usage of the building over time. Fully, truly, obsessively maintained LoD 600 & 700 BIM data is a specialized area of architectural technology. These 4-dimensional models track expected service life and maintenance schedules, reflect renovations, measure energy performance, and log countless other metrics over time, based on client needs and budget.
Subscribe to our blog for more issues of BIM Chat!
]]>We’re excited to announce our collaboration with Forma, an architecture and design studio based out of Copenhagen, Denmark! Working together, this first release is a line of laneway and garden suites, which are available to buy and build now in Toronto. Working at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, real estate, and technology, Forma’s ethos syncs with ours – they design aesthetically pleasing, environmentally conscious spaces.
Forma was founded by Nicolai Richter-Friis and Mikkel Bøgh, architects whose focus is not only on designing buildings, but each building’s contribution to a city or urban space as a whole. At R-Hauz, we are looking to build vibrant, liveable cities, and are constantly seeking out and learning from those doing it best globally. Forma’s current work zeroes in on our R-Suite‘s, our laneway and garden suite program. Together we’ve created a collection of suites to gently densify Toronto’s amenity rich neighbourhoods, by adding dwellings to backyard gardens and laneways. This ensures housing needs can be met, while supporting social infrastructure, and fostering community well-being.
“The exterior design follows the rule of the golden ratio to create a universal and timeless design-aesthetic and proportion that mixed with different exterior material choices can contextualize the design to blend in smoothly in various settings”- Mikkel Bøgh.
The golden ratio can be found in nature, art, architecture, and mathematics throughout history.
Design Features
We seek to establish a new way of building, by creating repeatable housing solutions, carefully designed to meet municipal requirements while supporting provincial objectives of increasing housing supply. In order to achieve this, Forma developed a standard, repeatable core that becomes the central element of the suite, and remains constant even when dimensions change, expanding or contracting around the core. This allows homeowners to select and configure their suite to suit their needs, and provides us with a foundation from which we can innovate further. The thinking is similar to that employed in the automotive industry, using the same base-platform across multiple brands to create a variety of different models of car. Think IKEA’s kitchen configurator, that allows customers to configure their kitchen using a catalogue of standardized parts.
Each suite is designed to comply with existing bylaws for a quick approval process. When combined with our panelized building approach, the construction timeline is expedited, and homeowners can enjoy their suite sooner! Every square inch is designed and engineered to maximize the living potential of your suite. We believe small is beautiful, and are willing to bet you will too once you see them! Forma’s designs truly display how small spaces and details can have a big impact.
Natural Features and Materials
The main material used to build the suites is wood, the only renewable, organic building material. Wood has the benefit of sequestering and storing carbon throughout the suite’s life cycle. The wood can be mimicked in the interior finishing, by selecting the material for ceilings and baseboard trim. ​​The wood floors and trim highlight the beauty of the construction material. Applying biophilic design principles throughout the home connects occupants with nature, and makes for gorgeous interior detailing. This results in a high-quality end product and a healthy and livable home for the occupant.
So how might you fill a Forma suite? A series of pre-approved models can be configured to suit an array of needs. Whether the suite is for additional space, a home office, multi-generational living, or a rental asset used to create a stream of passive income, the Forma model boasts configurations to fit taste, preference and needs…
Interested in the Forma model?
Contact Happi Builds for your free property assessment!
Or email us at [email protected] with any other questions you may have!
]]>Stats
This isn’t a math lesson, I swear!! Assuming you’re still here, let’s dive into building statistics and how your favourite technologists factor in. The stats for any building, and the lot it sits on, help illustrate how a building might be used, how many people or units could occupy it, how it might generate income for owners and operators, and how much it may cost our clients to build. It all starts with Zoning, which determines the allowable footprint and height of a building on any given lot. From there, a technologist can adjust the massing (3D shape) of a building, experimenting with volume and layout to achieve the desired ratios of leasable/saleable area, common or circulation areas, mechanical spaces, fenestration, etc. These stats are generated by a BIM model, and may be exported for use in Proforma calculations. The Design team is exploring generative design options based on Toronto’s open mapping data to automate some of this front end work. (More on that below.)
Speaking of Massing
Summer has officially started, and you know what that means: it’s time to get serious about massing. That’s a thing muscle people talk about, right? As for those of us who live on the computer, the design team has been working on massing layouts for R-Town Projects. In his quest to create a repeatable set of R-Town products, Will has been working on defining sets of building elements and their relationships to each other which can be manipulated in the massing stage to see how these configurations will impact a building’s stats (do I sense a theme developing this week?). Core elements include vertical circulation elements like stairs and elevator shafts, horizontal circulation elements (a fancy term for hallways), and rental units broken into size and number of bedrooms. Not all systems will work for every lot, but by creating these standardized massing models, we can speed up design development, enabling our clients to go from lot to leased in record time.
Putting It All Together
Looking to the future, the design team has been experimenting with generative design tools to automate some of the front end work that goes into planning and configuring R-Hauz products. Did you know Hailey, our Product and Design Manager, started with R-Hauz as a Computational Design Specialist? Before taking on her current responsibilities she had developed a beta version configurator tool which was able to pull lot information from the City of Toronto database and place customized R-Suite massing within setback limits. The configurator worked in tandem with Revit, allowing the user to assign walls, floors, roofs, and other materials to massing surfaces. Hailey’s work will be the basis for a future client-facing configuration tool which could be combined with stats data and Proforma calculations to offer costing and ROI analysis with just a few clicks!
Stay tuned to learn more about BIM as the series continues!
]]>At R-Hauz, we toss around the word BIM often! BIM Chat will be our new blog series serving to demystify exactly what we mean when we say BIM, and how we leverage it to make our building process more effective.
BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. Our design team primarily uses a software called Revit to model 3D versions of R-Suite and R-Town products for our projects. BIM is not only used to help us create our drawing sets, but the softwares contain a wealth of other information to help us build better, more efficient buildings in close collaboration with our consulting teams. BIM softwares serve as primary tools in our design teams’ kits!
In this Issue, we will delve into how we are currently using BIM in our R-Suites.
Costing Schedules for R-Suites
Is it possible to successfully market and sell a product without knowing how much it’ll cost to make? We don’t know, but thanks to progress on Automated Elemental Quantity Schedules, we may never need to find out. Every Revit model is packed with data (the “I” in BIM stands for information!) which can be pulled apart, sorted,filtered, and exported for all kinds of uses. We may never need to use our scales and slide rule ever again!
Forma Product Permit Drawings Underway
As the leader of the 80’s van-drivingest spy team used to say, “I love it when a plan comes together. “This quarter, the R-Suite team started work on productizing designs supplied to us by our favourite Danes at Forma Studio. Forma’s programme employs a central core, allowing suites to expand out from a minimal central footprint to fill out more generous lots without re-entering the design development cycle. To maximize efficiency, the design team is leveraging Revit’s Design Options feature to streamline the creation of Permit and Construction drawings. The BIM team has already expertly deployed these techniques on 20′ x 32′ units, drastically reducing drafting time for subsequent versions.
New Materials for Revit Rendering
An upcoming version of the R-Hauz’s Revit template will have a range of new materials, textures, and lighting to make high detail, realistic renderings of our actual designs – the perfect tool to show our clients what they’re getting when they purchase an R-Hauz product. And, as we add finishes, spec appliances and casework, (design a line of R-Furniture?) these real-life textures and objects can be sourced or created digitally to add more lifelike detail to product images.
Clash Detection: Not Just for Fashion Anymore
Some may wonder what the R-Town team is doing behind their impenetrable wall of monitors all day – turns out, they are hard at work! Planning multi-storey, multi-unit construction products is an extremely complicated process, especially as we attempt to wrangle our consultants into the IPD (Integrated Product Delivery) process. Part of the IPD approach is early, simultaneous, collaborative design work across all disciplines. Teams work together to create discipline-specific models, which are then combined into a single, high LOD (Level of Development) BIM model. The head of the BIM teams on our R-Town projects performs regular Clash Detection checks on combined models to ensure mechanical systems and ductwork are where they need to be, electrical isn’t cutting holes through random walls, and no occupant ends up with a beam running through their kitchen cupboards. BIM is an essential part of the IPD process, and clash detection helps catch costly errors long before construction begins.
Stay tuned for Volume 1, Issue 2 of BIM Chat coming soon!
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Financial Reasons
Urban hubs such as Toronto and Vancouver have long been critiqued for their disproportionally high cost of living, while maintaining comparable average incomes. Seeking multigenerational housing can allow families to combine incomes, whether they are seeking a rental opportunity or purchasing real estate. This can remove the financial barrier preventing single-family home buyers from accessing the real estate market. It may also be the only viable option for adult children battling paying off student debt on an entry level job, unable to afford the high cost of living in Toronto. Adding a Laneway or Garden Suite can be an investment made by multiple generations, unlocking the potential of one’s property through gentle densification, and allowing multiple generations to reside on a shared property.
Caregiving Opportunities
Living together with extended family expands care options for senior generations and new family members alike. Many find multigenerational living an attractive option to care for aging parents who require assistance but would like to maintain a level of freedom they would not have in a care facility. Older generations can also help with care for young children; this can provide purpose and strengthen family relationships, while saving on childcare costs. R-Suites are considered ideal to house ageing parents and offer necessary care in place. We offer barrier free configurations in both R-Suites and R-Towns, ensuring accessibility for those in all stages of life.
Covid 19
In recent years, many Canadians have found themselves re-evaluating their priorities in a world permanently altered by a global pandemic. The deficiencies of senior care facilities in Canada were highlighted during the pandemic, leaving many worried when the bleak conditions on the interior were broadcasted. Others found their lives altered by unplanned changes to their socioeconomic circumstances. This priority shift could lead Canadians to choose multigenerational living, where assistance can be found, along with love, within the family home.
Environmental Benefits
The ecological footprint of three generations under one roof is considerably smaller than that of the same three generations, each under their own roof. With growing awareness of how changing human behaviours can have a positive impact on environmental health, higher density housing can mitigate the impacts of our modern life on the environment. All of our builds are designed with sustainability in mind. We utilize natural light, optimize heating and cooling (resulting in lower operating costs for you!), select sustainable appliances, and equip our builds with green roofs. We build with mass timber, which has the unique ability among construction materials to sequester carbon. Over time, wood buildings can act as carbon sinks, making them more sustainable than traditional construction using steel or concrete. Our choice to expose this beautiful and natural element in our builds is rooted in biophilic design principles, which assert humans have an inherent love of nature. When biophilic design principles are applied to our built environment, the health, happiness and well-being of humans improves.
Challenges Associated with Multigenerational Living
While the reason a family would find multigenerational living attractive may vary, numerous families have identified a common challenge associated with the household type. Most cite a lack of personal space to be the largest challenge to overcome. Most homes are designed for single-family use, and therefore do not account for the separate amenities or space required for multigenerational families. Conflicts can arise when multiple generations live in close proximity. Whether grandma has opinions on the upbringing of her grandchildren, or there are, literally, too many cooks in the kitchen. Multigenerational homes can become an incubator for old and new tensions among family members. Laneway or Garden Suites as an alternative to multifamily homes can allow families to reap the benefits without finding themselves stepping on toes, as personal space is maintained. Our 4-6 storey Avenue Townhomes are expertly designed to be configured and reconfigured for different lifestyle needs over time, without requiring any major renovation. The R-Town can be a family home allowing shared common spaces with separate sleeping quarters on different floors, creating necessary personal space. It can also have individual units to be rented providing supplemental income, while housing family members in other units, all under one roof.
R-Solutions
With multigenerational living on the rise, many Canadians continue to seek ways to make this household type work for them. R-Hauz offers a variety of products to facilitate this lifestyle, while mitigating the potential challenges. Senior generations and adult children can enjoy the proximity of family while maintaining their independence and privacy in our thoughtfully and sustainably designed Garden or Laneway Suites. Require a configuration that works for more than two generations? Maintain both proximity and independence (that’s right, they aren’t mutually exclusive) in our beautifully designed R-Towns.
Are you interested in achieving extended living within your current footprint? Contact us for a free property assessment and begin your multigenerational living journey today.
]]>Are you eligible?
It is completely normal to be unsure as to whether your property meets the requirements necessary to build a laneway suite. We provide free property assessments for just that reason. To determine your eligibility, we will assess your individual lot for compliance with the existing regulations.
Naturally, to build a Laneway Suite your property must abut a laneway. City bylaw mandates the property abut the lane by a minimum of 3.5 metres on the side or rear lot line. The three other main considerations are as follows:
- The lot is within the boundaries of the Toronto & East York Community Council district.
- The lot meets Emergency Medical Service access requirements.
- The lot and adjacent area do not contain established mature trees that would require removal or injury to accommodate a new laneway suite.
(Photo by Toronto City Planning – Changing Lanes Presentation)
What you can expect in your laneway suite.
The size and characteristics of the lot, along with your individual needs and taste, will dictate which model best suits your property. However, there are some basic rules in the bylaw that are incorporated into all our designs. These aspects ensure a quicker and smoother construction process, reducing delays and potential disturbance to your neighbours.
All R-Hauz designs and laneway suites in Toronto are built to abide by…
Maximum Laneway Suite Length:
10m / 32.8 ft
Maximum Laneway Suite Width:
8m / 26.2 ft
Floor Area:
Must be less than the gross floor area of the main residence on the lot.
Maximum Height:
- Maximum 4m: if the laneway suite is set back 5.0m – 7.5m from the main residence.
- Maximum 6.3m: if the laneway suite is set back 7.5m or more from the main residence.
Separation and Dimensions:
- Minimum 5m from the main residence, if the laneway suite is less than 4m in height (one storey).
- Minimum 7.5m from the main residence, if the laneway suite is greater than 4m in height (two storeys).
Setbacks:
Rear Yard
- 0m, if the rear lot line does NOT abut a street or lane, AND there are no openings (e.g. vehicular access, doors, windows) in the rear main wall of the laneway suite.
- 1m in all other cases (e.g. abutting a lane or contains windows)
Side Yard
- 0m if the side lot line does not abut a street or lane, and there are no openings (e.g. vehicular access, doors, windows) in the rear main wall of the laneway suite.
- 1.5m in all other cases (e.g. abutting a lane or contains windows).
- If the side lot line abuts another street: side yard setback is same as that of the residential building on the lot.
Rear Angular Plane:
The front main wall of a laneway suite may not penetrate a 45 degree angular plane projected towards the rear lot line, beginning from a height of 4m at a distance of 7.5m from the rear main wall of the residential home.
Lot Coverage:
The laneway suite may not exceed 30% of the lot coverage.
Minimum Lot Line on Lane:
A minimum of 3.5m of the rear or side lot line must abut the lane.
Parking:
- Vehicular parking: not required under bylaw.
- Bicycle parking: 2 spaces are required within the suite OR within any required side yard setback.
Landscaping:
- On a lot with 6m or less frontage: minimum 60% of the area between the rear main wall of the residence and the front main wall of the laneway suite must be for soft landscaping.
- On a lot with greater than 6m frontage: minimum of 85% of area between rear main wall of the house and the front main wall of the laneway suite must be for soft landscaping.
- The area between the laneway suite and the lot line abutting a lane, excluding a permitted driveway, must be landscaping, of which 75% or more must be for soft landscaping.