The New Plex
© Philippe Fournier 2023. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited unless advanced written permission is granted by the author. Final self-directed research project completed in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Architecture degree at McGill University. Summary: A multiplex is a low-rise multifamily residential building with two or more separately accessed dwelling units, built at a similar scale to a traditional house. To address severe housing shortages, many jurisdictions across North America and around the globe are reforming long-standing zoning laws to permit multiplex construction across vast areas of land which formerly only permitted building single-family houses. This opens up a new frontier of design possibilities for builders: how should these buildings be designed? Though well established across the province of Quebec and once historically common in many other places, multiplexes are rare in the rest of postwar North America, with the majority of private households now dwelling in single-family detached houses. The scale of the housing crisis demands a radical expansion of denser building stock, but the carbon intensity of large-scale new construction poses environmental problems. As an example of ‘missing middle’ housing, multiplexes have many advantages which make them opportune for addressing both the housing and climate crises simultaneously. While increasing density and housing options, plexes have the advantage of being small enough to construct in light wood frame, embodying low carbon and employing local materials and trades. Their human scale and adaptability can allow them to blend unobtrusively within the built character of many established suburban neighborhoods. Their low capital requirements would permit a competitive market to emerge among small builders, while their rapid constructability lends itself well to prefabrication and other efficient construction techniques. This project revisits historical North American multiplex designs, makes the argument for streamlining multiplex construction in contemporary infill suburban contexts, investigates their regulatory and practical constraints, and explores ways of designing the typology in order to improve its environmental performance, cost effectiveness, and above all the quality of life for residents.
© Philippe Fournier 2023. All rights reserved.
Reproduction prohibited unless advanced written permission is granted by the author.
Final self-directed research project completed in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Architecture degree at McGill University.
Summary:
A multiplex is a low-rise multifamily residential building with two or more separately accessed dwelling units, built at a similar scale to a traditional house. To address severe housing shortages, many jurisdictions across North America and around the globe are reforming long-standing zoning laws to permit multiplex construction across vast areas of land which formerly only permitted building single-family houses. This opens up a new frontier of design possibilities for builders: how should these buildings be designed? Though well established across the province of Quebec and once historically common in many other places, multiplexes are rare in the rest of postwar North America, with the majority of private households now dwelling in single-family detached houses. The scale of the housing crisis demands a radical expansion of denser building stock, but the carbon intensity of large-scale new construction poses environmental problems.
As an example of ‘missing middle’ housing, multiplexes have many advantages which make them opportune for addressing both the housing and climate crises simultaneously. While increasing density and housing options, plexes have the advantage of being small enough to construct in light wood frame, embodying low carbon and employing local materials and trades. Their human scale and adaptability can allow them to blend unobtrusively within the built character of many established suburban neighborhoods. Their low capital requirements would permit a competitive market to emerge among small builders, while their rapid constructability lends itself well to prefabrication and other efficient construction techniques. This project revisits historical North American multiplex designs, makes the argument for streamlining multiplex construction in contemporary infill suburban contexts, investigates their regulatory and practical constraints, and explores ways of designing the typology in order to improve its environmental performance, cost effectiveness, and above all the quality of life for residents.
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2.1
Model 01
Narrow + Detached
Habitat Plex
3.5 storeys, 6 units, 9 bedrooms
Optional Accessory Unit
Lot Area:
Coverage:
FAR:
Storeys:
GFA:
GFA / Bedrooms:
Unit Access:
Construction / Materials:
Detached?
NBCC Division:
Means of Egress:
Bedroom Window Egress:
varies
varies
varies
3.5
412.3 m 2 (4438 ft 2 )
45.8m 2
Interior from common stairwell
accessed from front door
light wood frame
Yes
Part 3, Group C
1 interior, 1 exterior (rear)
Side setbacks required for side
bedroom fenestration
The Habitat Plex is a six-unit model which uses
a staggered split-level strategy to maximize
density. Micro-studio units at the front are
accessed from a main stairwell inside the front
door, while the larger rear units have entrances
in the stairwell but also have a required second
means of egress via exits onto an exterior stair
connecting the rear yard to a rooftop garden.
Each rear unit also has a private garden balcony
staggered from the unit below to form a series
of stepped terraces descending to the rear yard.
A common, shared basement area is avilable
for common storage and utilities. All units can
share the rear yard and rooftop terrace. The
largest unit, a family sized three bedroom, opens
directly at grade to the rear yard. Windows &
bedroom doors of rear units are always aligned
to allow cross-ventilation. 0.9m side setbacks
are provided at both ends of the site, the standard
for detached houses. Toronto zoning arbitrarily
demands a wider 1.2m side setback for plexes,
but 0.9m is the sufficient minimum to provide
fire department access to the laneway suite at
the rear.
54
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