20 emerging Canadian practices ‘pushing boundaries’ of design

Canadian Architect magazine and the non-profit organization Twenty + Change have released the latest of their 'Twenty + Change: New Perspectives' list. Now in its sixth edition, the selection highlights 20 emerging Canadian architecture practices “pushing boundaries and exploring innovative solutions to today’s challenges.”

The 2024 list centers on firms exploring a range of topical issues, including prefabrication, infill housing, sustainability, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and new practice models.

The list’s curation was led by Heather Dubbeldam, Director of Twenty + Change and Principal of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, along with Elsa Lam, Editor of Canadian Architect magazine, and was the outcome of an open call for submissions to the list. The curatorial team also included 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,” Heather Dubbeldam noted. Elsa Lam added: “Any emerging practice spends some time getting its footing. And then, with some luck, it begins to be able to ask bigger questions: what is Canadian architecture now? And what might it become?”

The list of 20 firms is as follows: 

• 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