Hundreds of architects and experts converged at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre in May for the OAA’s 2024 Conference. This three-day event tackled the critical challenges of designing safe, inclusive, and sustainable spaces, driving discussions on cutting-edge solutions to enhance community, health, and well-being.

The OAA, which regulates the practice of architecture in the province to protect the public interest, holds its Conference annually. With this year’s theme of Housing: Pushing the Envelope, attendees discussed the urgency of addressing the province’s critical housing shortage, sustainable development, and new technologies to improve architectural efficiency. 

With Ontario’s urgent affordable housing crisis, architects spent the conference discussing how to help create more housing options simply, cost-effectively, and durably. 

“Housing is incredibly important for Ontarians, and we are looking for the roles that the architectural profession can play in finding new approaches to solving it,” says Settimo Vilardi, OAA President. “At the OAA, we try to see everything through a lens of climate action and through a lens of equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous Reconciliation. We need solutions that create more accessible, healthy spaces for all people to live, and we need to do this in already-vibrant neighbourhoods that optimize land use, leverage existing infrastructure, and promote welcoming, resilient communities.”

Creating more homes isn’t a new problem, nor is it one that can necessarily be solved through rapid construction. 

“We need to be fast, we need to find housing for people — but maybe too fast isn’t always the answer,” said Shawn Micallef, a Toronto Star columnist and moderator of the conference’s opening plenary. “How do we be fast, but also thoughtful?” he asked the audience to consider.