At the Ontario Association of Architects’ (OAA) recent 2026 conference in Waterloo, the spotlight was turned on a wide inventory of innovative projects, plans and concepts.

The "Collaboration Powering Innovation" conference provided the approximately 700 guests with opportunities to explore affordable housing master plans, obtain in-depth knowledge on adaptive reuse of industrial-era heritage spaces and learn about the integration of Indigenous values in regional health care design.

Describing the conference as a “flagship event,” OAA president Lara McKendrick said it enabled attendees to examine how collaboration supports strong design outcomes and helped address shared challenges of the present and future across the built environment.

Over the three-day event, the attendees took part in classroom education programs at the Bingemans Conference Centre in Kitchener, as well as participating in experimental learning sessions at various locations throughout Waterloo Region.

The plenaries were divided into three different classifications: Affordable Housing Masters Plans; Adaptive Reuse of Industrial-Era Heritage Spaces; and Integration of Indigenous Values in Regional Health-Care.

Five different seminars were delivered under the Affordable Housing Masters Plan grouping including profiles of two Waterloo Region affordable rental housing projects. One is being heralded as Canada’s largest affordable housing undertaking.