Unlocking Housing Potential: How the New Single-Egress Code Can Help Us Build Better Communities

Event Description

The BC government has recently approved single-egress building code changes, allowing small apartment buildings up to six storeys high to have a single exit staircase. This policy shift creates new opportunities for “missing middle” developments in alignment with recent land use reforms to encourage more small-scale multi-unit housing.

Conrad Speckert will explain the new single-egress code changes and discuss how safety is addressed through building design. He will also share a vision for building more family-friendly and low-carbon housing in urban areas where people can live comfortably as they age.

UBC Associate Professor Inge Roecker will present her work with Conrad on their demonstration project, Aging in Plex, which provides a model for designing cities that foster well-being and social connection.

Finally, UBC Associate Professor Dr. Nathanael Lauster will explore how zoning and building regulations can be adapted to create urban environments that meet the needs of all residents.

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Speakers

Inge Roecker | Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Land Architecture, University of British Columbia

Inge Roecker is a professor in UBC’s Master of Architecture program and a member of the UBC Housing and Wellbeing Research Group. Her work focuses on inclusion in architecture, blending lived experience with design. She co-founded Design for Inclusion (D4i), which advocates for equitable, innovative housing models. Inge also leads AIR studio, an internationally recognized firm centered on sustainability, collaboration, and justice. Her research addresses social issues related to housing and space, and she frequently consults with cities and organizations. Inge is deeply involved in the revitalization of Vancouver’s Chinatown and serves on several related boards.

Nathan Lauster | Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia

Nathan is a sociologist and occasional demographer who focuses on housing, home, households, and urban life. He is the author of the award-winning book The Death and Life of the Single Family House: Lessons from Vancouver on Building a Livable City, which explores how cities can become more livable. In collaboration with Jens von Bergmann, he co-led the CMHC-funded Metro Vancouver Zoning Project, investigating how zoning impacts urban development. He also runs the blog Home: Free Sociology, where he shares insights and reflections on these themes.

Conrad Speckert | Intern Architect at LGA Architectural Partners

Conrad is an intern architect at LGA Architectural Partners in Toronto with degrees from McGill and Waterloo. As part of the CMHC Housing Supply Challenge, LGA is collaborating with 10 other architects across Canada to develop alternative solutions to the building code requirement for two staircases in small multi-unit residential buildings and has proposed a corresponding change to the National Building Code of Canada. Conrad was also previously a project manager for ‘ReHousing’ – a collaboration with the University of Toronto to visualize gentle density and zoning reform for “missing middle” housing.