A key solution to Canada’s housing crisis, climate goals, and public health may already lie in the buildings that surround us.
That’s the idea driving a Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾-led research project by structural engineering and Centre member Daniele Malomo – director of Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ | . Through various projects funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) and the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC), as well as the support from the Canada Masonry Design Centre (CMDC) and various industry partners, the team is developing new tools and standards to retrofit and repurpose existing masonry buildings. The goal: to transform aging infrastructure into climate-resilient, affordable, and healthier housing.
Rethinking what we build—and what we don’t.
Cities like Montreal and Toronto are filled with unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, many of them built before modern safety or energy codes were developed. These structures are often viewed as liabilities. But Malomo and his team see them differently: as an underused resource in the push for sustainable, affordable, and healthy housing.
In a first-of-its kind , the team tested wall sections extracted from a 19th-century Montreal duplex. They retrofitted the walls with timber panels build directly into the masonry as a low-cost solution using renewable materials. The result? Stronger resistance to earthquakes and better thermal performance, with the potential to reduce indoor dampness, mold, and cold-related illness, while cutting emissions and energy costs.
Climate resilience meets housing and health equity
Malomo and his team emphasize that these types of projects need to go beyond traditional engineering. In with the University of Waterloo, ETS, Carleton University and York University, the team mapped out areas of high seismic risk in Montreal and Ottawa-Gatineau. The analysis showed that neighborhoods with large populations of low-income residents, seniors, recent immigrants, and people living alone face the highest risks of exposure to structurally unsafe housing.
By targeting retrofits in these areas, the team aims to better support communities that are often excluded from climate adaptation and infrastructure investments, while advancing healthier housing and environmental justice.
Building smarter, not just newer
Reusing existing buildings means fewer emissions from demolition, less community disruption, and better land use. It also improves indoor environments—making homes safer, quieter, and more comfortable—which is crucial for health, especially for vulnerable groups. Because retrofits can preserve the character of older buildings while improving performance, they offer an exciting triple win by preserving architectural heritage, cutting emissions, and improving public health.
The team is now working with policy and industry partners to turn their research into practical tools including updates to building codes, funding models, and training programs that prepare the next generation of engineers and contractors for more sustainable practices. Future phases will expand to other wall types and materials, including mass timber, and explore how these solutions can be adapted for rural and historically disadvantaged communities.
In a time of overlapping housing, climate, and health equity challenges, this work shows that sometimes the smartest way forward is to start with what we already have.
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