Building the City for the People Who Live in It

A city may be defined by megaprojects, but it thrives at a smaller scale: a house built on a secondary lot, a compact building inserted into an existing block, or a new housing typology that brings density while maintaining urban balance. This is the scale at which Gabriel Fain, founder of Gabriel Fain Architects, works. He is part of a new generation of architects rethinking urban housing in Toronto.

“We founded Gabriel Fain Architects in 2016. We were a very small practice at the time, but we had a clear ambition: we wanted to do city building, to contribute to shaping the city.”

At first, the scale was inevitably domestic: single-family homes, small additions, and targeted residential interventions. Then something began to shift. Toronto’s urban policies started allowing laneway houses—small dwellings built in the rear yards of urban lots.

“We saw a real opportunity to address the housing crisis, even as a young studio.”

One of the early projects was the Mackay Laneway House, developed by Globizen Developments, where the studio collaborated with Relative Floors + Walls to define the interior surfaces, carefully selecting materials, finishes, and spatial details. Then the pandemic arrived, and somewhat unexpectedly, the studio began to grow rapidly.

“We went from projects with one or two units to buildings with a hundred or two hundred apartments.”

“I think the city is heading the right way.” The bigger challenge is often local opposition.

“When you try to get a mid-rise building approved, you still encounter neighbourhoods that fight the project very strongly.” Yet something is beginning to shift. Public meetings increasingly reveal a generational divide.

“Younger people immediately understand that these projects mean more homes and a more vibrant city.”

“Architects have failed to communicate that.”

For years, urban housing has been associated with all-glass towers, often perceived as anonymous and low quality. “The narrative became very simple: density equals cheap, impersonal buildings.”

To change that perception, architecture must return to materiality—and to the way surfaces shape the experience of space.

“Absolutely.” Materials such as brick and wood carry meaning beyond performance.

“Brick is one of the best materials for housing. It’s warm, durable, and people immediately associate it with the idea of home.” Much of historic Toronto was built in brick. 

“When you look at those buildings, you feel that material presence. It stays in the collective memory.”

The same applies to wood. “When you walk into a space with exposed timber beams, you immediately perceive it as more human.” From this perspective, interior surfaces—floors and walls—become essential design tools, bringing warmth, material continuity, and durability into domestic spaces. They help create environments that age well and retain their character over time. This philosophy resonates with the approach of Relative Floors + Walls, whose surfaces—from ceramics to recycled stone tiles, terrazzo, and engineered hardwood flooring—are designed for this kind of everyday architecture: materials that are durable, tactile, and timeless.

“Mackay Laneway House, located in the Corso Italia neighbourhood, was one of our first explorations in introducing gentle density within an existing urban fabric.”

The project organizes a compact home across two levels of about 42 sqm each. A mint-green staircase connects the floors, while a large skylight brings natural light deep into the space. The material palette is intentionally minimal, with exposed structure, painted mechanical systems, and simple finishes that highlight material honesty.

“For a rental unit we needed something that was extremely robust, but still warm and welcoming.”

Relative Floors + Walls contributed to the interior quality through the selection of Xero – PVC Free Flooring, chosen for its balance of warmth, continuity, and durability. The building is elevated on metal columns to protect a century-old tree, while the exterior is clad in corrugated metal panels. A small intervention that demonstrates how urban density and domestic quality can coexist—even within very compact footprints.

“The challenge of making extraordinary architecture with smaller and smaller budgets.”

“The real fear is that the city won’t change fast enough. We probably have five or ten years to transform it.”

“We should be able to build six-storey buildings across most residential areas.”

In the end, the question is not simply how many homes need to be built. It is about the kind of city we want to live in.

“We’re going to build a huge number of buildings in the coming years. Some will be extraordinary, others less so. But the ambition should always be the same: to create real architecture made for people.” And inevitably, made of materials and surfaces that support the everyday life of the spaces we inhabit.