Fourplexes part of future housing plans in Mississauga; here’s what they might look like

Challenged to help plan a future Mississauga amid a current housing crisis, local post-secondary students will present some of their results to city officials on Wednesday.

Sheridan College architecture technology students were tasked earlier this year to use their skills to help design new housing ideas in neighbourhoods across Canada’s seventh-largest city.

Specifically, through a partnership with the City of Mississauga, they were part of an “innovative project to help imagine the future of fourplex living in Mississauga” as city officials sought another perspective in dealing with the pressing problem of affordable housing.

A “sneak peek” of the new fourplex renderings and floor plans the post-secondary students came up with will be presented to city councillors at Wednesday’s general committee meeting.

Fourplexes are low-rise buildings containing four separate living units. While they exist in some parts of the city, like Port Credit, they are relatively uncommon in the rest of Mississauga, the city says.

In total, there are fewer than a dozen fourplexes citywide, but Mississauga officials are looking to significantly increase that number.

“Sheridan students are helping to bring a fresh perspective on what fourplexes might look like across the city,” city officials said in a media advisory.

(Image: City of Mississauga)

In an effort to fight the housing crisis, city council in late 2023 decided to allow the building of fourplexes in Mississauga.

Fast-forward to early 2025, when the city approached the college students to explore new ways to bring fourplexes to life.

“Young people are on the frontlines of the housing crisis. With house prices out of reach, many have given up on living in the neighbourhoods they grew up in,” city officials said in an earlier news release. “But it doesn’t have to be that way; adding more housing choices in neighbourhoods can help.”

During their 14-week course, the Sheridan architecture students visualized how four separate units — and the people who inhabit them — can come together to create a home.

City officials said the idea was to collaborate with the students “on a real-world urban planning scenario. Using data, critical thinking, drawing tools and imagination, the students are working to bring fourplexes to life.”

The city provided about 30 locations across Mississauga for the students to work with. They were tasked, the city said, to “imagine the people living within and around the fourplex — how they can share a connection while maintaining each homeowner’s privacy and boundaries. Ultimately, the aim is to design fourplexes that could integrate seamlessly into Mississauga’s existing neighbourhoods.

“The visuals produced by the students will help residents imagine what they could look like in their communities,” officials continued. “The work will also help highlight the benefits of this type of housing for both new and existing residents.”

More generally, the city points out that such academic partnerships are important for both the municipality and students.

“These partnerships allow the city to tap into a broad network of academic research and creativity. Students across all disciplines benefit from helping to solve real-world challenges and are instrumental in helping build a world-class Mississauga,” Mississauga officials said earlier.

The students’ complete work will be on display as part of the “Fourplex: 1 House 4 Homes” exhibition running this Friday through Sept. 12 at Sheridan College’s Hazel McCallion Campus, on Duke of York Boulevard in Mississauga’s downtown core.

Admission is free and doors are open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

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