Explore our curated image gallery featuring a collection of thoughtfully designed gentle density homes, each uniquely crafted with four units. Whether you’re an architect, urban planner, or simply passionate about progressive housing solutions, these 4-unit gentle density homes are sure to inspire and captivate.
These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
This forward-thinking design seamlessly incorporates a total of 8 units, offering a mix of unit types to suit various needs, including two spacious family-sized units with 3 bedrooms each. Each unit features its own individual entrance door, ensuring privacy and convenience for residents. Alternatively, the design can accommodate a total of 6 units, including four with 2 bedrooms each, providing flexibility in configuration.
Despite its multi-unit layout, the design maintains the feel of a small apartment building within the scale of a large single-family home, blending functionality with aesthetic appeal. In total, the design offers 14 bedrooms, catering to diverse household sizes. The proposed floor space ratios (FSR) are 1.10 on a 50×110’ lot and 0.91 on a 60×110’ lot, showcasing efficient land usage while maximizing livable space.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
This cutting-edge design can incorporate a total of six units on a lot just 33’ wide, using an innovative shared, “point-access-block” stair.
“Comox” also maximizes its small lot through the use of a zero-lot-line on one side. The design could be used to ease the transition within a block from a commercial zone to residential, or the design could be mirrored on a second lot to create a rooftop patio space between the two structures.
This rooftop space would be in addition to one courtyard already on the ground level and another on the third storey, which give the design its abundant light and air access in spite of its density: a FSR of 0.73 on the 50×131’ lot shown, or 1.10 on the 33×131’ lot. “Comox” has 9 bedrooms and utilizes sprinklering.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
This ambitious design stands out in its library, boasting a total of 13 units spread across two structures on an urban-sized lot. Despite its size, the design maintains the scale and aesthetic harmony of a residential neighborhood. It shines particularly bright as dedicated rental accommodation, catering to the needs of urban dwellers.
Noteworthy features include a common bike storage room and a spacious rooftop deck in the rear structure, providing residents with additional amenities and leisure spaces. The central courtyard serves as a community hub, offering a private space for residents to gather and relax, complete with envisioned picnic furniture for added comfort. The design employs a cutting-edge “point-access block” solution, with 6 units accessed via a single stairwell, meeting the requirements set forth in the Vancouver Building By-law.
Enhanced safety measures such as sprinklering, fire alarm systems, and smoke evacuation systems in the stairwell ensure residents’ safety and well-being. In total, the design accommodates 18 bedrooms, accommodating a range of household sizes. The proposed floor space ratios (FSR) are 1.42 on a 50×130’ lot and 1.18 on a 60×130’ lot, demonstrating efficient land usage while maximizing livable space and community amenities.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
This proposed home design ingeniously conceals five two-bedroom units and three lock-off suites within a house-like structure by strategically positioning the top storey beneath the roof and sinking the bottom storey a few steps down. Additionally, it incorporates versatile space for mixed-use, offering potential for commercial use to maximize the corner lot location, or alternatively, these spaces could be leased or sold separately as studios or offices, or shared as amenities for residents.
The ground-level studio units are depicted as lock-off suites, though they could also be fully separated if desired. Moreover, the design showcases sprinklered features to allow for greater window area along the side facing the neighbor, enhancing both aesthetics and functionality. With parking situated off the side street, this design is adaptable for corner or rear-access lots.
In terms of capacity, it boasts a total of 13 bedrooms. The proposed floor space ratio (FSR) is 1.35 on a 50×140’ lot and 1.12 on a 60×140’ lot, including garage space where applicable.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
“Koo’s” is based on an iconic Vancouver project that paved the way for gentle density infill housing over twenty years ago.
By dividing the original form into six townhouse-style units with different heights and treatments, “Koo’s” feels urban while remaining comfortable in a single-detached neighbourhood.
Making the most of a corner lot, it manages to incorporate space for five garage stalls as well as providing a beautiful private rear courtyard, plus a deck for each unit. The design could be mirrored on two sites to create a spacious central yard, or garages could be replaced with small lock-off suites for nearly double the unit density.
“Koo’s” has a total of 9 bedrooms with an FSR of 0.81 on the 60×140’ lot shown, and 0.94 on the 50×140’ lot. Its glazing is shown as sprinklered.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
This design features charming one-bedroom flats arranged in pairs, offering a cozy and efficient living arrangement. The ground floor units are designed to be fully accessible, making them ideal for individuals or couples with mobility challenges. Additionally, the private upper suites cater to caregivers, ensuring a supportive living environment.
This versatile design can be mirrored to create a fourplex, providing flexibility in configuration. Furthermore, it can be rotated and multiplied to fill any lot size, as demonstrated with collections of 6 or 8 units. By tucking the second storey under the roof, the design achieves a remarkably low and humble profile considering the density of units. In total, the design accommodates either 6 or 8 units, depending on the size of the lot.
The proposed floor space ratios (FSR) are 0.54 on a 50×120’ lot and 0.60 on a 60×120’ lot, showcasing efficient land usage while maintaining a comfortable living environment.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
This cleverly designed structure appears deceptively scaled, accommodating 6 units within a comfortable and familiar form. Ideal for promoting sustainable living, the design includes a generous bike room to support car-free lifestyles for entire families.
Its adaptability makes it perfect for sites sloping upwards towards the back or to the right, as the bike room can be partially or completely underground. Four of the units are family-sized, featuring 3 bedrooms each and enjoying ample natural light from windows on three sides. Additionally, the four upper units offer large decks for outdoor enjoyment and relaxation.
The below-ground units are thoughtfully designed for accessibility and aging in place, ensuring comfort and convenience for residents of all ages. In total, the structure accommodates 16 bedrooms, catering to various household sizes and needs. The proposed floor space ratio (FSR) is 1.04 on a 60×120’ lot, demonstrating efficient land usage while prioritizing livability and functionality.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
“Mosaic” is carefully designed to offer a high quality of life for each of the four unique units. The front structure consists of a side-by-side duplex, with a two-storeys in height that feels at home in any established single-detached neighbourhood; a basement is optional here.
The rear structure, connected to the front only by a deck, contains two stacked units; the ground-level unit is fully accessible, making the complex age-in-place ready. The two units can be separated, or one can be treated as a lock-off suite to the other.
Each of the four units has a generous private deck or yard, creating a spacious courtyard feel between them, while the front yard is large enough to accommodate a mature tree. A side drive (or side street on a smaller, corner lot) provides the access to a parking space for each unit, including two garage spaces.
Offering a total of 9 bedrooms, “Mosaic” has a gentle FSR of 0.66 on the 60×125’ lot shown, and 0.79 on the 50×125’ lot. This design assumes each unit is sprinklered.
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These designs are for illustrative purposes only, and not intended for construction.
Positioned on wide lots and on corners, “SoMa” offers ground-level front doors and direct access to private yard space for each unit, as well as an option for rooftop patios.
Grouping six townhouses on a small footprint, this design’s simplified form provides many construction efficiencies, while delivering a total of 12 bedrooms without requiring any below-grade space.
“SoMa” is shown here with a variety of floor plans possible for the units, and a FSR of 0.83 on the 60×120’ lot, and 1.00 on the 50×120’ lot.
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