# Low-Rise Rental Housing Projects Gabriel Fain Architects Designed the Montrose Sixplex By Kalin Ned | Published 2026-07-07 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rental-housing-project References: [v2com-newswire](https://www.v2com-newswire.com/en/newsroom/categories/residential-architecture/press-kits/7856-01/montrose-sixplex-a-new-housing-model-for-gentle-density-on-a-residential-street-in-toronto) Gabriel Fain Architects has completed the Montrose Sixplex — a [six-unit rental housing project](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-canopy) in a [low-rise Toronto neighborhood](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/grow-project). This design venture leverages the city's evolving zoning regulations to explore a model of gentle density through a carefully composed ensemble of a street-facing multiplex and two laneway houses oriented toward a nearby park. The street-facing building adopts a single gabled form wrapped in Belgian buff brick, with pitched roofs, proportioned window openings, limestone sills, and patterned brickwork that create a sense of permanence and continuity with the surrounding residential character. The laneway houses, on the other hand, though smaller, align in massing and proportions to read as a unified architectural ensemble that reimagines the laneway as a shared front-yard condition connected to the park. Gabriel Fain Architects collaborated with Unison Group for the interior of the rental housing project. Image Credit: Félix Michaud ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.8/10 - Popularity: 40% | Activity: 49% | Freshness: 85% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) > [Eco Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/ecoarchitecture) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Gentle Density Rentals:** Evolving zoning frameworks are making small-scale multiplexes a viable path for adding rental supply while preserving neighborhood character. - **Laneway Living:** Underused rear lots and service lanes are becoming desirable residential frontages through compact homes, shared outdoor space, and park-oriented planning. - **Contextual Modern Housing:** Traditional materials, pitched rooflines, and proportioned façades are supporting new rental formats that feel integrated within established low-rise communities. ### Where This Applies - **Residential Real Estate:** Low-rise rental infill is expanding the middle ground between single-family homes and high-rise apartments in space-constrained urban markets. - **Architecture and Design:** Architectural practices are differentiating multifamily projects through cohesive massing, heritage-informed detailing, and human-scaled density models. - **Urban Planning:** Municipal policy shifts are creating new development capacity through multiplex permissions, laneway housing, and neighborhood-sensitive density strategies. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Minimal Housing Terraces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/houses-on-rue-de-clermont.md) - [Triangular Social Housing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lady-raval.md) - [Dynamic Residential Complex Facades](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/griffin-square.md) - [Modern Montreal Duplex Houses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lilac-house.md) - [Strategically Proportioned Residential Buildings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/acdf-architecture.md) - [Modest Row House Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/row-house.md) - [Parisian Social Housing Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/social-housing-project.md) - [Minimalist Private Residential Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/glen-manor-haus.md) - [Vinyard-Bound Residential Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/casa-san-francisco.md)