RVTR won the Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture yesterday. This prize is worth $50,000 and is given so that the winners can travel the globe and learn from a wide variety of architectural structures. The principles of the firm are Paul Raff, Colin Ripley, Kathy Velikov, and Geoffrey Thun.

“It is great to see young, creative minds in this industry that want to make our urban world a better place,” said Canadian Funding Corp CEO Moishe Alexander. “Sustainable housing for northern communities is a huge area of study and is sorely needed. Modular building can be a stunning solution for a many situations.”

“There’s not much of a modular industry in North America,” Thun told CBC News. “When compared to other industrial technologies, home building is really not very advanced.”

He pointed to redundancies in the manufacturing sector, especially in the auto sector, and said creating environmentally friendly pre-fab technologies could fill that void.

“There are significant opportunities for these kinds of technologies to move here,” Thun said, adding that modular building does have the potential to create more affordable housing of greater quality than site-specific building.

In 2010, the design team plans to look at how other northern countries create housing, including Iceland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.

Thun said the team will be making contact with designers and architects in these countries who are researching modular building and studying how such housing could adapt to different cultural conditions.

“The Scandinavian countries have developed communities based on sustainable housing beyond what we do in Canada,” he said.

The firm has already participated in designing sustainable housing, including a flexible off-grid vacation home called S.W.A.M.P. House. It is also involved in a research project with the University of Waterloo, Ryerson University, Simon Fraser University and U.S. researchers to develop an entirely solar powered prototype home.

A prototype of that home will be shown for the first time in Washington this October.

According to CFC, the survey results also indicate that recent purchasers are knowledgeable about the mortgage process and their lender’s assessment of eligibility. For example, 86 per cent are of the view that the level of total housing and other monthly payments should generally not exceed 40 per cent of gross household income, which is in line with generally accepted mortgage lending practices.

“Given the current economy, this study indicates that Canadians continue to be optimistic about homeownership and are astute mortgage consumers,” said François Blouin, Director, Insurance Products and Strategic Direction, CMHC. “Our results reaffirm what we have seen in previous surveys — when it comes to their mortgages, Canadians are informed and manage their debt prudently.”

The survey shows that recent purchasers are prudent mortgage managers. According to the survey, 75 per cent of purchasers have a goal to be mortgage free sooner than their original amortization. In fact, 20 per cent of recent purchasers report having made a lump sum payment to their mortgage.

“CMHC’s 2009 mortgage consumer survey results are encouraging and provide insightful information, indicating that Canadians feel positive about Canada’s housing market,” said the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). “As well, Canada’s Economic Action Plan’s home purchase and renovation incentives, and CMHC’s recent outreach campaign to help Canadians who may be facing difficulties with their mortgage payment, are clear actions to support homeowners and the housing market.”

Canadian mortgage consumers recognize the benefits associated with mortgage loan insurance (MLI). According to the survey, 80 per cent of recent purchasers believe that MLI provides an important benefit to the financial system.

Similar to CMHC’s last Mortgage Consumer Survey, the 2009 survey also indicates that Canadians continue to be well served by the mortgage industry, with 77 per cent of recent mortgage purchasers expressing satisfaction with the service received from their lender or broker.

CFC posts that CMHC has conducted the Mortgage Consumer Survey since 1999 to examine consumer behaviour, attitudes and expectations when acquiring, renewing or refinancing a mortgage. This year, CMHC surveyed more than 2,500 recent mortgage consumers online, from mid-March to mid-April 2009. The survey involved the largest sampling of recent mortgage consumers ever undertaken by CMHC for this particular survey.

“Housing is a priority for our government,” said Parliamentary Secretary Ed Komarnicki. “People across Canada, including seniors, persons with disabilities, First Nations, and those living in Canada’s North, will benefit from this investment, which will help to ensure that we continue to offer safe and affordable housing to Canadians.“

CFC reports that Canada’s Economic Action Plan includes more than $2 billion to build new and renovate existing social housing. Of the $2 billion: $1 billion is for renovations and upgrades; $475 million is for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities; $400 million is for on-reserve communities; and $200 million is for housing in the North.

“Since our government made this announcement in January, we have been making real progress in delivering the funds,” added Parliamentary Secretary Komarnicki.  “The spin-off benefits are tremendous. We’re putting Canada’s economy back on the path to growth and making a real and lasting difference for Canadians coast-to-coast-to coast.”

As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country.