Founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2007 by Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic, and later joined by third partner Colin Neufeld, 5468796 Architecture has established itself as a groundbreaking Canadian architecture firm that challenges conventional approaches to North American housing design. The collaborative studio operates with approximately 20 designers who prioritize collective creativity over individual recognition, fundamentally transforming how residential architecture addresses comfort and livability within the constraints of multi-family housing developments.
The firm's architectural philosophy centers on confronting the profit-driven formulas that dominate private housing development across North America. Their approach is comprehensively outlined in their publication "Platform: Middle," which emerged from a symposium of the same name held at the Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture in 2019. Through extensive involvement in multi-family residential projects, 5468796 Architecture has developed profound expertise in navigating the complex web of regulations, financial limitations, and development models that shape contemporary housing.
According to Johanna Hurme in an ArchDaily interview, the building industry's private sector dominance often results in design decisions that prioritize leasable or sellable square footage at the expense of end-user experience quality. She emphasizes that this efficiency-focused approach, combined with stringent regulatory requirements, significantly constrains architects' ability to create equitable and livable outcomes for residents. However, rather than viewing these constraints as insurmountable obstacles, the firm approaches them as creative challenges requiring innovative solutions.
The studio strategically focuses on micro-level project aspects where architects can implement meaningful design interventions within existing building codes, while acknowledging macro-level factors beyond designers' control such as political climate, zoning regulations, and broader economic shifts. Their residential architecture work represents a deliberate effort to reimagine profit-driven development formulas while actively pursuing solutions that balance social responsibility with economic sustainability for future urban development.
5468796 Architecture operates under an expanded practice definition they term the "ecosystem," believing that contemporary architectural jurisdiction extends far beyond traditional design-as-art boundaries. Through online lectures and presentations, they advocate that effective architectural practice must increasingly intersect with politics, economics, civic governance, and social activism. This comprehensive approach positions architects as professionals who must simultaneously run intelligent businesses, engage in policy-making processes, and assume active community leadership roles.
The firm emphasizes that business-minded thinking enhances rather than diminishes architectural artistry, providing essential knowledge foundations needed to navigate development challenges and influence key decisions affecting architectural outcomes. Their recognition includes numerous national and international awards: the Rice Design Alliance Spotlight Award, RAIC Emerging Architectural Practice Award, WAN 21 for 21, and the Architectural League of New York's Emerging Voices recognition. In 2012, they represented Canada at the Venice Biennale, and in 2013 received the prestigious Prix de Rome Award in Architecture from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Beyond their architectural practice, both founders serve as activists, educators, and lecturers, initiating events and programs designed to enhance public architecture appreciation, including "Table for 12 + 1200," "Chair Your Idea," and "Design Quarter Winnipeg." Johanna Hurme previously chaired the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the WWC's Our Winnipeg Task Force, while Sasa Radulovic actively participates in the University of Manitoba Partners Program, facilitating communication between professionals, industry representatives, educators, and students.
Among their notable projects, youCUBE demonstrates innovative approaches to increased density and affordability on narrow urban lots using standard construction methods accessible to residential contractors. This 18-unit development comprises three and four-story townhouses clustered around an elevated plaza serving as the main access point while sheltering ground-level parking below. The design challenges conventional multi-family housing layouts by prioritizing individual dwelling character and extensive outdoor space, with each unit featuring private rooftop patios offering panoramic views.
The 62M Apartments project addresses quality residential construction challenges on constrained urban sites positioned between freeways and existing industrial structures. Located adjacent to youCUBE, the firm's key architectural innovation involved elevating the entire structure on 35-foot stilts, overcoming limited ground-level views while providing residents with unobstructed sightlines. To offset elevation costs, the design employs a three-story circular plan that is both spatially and structurally efficient, with the continuous form minimizing exterior wall envelope by approximately 30 percent while maximizing rentable area.
The Pumphouse Commercial and Residential Building represents a significant adaptive reuse and urban revitalization effort centered on Calgary's decommissioned James Avenue Pumping Station. After numerous failed revival attempts and demolition threats, 5468796 Architecture took an expanded role, developing an unsolicited conceptual design and detailed financial pro-forma to demonstrate project viability to potential clients. The project's financial feasibility relied on two critical structural interventions: leveraging the original building's gantry crane capacity to suspend a new "floating floor" above existing pump hall machinery, creating leasable space while preserving historical artifacts, and securing zoning changes allowing construction of two flanking residential buildings on previously marginalized land parcels.
Their 90-100 Alexander Street project centers on integrating new mixed-use development around the W.J. Guest Fish Company Warehouse, a four-story heritage structure. The strategy involved positioning a new seven-story building to wind around the existing brick warehouse, intentionally exposing all four sides of the original structure to restore its identity as a standalone, 360-degree building. This approach maximizes site density while creating varied public spaces, with the ground floor designed for porosity, establishing sightlines and pedestrian paths linking street frontage with intertwined plazas and river views.
Currently in development, the Railside at the Forks masterplan represents the final large-scale development on a historically significant site at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, transforming 11 acres of former railyard into a comprehensive urban neighborhood. The core architectural intervention introduces year-round residential life to The Forks through a mixed-use strategy including approximately 1,200 mixed-income housing units and local commercial spaces. The urban fabric operates on a human scale, using mid-rise buildings organized around public squares and connected through shared alleyway networks, prioritizing pedestrian and cyclist movement through building-sized blocks, curbless edges, and narrow rights-of-way that accommodate multiple transport modes while emphasizing walkability.
