Surrey's first duplex, delivered from concept through completion. A considered response to the city's shift toward small-scale multi-family housing, designed with the same rigor as a custom estate.
Designing Surrey's First Duplex
Being part of Surrey's first duplex was more than just another design project for our team at Arcadia Design. It was an opportunity to work on something new for the city and help bring a different approach to housing to life.
With Surrey continuing to grow and housing needs changing, projects like this represent what the future of residential development can look like — creating more homes within existing neighbourhoods while still designing spaces that feel intentional, functional, and built for the people who will actually live in them.
For us, the goal was simple: make the most of the opportunity without making the design feel compromised.
Starting With the Property
Every successful project starts with understanding the property itself.
Before getting into the details of the design, we looked closely at the lot, the surrounding neighbourhood, available space, access, setbacks, and the requirements that would ultimately shape what could be built.
With a project like Surrey's first duplex, there wasn't a long list of similar local projects to look back on. That meant our team had to be thoughtful from the beginning, working through the details carefully and designing around both the possibilities and limitations of the site.
Rather than trying to force a predetermined design onto the property, we let the property help guide the design.
Making Every Square Foot Count
One of the biggest considerations with multi-unit housing is how you use the available space.
Adding another home shouldn't mean sacrificing the things that make a home comfortable to live in. Throughout the design process, we paid close attention to layouts, circulation, natural light, privacy, entrances, storage, and how each space would actually function day to day.
There are a lot of decisions behind a finished set of drawings that most people will never see. Sometimes moving a wall, changing an entrance, or rethinking the placement of a room can completely change how a home feels.
Those smaller decisions became a big part of this project.
Designing Two Homes That Feel Like Home
We didn't want the project to simply feel like one property divided into two.
Each residence needed its own identity and a layout that made sense independently. Privacy between the homes, practical living spaces, and a natural flow from one area to another were all important considerations.
At the same time, the exterior needed to come together as one cohesive design.
Finding that balance between density, privacy, functionality, and curb appeal was one of the most interesting parts of designing the project.
Navigating Something New
Being the first comes with its own challenges.
There are always questions that come up when working through a new form of housing, especially as municipalities introduce new regulations and explore different ways of creating housing within established communities.
Our role went beyond simply drawing the building. It meant working through requirements, coordinating details, responding to changes, and helping move the project from an idea toward something that could actually be built.
It required patience, collaboration, and a lot of attention to the details along the way.
What This Project Means to Us
We're proud to have played a role in Surrey's first duplex, but what excites us most is what projects like this could mean for the future.
The way people use their properties is changing. Families are looking for ways to live closer together, homeowners are exploring additional rental income, and cities are looking for ways to create more housing without completely changing the neighbourhoods people already call home.
Good design has an important role in making that possible.
For Arcadia Design, this project is an example of how thoughtful planning can take a single property and create more opportunity from it without losing sight of what makes a home feel like a home.
A New Chapter for Surrey Housing
Surrey's first duplex may be one project, but it represents a much bigger shift happening across the city.
As new housing options become possible, every property will come with a different set of opportunities and challenges. That's why we believe the process should always start by understanding the property first and designing from there.
We're excited to see how Surrey continues to evolve and proud that Arcadia Design was able to contribute to one of the projects helping start that conversation.
