Since 2008, Principal Heather Dubbeldam has been leading Twenty + Change, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to fostering the exchange of ideas and showcasing the work of a new generation of Canadian architectural practices. Through a competition every three years, Twenty + Change features practices established within the last ten years that display innovation in their work, mode of operation, research, and/or other aspects of practice. The aim of the program is to showcase a diversity of people and practice types working in different geographical regions and taking a variety of innovative approaches to the practice of architecture.
Heather has led six editions of Twenty + Change that have promoted and disseminated the work of over 120 emerging architecture practices in Canada (20 each edition). This has had a positive and, in some cases, profound impact on the development and exposure of these practices across the country. In 2021, Twenty + Change began collaborating with Canadian Architect Magazine who had also been showcasing emerging practices with their Emerging Talent issue. Twenty + Change: Emerging Talent was launched that year and the group of practices selected were featured in a special issue of the magazine that reached a wide audience across the country.
Other Dubbeldam team members participate in the Twenty + Change cause, assisting with the facilitation of the various elements of the initiative including coordination, website updates, social media, editing, and more. The latest edition of Twenty + Change: New Perspectives was launched with a call for submissions in March 2024. Following the jury process in June, the twenty selected firms were announced on October 1st, and published in the October edition of Canadian Architect Magazine.