The University of Toronto is looking to build new residences to house grad students as well as visiting faculty, and the school's getting creative with its plans given the premium on space at its downtown St. George Campus.

As Metro News reports, U of T wants to add between 40 and 50 laneway houses in the South Annex neighbourhood, across from Robarts Library. It hopes to get started on its first two in 2018.

The school's working with Baird Sampson Neuert Architects on a proposal for the first two houses, which according to CBC News will be between 800 and 950 square feet (that's still bigger than many of the units in new condos surrounding the university).

This plan will still be subject to city council approval.

In November, Councillors Mary-Margaret McMahon and Ana Bail達o announced they were working together to make it easier for Torontonians to bring so-called laneways suites to our city's oft-overlooked back alleys - we do have 250 kilometres of them after all.