Dubbeldam to design City of Toronto’s pilot project for sustainable Missing Middle housing
We are honoured to have been selected to develop the City of Toronto’s first pilot project for Missing Middle Housing. This initiative is spearheaded by CreateTO and the City of Toronto as part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) program, which aims to build “missing middle” demonstration projects within established Toronto neighbourhoods.
Our team was chosen to design and analyze architectural solutions and project parameters to determine the feasibility of a highly sustainable low-rise (up to six storeys) residential built-form typology on a City-owned site. This includes studying building envelopes and mechanical systems that achieve net-zero operational emissions or better, and utilizing low embodied carbon materials.
The study will not only evaluate the feasibility of developing a missing middle project on the chosen site but will also consider necessary changes to the development approval process and the disposition of the site and future development. The processes and approaches developed through this initiative will also inform strategies for missing middle projects on other sites, both publicly and privately owned, within the City.
We are excited to lead the design of this critical initiative, which will set a precedent for affordable and sustainable housing, with the goal of fostering ‘gentle density’ in Toronto’s established neighbourhoods.