This project was the first of our explorations with CreateTO and City Planning as part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) Beaches-East York Pilot Project. EHON is a City of Toronto initiative intended to facilitate the construction of more low-rise housing in residential neighbourhoods to meet the needs of our growing city. The Beaches-East York Pilot Project, a key component of EHON, is exploring the feasibility of building missing middle-type buildings, ranging from duplexes to low-rise apartments, on selected City-owned sites designated as Neighborhoods in the City’s official plan. The pilot project aims to deliver feasible missing middle demonstration projects that can be used as model for other sites, beyond City-owned properties. Our team was tasked to develop and evaluate architectural designs and project parameters. The goal was to assess the feasibility of constructing a sustainable multi-unit residential building, spanning up to six stories on a typical Toronto residential property, while ensuring a focus on affordability, accessibility, resiliency, and replicability.
As part of the pilot project, a specific site in the Beaches East-York ward was chosen as the focus for this typology study. The study aimed to explore the feasibility of multi-unit residential buildings that could be integrated on a typical-sized Toronto property, approximately 25 feet wide x 100 feet long. The selection of a corner lot was advantageous because it allowed the building to utilize two elevations for windows. Additionally, it permitted greater building height than what would be feasible in a mid-block location.
Three options were explored: a 3-storey building, a 4-storey building, and a 6-storey building. The residential units are designed for high liveability across all options, with emphasis on quality design, access to outdoor space, and operable windows positioned on two sides of each unit to maximize daylight and passive ventilation. The two smaller options investigated a single-stair solution, which was crucial for the feasibility of this type of development on a smaller site. In the 3- and 4-storey buildings, each floor contains two 1-bedroom apartments, with accessible units located on the ground floor with direct access to grade. The 6-storey prototype features one 2-bedroom unit on each floor, with balconies carved out on the corners and stairs at either end of the building.
To adhere to the stringent requirements of Toronto Green Standard Version 4 Tier 3, the building’s form needed to be simplified to minimize the building envelope area. Therefore, design exploration primarily focused on materiality and color differentiation. A composite recycled wood cladding was selected as an attractive, sustainable, and durable material. Thickened walls were incorporated for increased insulation, and deep window frames were utilized as a design feature, offering a range of colors for an economical yet visually appealing architectural approach. Each option includes a visually distinct area on the north elevation for the entrance, lobby, and circulation, which helps break up the large facade.
This feasibility study showcased the potential for gradual urban densification within Toronto’s neighborhoods through the incorporation of missing-middle scaled multi-unit housing. It also set the foundation for the exploration of a second site in the pilot project in the ward, 72 Amroth.
You can read more about the Beaches-East York Pilot project on the City of Toronto website.
