City of Toronto Supportive Housing – 11 Macey Avenue

Additional Info

Award Winner : NRB Modular Solutions

Architectural Excellence : Unlike similar precedents, Toronto’s Modular Supportive Housing is a permanent fixture and demanded an architectural response that conceives of a simple, functional module and creates from it a thoughtful, elegant addition to the urban fabric. Macey features 56 bachelor units alongside support services. The plan included two rows of 11 homes mirrored across a single loaded corridor. These modules are stacked 3 high in keeping with their respective residential skylines. Large windows cap each end of the corridors to bring in light and contribute to the building expression. This three-storey building consists of common rooms, a dining room, program space and administrative offices. The restrained light grey board colour palette responds to the hues that colour the neighbourhoods and allows the residence to recede into the existing fabric of buildings. A generous landscaped setback from the street, combined with wood screen accents at the lowest level create a rich streetscape experience

Cost Energy Effectiveness : Wood-framed used for construction enabled a cost-effective build while meeting the industry insulation standards and resulting in a lower carbon footprint. We used our previous experience and knowledge to create a high-quality, cost-effective build. A standardized product makes it easier for governmental bodies to create long-term programs with greater cost certainty. Macey Avenue was based on a design that we previously used for a supportive housing project for BC Housing. Although there are minor differences based on location, such as for seismic requirements or snow load, the supportive housing projects are all very similar. Quality assurance reviews of building techniques, electrical safety, and more, were conducted before modules arrived on-site to minimize additional costs. Off-site manufacturing reduced the area required for staging when building on a tight site, the transportation costs, the production of waste – on-site and off – as well as on-site greenhouse gas emissions.

Design Firm Name : Montgomery Sisam Architects

Occupied Date : 12/20/2020

Production Start Date : 6/5/2020

Project Location City : Toronto

Project Location State Name : Ontario

Technical Innovation : The housing projects are part of an inclusion strategy. The site is in an established residential neighbourhood, leading to the challenge that modular buildings are often perceived as cold and industrial, foreign to their surroundings. To foster inclusion, it was important to provide a dignified, welcoming, well-integrated space to combat the stigmas associated with homelessness. The pre-fabrication process provided many benefits, namely the high level of quality control during production in a controlled factory environment, the accelerated construction schedule, improved commissioning, and greater cost certainty. Off-site manufactured allowed us to reduce the area required for staging when building on a tight site, the transportation costs, the production of waste – on-site and off – as well as on-site greenhouse gas emissions. By maximizing the efficiency of the modular design, the project was completed in six months which was over 50% faster than it would have taken to site build

Total Square Feet : 27000