Across the street from the Go Station and the Kennedy TTC, at the far east end of the Toronto subway line, is what will soon become Ontario’s largest housing cooperative. The project will transform a parking lot in the midst of a leftover infrastructural knot into a mixed housing community with over 900 units centred around large interconnected green spaces and a design approach grounded in biophilia. The project is redefining what it means to design for both quality and affordability.
Directly neighbouring the green hydro corridor network, the project aims to embody this self-sustaining connection to the larger landscape context through a series of lush, planted surfaces, providing relief from the transit node bustle on the street. This design magnifies spaces for nature, while simultaneously enhancing the pedestrian public realm to contend with gritty streets, rail lines, and high traffic roadways. A tree-lined woonerf invites pedestrians and vehicles into the site, passing between the two phases of the development. Discreet parking podia support abundant rooftop gardens, providing generous outdoor space and countless opportunities for residents to get their hands dirty and grow a garden.
