Ardwick Townhouses

Built in 1967, this six-unit block of Toronto Community Housing Corporation townhouses had to be vacated after severe uneven foundation settlement caused structural damage. (The development’s seven other townhouse blocks remain occupied.) PLANT leads the multidisciplinary team that is rehabilitating and modernizing these three-bedroom residences for renewed occupancy. The scope of work includes foundation stabilization, extensive structural repairs, mould remediation, basement waterproofing, and the replacement of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, along with all windows and exterior doors. The units, which have been stripped back to framing on the interior, will also be outfitted with new insulation and cladding, replacement roofing, and all new interior finishes, millwork, and appliances.

PLANT’s exterior and interior renovations will update the functionality as well as the appearance of the homes. Originally the units had dining rooms at the front of the ground floor with kitchens tucked in behind. Acknowledging the centrality of kitchens in family life, the renovation situates an enlarged kitchen behind each unit’s front window and shifts the dining area to the core. The redesign also removes some partition walls to create more open floor plans and incorporates increased storage and shelving.

Three of the townhouses are aligned at grade as a block; the other three open in a saw-toothed configuration onto a terrace a few steps above. In place of the existing deteriorated and minimally detailed brick facades, new cladding will update and subtly animate this multi-unit residential building. EIFS cladding on the ground floor will contrast in colour and texture with fibre-cement siding on the second floor and metal accent panels along the windows. New frosted-glass sidelights next to each unit’s front door will bring natural light into the entry. At the northwest corner, an existing breezeway roof, which acts as a gateway to the interior of the community, will be removed and replaced with a new, higher roof that will introduce place-making address signage above the walkway in conjunction with a local artist.