Bloorcourt "Missing Middle" Development
| Location: | Toronto, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Status: | In Progress |
| Date: | 2024 - Present |
The client acquired two semi-detached houses that lay vacant for decades. The aim was to bring new housing opportunities to an underused site, and to create a contextually-appropriate “missing middle” building that feels like a community.
The 3-story building contains six dwelling units of varying sizes. One basement dwelling unit, one two-storey dwelling unit split between the basement and ground floor, one ground floor unit, two second floor units, and a large third floor unit (for a total of 6 dwelling units and total of 15 bedrooms). An entrance lobby and mail room are located on the ground floor; a mechanical room and bicycle room are located in the basement. The building is also designed to support aging-in-place, as all units are provided with elevator access.
The project is aiming to be one of the first single exit stair buildings in Toronto.
Single-stair design is ideal for this infill project, allowing for optimization of floor plates, better unit layouts, and more leasable and habitable floor area. The municipal zoning by-law permits multi-unit residential buildings of up to 3 storeys and the design team explored many two-stair options for the site (with both interior and unenclosed exterior stairs). However, to maximize the potential for exterior landscape areas, optimize access to light, views and privacy for each apartment, and to minimize construction costs, the best option was to pursue a single stair solution.
