The corner of Dundas Street West and Keele Street represents the superimposition of two Toronto urban morphologies – the consistent, rigorous street wall condition typical of main street, and the discreet institutional/community buildings found along Keele Street. The corner site condition provides the morphology that superimposes the second typology onto the first, thus creating the requisite density for living in the City. This action also results in a desirable mix of residential units.
The simple modular system of shear walls adapts easily to larger and smaller sites in the City through the addition or deletion of structural bays. Within the basic rectangular framework, the individual units are manipulated to provide direct outdoor extensions of the living space, capturing light, air and affording privacy from adjacent units.
The articulation of the Keele Street façade provides an important sense of identity to the upper level unit type while the studio apartment/storefront type extrudes the retail level upwards, establishing a vital residential presence on the street. Within the overall design, the residential units offer a variety of private and communal outdoor spaces. The corner becomes the most public portion of the site and as such, is given back to the community.
The submission was made with co-author Christian Klemt and under Dunlop Farrow Architects.