In this post of our summer blOAAg series “Shaping Ontario at 150: The built and unbuilt”, we take a look at this contemporary building situated in the heart of a beloved Toronto neighbourhood, Kensington Market.
Location: Toronto
Architect: Paradigm Architecture + Design
Date of Completion: 2017
299 Augusta Ave., located in the heart of Kensington Market, was borne out of the Owner's desire to create a new landmark building for a neighbourhood that he has been fond of his entire life which, not unlike the rest of the City, is undergoing significant change, yet at a much slower, more selective pace. It is a 3-storey, mixed use building consisting of a new home for the Kensington Brewing Company (still undergoing construction) on the ground floor, a commercial office on the second, and four executive rental micro-apartments on the third.
Elevation Drawing Credit: Paradigm Architecture + Design
The facade is composed of materials that suggest a dichotomy reflective of the struggle between Kensington Market's past and future, all within a relatively narrow lot frontage; two-thirds of the façade consists of contemporary, purple-black, high-iron content brick accented with crisp, clear anodized aluminum awnings above each storey, while the last third harkens back to the gritty and organic history of the Market by virtue of a sculptural, Cor-Ten steel-clad elevator shaft with backlit perforated letters that spell out the Market's namesake while creating a subtle beacon, now recognizable to visitors and residents of the neighbourhood alike.
Photo Credit: Aaron Mason Photography 
Photo Credit: Aaron Mason Photography
Perforated black steel guardrails on the second and third floor Juliette balconies echo this language of raw materials that are found on various buildings nearby.
In a further effort to improve upon the non-descript building that occupied the site previously, the new building is designed to recycle harvested rainwater collected from the roof for use in flushing toilets and incorporates materials, finishes and energy-efficient technologies that strive towards LEED-Silver Certified status.
This post is forms part of our blOAAg summer series “Shaping Ontario at 150: The built and unbuilt” exploring architecture intrinsically tied to the community it is or was situated in. Check out the other posts in our series for more great buildings across the province!