The Old Shoe Factory, 57 Mill Street, Brampton I am responsible as the Architect for the Adaptive Refit, Renovation and Restoration of this Century Old mass timber structure in downtown Brampton.

As you walk down the street approaching the Old Shoe Factory, you are immediately struck by the sheer mass of the structure. The simplicity of the abstract form is the primary source of its beauty. It is an individual entity with a character known to a neighbourhood but independent of it. It is a clear manifestation of the ethical standards of the Victorian colonial industrialists. They built these factories as an example to the common folk of the benefit of education, self-reliance and respect.

The surface of the mass is broken down in an ordered rhythm of windows set in small bays, each window capped with an arch. On a bright sunny day this geometry cuts light and shadow across the field of brick. Together it creates a simple fabric wrapping the massive volume.

A century ago wood offered versatility, durability, workability, low cost per pound, high strength-to weight ratio, good electrical insulation, low thermal conductance, and excellent strength at low temperatures among are its advantages. It is resistant to many chemicals that are highly corrosive to other materials. It has high shock-absorption capacity. A definite advantage to building filled with heavy machinery pounding and vibrating away in the service of making shoes. It can absorb high overloads of short time duration. It has good wearing qualities. A wide range of finishes can be applied to wood for decorative or protective purposes. Wood can be used in both wet and dry applications. These qualities were requisite for many mills and factories of its time. Wood also offers choice of many species with a wide range of properties. All of these attributes are combined in a simple framing system creating a large economical structure that has stood for over a century. What remains is still vital with an ever changing new use.

The exterior is a direct reflection of the simple geometry of the interior plan. Early industry demanded large economical workplaces. Buildings were limited in their scale only by the size of the land owned by their builders. This building is characterized by regular spacing of columns and beams supporting a floor of dimensioned lumber on edge. All of this was achieved using standard sizes and grades of lumber. Unnecessary variations in the cross section of members along their length have been avoided. Standard wood connection details and arrangements used throughout the structure were kept to a minimum. Identical member designs were used repeatedly wherever practical. This method resulted in an economical construction formula.

The use of wood in structures of this scale from a century or more ago were formed by rote practice. It was economical to use locally sourced wood and brick. This economy made use of these materials in a way that did not fully utilize the strength of wood. This does not diminish the achievement we see today. Rather it highlights how much more can be achieved with a modern understanding and machine measurement of the strengths of wood members. Combine this with the engineering that is now possible and we will see more inspiring and lighter forms designed by architects. These new inspirational uses of wood rise out of the heritage of the century old structures like the Old Shoe Factory.

Of course this story would not be complete without acknowledging the neighbourhood that surrounds this mighty structure. The railroad passing by this temple to industry. The majesty of a downtown abandoned like many other Southern Ontario downtown cores no longer adored. Many of the buildings were torn down and the land scraped clean. After a few years malls with their backs turned to the street rose up in their place. Land in proximity to the downtown combined with an insatiable need for new housing fueled this systematic change. What remains is a few new apartment blocks punctuated by this wood and brick behemoth of a bygone era. Don’t be too hasty to write off the hero of our story. The simplicity and economy of the plan lends it to new offices for professionals and those that are attracted to a dignified, sophisticated alternative to conventional office space. Today the factory is still houses as many workers as it did when it all began more than a century ago. To read more about the Built Environment, please check out the https://therightanglejournal.com/.