Location: Toronto, ON
Architects: Superkül Inc., Architect
Date of completion: 2015
OAA Awards 2016 Design Excellence Winner

Providing a refreshing housing alternative on a busy Toronto street, Harbord Towns offers a new take on the traditional townhouse, continuing the scale and pattern of the existing residential housing stock while establishing a model for the future of multi-unit housing in the city. The six townhouses make the best of a challenging urban site, transforming an oddly shaped lot (90 feet at the front, 60 feet at the back) once home to a gas station into an elegant, practical and unapologetically modern residential complex.

Instead of striving to replicate fully detached homes in a constricted context,  the design focused on producing optimal living spaces without worrying about conforming to conventional expectations. From the outside, the six townhomes read as a single entity – a decidedly modern building with a graphic black and white brick façade and bold orange aluminum accents. Built right to the sidewalk, special attention was given to address urban design issues.

Drawings courtesy of Superkül Inc., Architect

In the interior, each unit makes the best of its 2,000 square feet. The main entry, garage and office occupy the lowest level, above which are the kitchen, living and dining. Two bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry facilities occupy the second floor, while a private master ensuite occupies the top floor.

Photo Credit: Ben Rahn/A-Frame Studio

A successful partnership between the developer and the architects, Harbord Towns is a tangible investment on the power and possibilities of innovative design to make the best of challenging urban conditions. As the City of Toronto begins to encourage residential construction on its avenues, Harbord Towns provides a new and financially successful precedent on what low-rise residential units can be.

To view the complete submission, including additional images and drawings, please click here.

Photo Credit: Ben Rahn/A-Frame Studio

This post (9/20) is part of the OAA Awards 2016 Design Excellence Finalists blOAAg series celebrating the best of Ontario architecture. Every day during the month of March we will be posting a new finalist. You can view all posts by clicking here. Winners will be announced April 1, 2016.