Crest Lofts 647 Barton St. E.

Crest Lofts: Modest Infill Housing

Design Synopsis

• This is an exemplar of modest, fine-grain infill housing. Infilling a corner lot empty for decades with much needed housing and street vitality, this is intended as a bold catalyst for redevelopment in this blighted neighbourhood hub of Barton Village.

• A commercial unit faces Barton St., a cool bar/cafe with a large operable window to sidewalk stool seating and a corner patio.

• A unit with fenced private garden and direct entrance from Earl Street that animates the sidestreet, 6 loft-style apartments are provided on each of two upper floors, plus a large rooftop apartment with generous roof gardens (14 dwelling units total).

• A simple shed form for economy and energy efficiency, but peeled, punctured and splayed to create a dynamic form. The Barton Street façade is a dynamic composition of varied openings, with smooth multi-coloured panel siding and projecting and recessed balconies, to enliven the street. The smooth, orthogonal front façade projects out from the splayed box of inexpensive corrugated metal siding elsewhere. The splayed form wraps onto the roof garden as a covered terrace. Angled windows and openings reinforce the sense of movement,

• Our next ‘Architect as Developer’ project, we are inspired by and are following our work on the Barton-Kenilworth Commercial Corridor Study, and are continuing to put our money where our mouth is, as this is our second major development project to contribute to Barton Street’s revitalization.