Maple House opened the newest chapter in the redevelopment of the West Don Lands (WDL), a 80-hectare brownfields in Toronto’s 19th century industrial waterfront. This 770-unit, LEED® Gold rental project addresses the city’s pressing need for high-quality housing for residents at all income levels. The architects, inspired by the site and its context, have responded with an approach that is inventive, respectful of architectural and socal heritage, and environmentally responsible. They drew heavily on the area’s diverse typologies to create a layered, tripartite massing defined by a robust, low-slung Podium layer, stacked with finely detailed Mid-rise components, and topped with sculpted Towers that identify the new neighbourhood on the skyline.
Affordable and market units are distributed evenly through all three blocks of the new neighbourhood following the “Not Identical, but Indistinguishable” design strategy. 10% of all units are sized for families, in accordance with the City’s policy document, Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities (2017). Over 25% of all units fully accessible or barrier-free, allowing residents to age in place.
Bio a—A is a design practice based in Toronto engaged in the act of city building, providing full architectural services across a wide range of contexts, scales and building types—from schools, galleries and cultural centres, to affordable housing and mixed-use developments, to urban parks and civic precincts. We work with clients and collaborators in Canada, the United States, and Europe. We are designers, researchers and urbanists who care about the city, and take care to create spaces that give meaning and invention to the ways we live and work.
Other prizes 2024 Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Custom Home: Escarpment House 2023 Architecture MasterPrize Award for Conceptual Architecture: Don Mills Jamatkhana and Ismaili Community Centre 2023 Architecture MasterPrize Award for Adaptive Re-Use: The Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto | Tower Automotive Building 2023 Canadian Architect Magazine Award of Excellence: Don Mills Jamatkhana and Ismaili Community Centre 2023 P/A Awards - Religious: Don Mills Jamatkhana and Ismaili Community Centre 2023 Chicago Athanaeum Green Good Design Award: Loblaws Groceteria Warehouse Adaptive Re-Use 2023 Toronto IES Illumination Section Award for Outdoor Lighting Design: Loblaws Groceteria Warehouse Adaptive Re-Use 2022 Faith & Form Magazine Award for Religious Architecture - Unbuilt: Don Mills Jamatkhana and Ismaili Community Centre 2021 Architizer A+ Awards Finalist: Harbour Plaza 2021 City of Toronto Urban Design Award of Merit: Loblaws Groceterial Warehouse Adaptive Re-Use 2021 Canadian Brownfields Network Brownie Awards of Excellence: Museum of contemporary Art_Toronto Canada 2021 Canadian Brownfields Network Brownie Awards of Excellence Finalist: Loblaws Groceteria Warehouse Adaptive Re-Use 2020 Canadian Architect Magazine Award of Excellence: West Don Lands Block 8 [Maple House at Canary Landing] 2019 Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals Award of Merit: Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto Canada 2019 Ontario Concrete Awards Material Development and Innovation Award: Tower at Pier 27 2017 Urban Land Institute Global Award of Excellence: West Don Lands, including Canary District | Pan/Parapan American Games Athlete’s Village 2017 City of Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence for Building in Context Private/Mid-Rise/Residential: 383 Sorauren 2017 City of Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence for Public Spaces: ÏCE Condominiums at York Centre 2016 Canadian Brownfields Network Brownie Awards of Excellence: Canary District
