Residential Large
Jury Comment
This project addresses issues of social, economic and environmental sustainability. A high-performance building, it reduces construction time and cost through systematized modular construction. The simple form, modest scale, material choices and elegant details fit seamlessly into its urban context. Careful placement and sizing of windows give the interiors a feeling of spaciousness and connection to the outdoors.
Located in downtown Hamilton, this project provides much needed housing for those who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. By transforming a former surface parking lot into a welcoming and dignified place to call home, the project demonstrates that equitable access to housing is indeed possible.The three-storey building accommodates 24 studio dwelling units along with shared amenities on the ground floor. These include a community room, meeting room, lounge, and laundry facility.
The enclosed backyard is animated with barbecues, seating, and a community garden surrounded by lush, low-maintenance landscaping. Creating a building that was socially and economically sustainable for the client was a key driver for this project, as social housing operators require high-quality buildings that are durable, low maintenance and have low operational costs. By extension, this leads to environmentally sustainable design solutions.
Given the desperate need for housing, modular construction was used to accelerate the project timeline. This method also provided the benefit of reduced time and resources on site. Manufacturing and testing the modules within a controlled, indoor environment also supported greater quality control and high building performance.
To minimize operating energy, the building includes:
- simplicity in massing and design, maximizing the interior volume to exterior surface ratio
- a highly insulated envelope, with R52 walls
- detailing that achieves superior airtightness of 0.3ACH at 50Pa, and minimizes the risks of thermal bridging and condensation
- an optimal window-to-wall ratio of 15.2%
The project uses the ThermalWall PH Panel by Legalett Canada which come in R-24, R-28 and R-32 configurations. Sun Glow roller shades in the building feature eco-sustainable technical textiles to filter natural light and moderate indoor temperatures, and equipped with a Fascia Valance for a contemporary aesthetic. Ceramic floor tile used in many areas of the interior is by Olympia Tile.
The enclosed backyard has barbecues, seating, and a community garden surrounded by low-maintenance landscaping designed by OMC Landscape Architecture. Ground level cladding between the large windows is board and batten pattern from Marwood Cape Cod Siding.
PROJECT CREDITS
- Owner/Developer CityHousing Hamilton
- Architect Montgomery Sisam Architects
- General Contractor NRB Limited – ATCO Structures
- Landscape Architect OMC Landscape
- Civil Engineer Ainley
- Electrical Engineering and Energy Modelling Design Works Engineering
- Mechanical Engineer Peel Passive House and Design Works Engineering
- Structural Engineer Solera and Design Works Engineering
- Photos Doublespace / Younes Bounhar
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