The conversion of this nineteenth-century industrial shed to a small footprint (79m2) single-family home on a laneway in midtown Toronto makes a case for a strategic approach to urban sustainability and revitalization. Located tight to the property lines on three sides and with an access easement on the fourth, no new windows or openings in the facades were permitted by the building code. This restriction initiated a design strategy that revolved around

drawing light, air and views from above, resulting in a house with unique spatial complexity. Sustainability was integral to the project from the outset; the integrated green approach taken includes a light/air shaft along the west wall of the building topped with operable skylights that provides day-lighting and passive ventilation/cooling; a green roof; and storm-water collection system; radiant heating; extensive material salvage and re-use.

40R_LANEWAY HOUSE executive summary

With the owner and architect equally concerned with ecological, economic and social impact, the design intent was to focus principally on passive strategies, both for economy and durability over the long term. An interest in the history of the building and its context led to a commitment to retain or reuse as much of the existing building as possible, in particular the quilt of steel panel cladding.

Beginning its life as a blacksmith’s shop serving the North Toronto Railway Station in the early 1880s, 40R remained in industrial service – first as a smithy, then a horse shed, a storage depot, and most recently as a sculptor’s workshop– for over 120 years. The salvage and re-use of the building’s steel cladding and rolling steel door are both practical and poetic: they evoke the shed’s history and knit it into its context (host to both residential and light-industrial use); along with the low-VOC stained plywood and sustainably harvested cedar that clad the remainder of the building, they are suitably durable materials for the laneway site.

The tight laneway dimensions made for an interesting design challenge of careful rehabilitation and three-dimensional problem-solving. The building footprint measures 3.6m x 12.2m, on a lot of only 6.1m x 12.8m. The portion of the site not occupied by the original building is designated as a right-of-way at grade, resulting in a second floor cantilever. The building sits tight to the property lines on three sides. These ‘zero lot line’ conditions set restrictive parameters on the exterior envelope, meaning growth of the building was limited to adding height, and no glazed openings could be added to exterior walls.

The inseparable design and sustainability strategy relies heavily on carving away parts of the interior to make light-wells and an interior courtyard, and using the roof plane to supply light, ventilation and outdoor amenity. Light shafts that bring light from the roof down to the ground level double

The building at 40R Shaftesbury Avenue pre-dates most of the Victorian homes that grew into the neighbourhood around it. The current owners, interested in smaller footprint living and the intrinsic qualities and history of the building, bought the laneway property in 2006 in order to convert it to a sustainable single family home. Committed to retaining as much of the existing building as possible, they were also interested in a holistic and sustainable way to provide the amenities of ‘home’ – including outdoor space, daylighting, and well-configured living space – willing to sacrifice enclosed floor area in favor of sound environmental strategy.

as ventilation stacks in a passive cooling system. Operable venting skylights at the top of the light shafts release warm air drawn up from the ground level and through operable clerestories in the second-floor bedrooms. The location of the openings is such that 100% of the occupied floor area is within 7m of an operable window. Superior building insulation and radiantly heated floors contribute to lowering the environmental impact of the house.

In keeping with the City of Toronto’s goal of reducing impervious surface and storm-water run-off, all available ground surface is planted, and there is a partial green roof. Storm-water run-off from the rooftop terrace and green roof is piped to a ground level cistern, which is then used to irrigate the roof garden and ground level planting. Low-flow plumbing fixtures are also used throughout the house to help manage water consumption.

The house is located 110 meters from a subway station with surface route connections, and 120m from one of Toronto’s main streets. It is a short walk from grocery shopping, banking, cafes and many other amenities and services. Taking advantage of its central location allows the owners to live locally and commute via public transit.

The modest 79m2 footprint of this laneway-house living space creates a prototype for low-impact, car-free, low-carbon urban living, a compelling architectural case for higher density occupation of Toronto’s laneways in core neighbourhoods. This project speaks to design innovation in the service of sustainability at the level of the both the individual and the city. Its tiny site and the need for skyward orientation not only called for design dexterity, but led to a solution that makes a unique architectural contribution in a city dominated by single family houses on larger lots. The project has attracted interest at home and abroad, and has been featured on BBC’s World’s Greenest Homes.

40R_LANEWAY HOUSE sustainable design narrative

SURROUNDED MOSTLY BY VICTORIAN HOMES, 40R_LANEWAY STANDS IN CONTEXT AMONG ITS MIDTOWN NEIGHBOURS | EAST ELEVATION SHOWCASING THE SALVAGED STEEL PANEL CLADDING, REUSED AS PART OF THE RAINSCREEN SYSTEM

BEFORE …

… AFTER

LIVING AREA WIH LIGHT STREAMING IN FROM ABOVE | THE INTERIOR COURTYARD, CLAD IN UNFINISHED CEDAR, OFFERS AN URBAN OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE | COMPACT KITCHEN WITH LIGHTSHAFT

ARTISTIC RENDERING OF THE BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE | NIGHT-BOOM, A CURATED EVENT CELEBRATING THE DECONSTRUCTION & HISTORY OF THE SMITHY, WAS ATTENDED BY AN AUDIENCE OF NEARLY 100 GUESTS

SOUTH WEST ELEVATION SHOWCASING A NIGHTTIME VIEW THE CANTELIEVERED UPPER LEVEL OF THE HOUSE | ROLLING STEEL SMITHY DOOR REUSED TO CONCEAL AN ADDITIONAL OPENING OFF THE DINING AREA & KITCHEN