Where Ideas Take Shape

Here's a look at what we've been working on lately—real projects with real challenges, real constraints, and hopefully some solutions that actually work. Each one taught us something different.

Riverdale Passive House
Residential Design

Riverdale Passive House

Toronto, ON • 2023

When the client said they wanted 'pretty much zero heating bills,' we knew we had our work cut out for us

This 2,400 sq ft home in Riverdale hits Passive House certification without looking like it's trying too hard. Triple-glazed windows, airtight envelope, HRV system—all the technical stuff that matters. But what I'm most proud of? You'd never guess it's a super-insulated box from the street.

AREA

2,400 sq ft

COMPLETED

June 2023

CERTIFICATION

Passive House

BUDGET

$1.2M CAD

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Technical Drawing
The Technical Side

Wall assembly R-value of 60, roof at R-80. PHPP modeling showed we'd hit 15 kWh/m²/year for heating demand. The challenge wasn't the numbers though—it was detailing the transitions without thermal bridges.

Interior Space
Living Inside

Open plan without feeling like a warehouse. The family's been in for six months now and they're saying the air quality is noticeably better than their old place. No drafts, super quiet, and yeah—those heating bills are basically nothing.

Construction Process
Building It Right

Found a contractor who actually cared about the blower door test results. Multiple site visits, constant coordination, blower door testing at rough-in. Got 0.45 ACH50 on final testing—better than the 0.6 requirement.

Junction Works Co-Working Space
Commercial Architecture

Junction Works Co-Working

Toronto West End • 2022

Adaptive reuse project that took a 1940s industrial building and turned it into flexible workspace. The bones were good but everything else needed work. Kept the exposed brick and timber trusses—they've got more character than anything we could add.

12,000 sq ft across two floors, now housing about 85 members. Mix of private offices, shared desks, and meeting spaces. Added a bunch of glazing to get natural light deeper into the floor plate. HVAC was a puzzle but we got there.

PROJECT TYPE

Adaptive Reuse

SIZE

12,000 sq ft

Explore Project
Co-working Interior
Heritage Details

Kensington Market Mixed-Use

Trying to add density to Kensington without ruining what makes it special—that was the brief, more or less

Urban Planning & Design • 2023

Kensington Market Development

Project Overview

Four-story building with retail at grade, two floors of office space, and residential units on top. The neighborhood fought hard to keep the scale appropriate and honestly, they were right to push back on our first proposal.

UNITS

8 residential + 4 commercial

STATUS

Construction begins Fall 2024

SUSTAINABILITY

LEED Gold target, green roof

Site Plan
Elevation Drawing
3D Model
Heritage Restoration

Distillery District Loft Conversion

Working with heritage buildings is like solving a really expensive puzzle where you can't see half the pieces. This 1890s warehouse had great bones but decades of sketchy modifications that needed undoing.

The client wanted a modern loft without erasing the building's history. So we stripped back to the original brick and timber, upgraded everything to current code (that was fun), and added contemporary insertions that respect the old stuff.

"The hardest part was convincing the heritage committee that our glass mezzanine actually highlighted the original timber structure instead of competing with it. Took three meetings and a full-scale mockup."

Original Build

1892

Renovation

2022

Area

3,200 sq ft

Heritage Status

Protected

Loft Interior
Brick Detail
Timber Structure

More Projects in Progress

What we're currently wrestling with on the boards and in the field

Leslieville Townhomes
IN CONSTRUCTION
Leslieville Townhomes

Six-unit townhouse development, each with private outdoor space. Breaking ground took forever but we're finally moving dirt.

Toronto East End

Community Hub
DESIGN PHASE
Parkdale Community Hub

Public space project with lots of community input. Still working through the wish list vs. budget reality.

Parkdale, Toronto

Muskoka Retreat
PERMITTING
Muskoka Lake Retreat

Off-grid lakeside home. Solar panels, geothermal, the whole sustainable nine yards. Dealing with shoreline setback regulations.

Muskoka, ON

Queen West Restaurant
CONCEPT STAGE
Queen West Restaurant

Interior architecture for a new spot. Client wants industrial-meets-cozy which is... a conversation we're still having.

Queen Street West

Got a project that needs sorting out?

Whether it's a renovation that's gotten complicated or a new build you're thinking about—let's talk through it. First conversation's always free and we'll be straight with you about whether we're the right fit.

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