88 - 90 Carlton Street - Toronto Community Housing, Toronto

The existing buildings at 88-90 Carlton were acquired by Toronto Community Housing to redevelop social housing in the downtown core. The design also incorporates the Italian art deco brick facades along Carlton Street to preserve the urban fabric of the city. A temporary steel structure was designed to support the facades during demolition and construction. The building has some history in that it was one of four built in pairs around 1928 to house labourers working on Maple Leaf Gardens.

The building is comprised of 12-storeys, 110 units in a variety of configurations from bachelors to four-bedroom units with wraparound balconies, 34 underground car parking and approximately 90 spaces for bicycles. The site is located near schools, shopping, mass transit, parks and various cultural and social institutions.

The 12-storey apartment structure is of reinforced concrete construction incorporating many green Initiatives, such as: - A ground constructed heat pump for heating and cooling. Very few projects in urban settings have utilized this technology in North America and it was a first for Toronto Community Housing. A solar thermal domestic hot water pre-heat system. The system works all year round to preheat domestic hot water using solar panels installed on the roof of the building. A green roof to help reduce rainwater runoff as well as reduce the heat island effect in the urban core. An enthalpy recovery wheel that recycles hot & cold air as well as humidity.