ARCH 03 - The N(eighbourhood) Tower _ Mixed-use Building Project

The N(eighbourhood) Tower is a mixed-use high-rise building located at 192 Front Street E. in Downtown Toronto that consists of two towers, the condominium tower and the subsidized apartment tower, meant to accommodate a variety of residential needs while simultaneously encouraging community cohesion and sustainability initiatives.

The condominium tower which has 313 apartments, is 40 stories tall and offers its occupants amenities on the third and fourth floors, such as a pool, a fitness centre, and outside gardens. To meet a wide range of needs, this tower provides four distinct unit types, including one and two-bedroom layouts with den possibilities. The 18-story, 162-suite, subsidised apartment tower, on the other hand, provides three different layout options for reasonably priced housing: bachelor, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom. 

The building's podium houses several ground-level activities, including a grocery store, six retail units, six offices, and basic community amenities. On the other site of the podium, it includes a games room for recreational purposes, a banquet hall for social events, and a drop-in clinic for medical needs, which promote a feeling of community and increase the development's overall livability.

The design concept for this architectural project was to create a living space that is dynamic and linked while integrated into the surrounding urban environment. First, a modular design strategy was employed, dividing the apartments into a 4x4 grid. This strategy allowed the creation of multiple living areas because of its flexibility and diversity. Then, a staggered organization in spiral form surrounding the vertical circulation core to the top floor is proposed. This organization allows the creation of 2 continuous “Pathways” of balconies and terraces serving as a Green Path, creating a more human scale, seeking to promote communal visual connectivity, allowing the entry of air currents to cool both the units and the vertical circulation core in summer, and giving the possibility of sunlight “going through” the building and illuminating the surrounding streets and buildings. This organization also offers a “Neighbourhood” environment for users living in the units, a concept that is lost in high-rise buildings.

Furthermore, a green wall system is proposed to enhance sustainability and air quality on either side of the vertical circulation core that faces the outside. The project's base and the subsidised tower both include this environmentally beneficial strategy, resulting in a cohesive and environmentally responsible architectural idea. The staggered design begins at the corner of the site with the grocery store and is further enhanced by landscape elements that elevate the lower terraces' amenity spaces.

The first two floors' commercial and office spaces are designed to replicate the neighborhood's historic structures, thus fostering a feeling of community and appreciation for the surrounding environment. Finally, vertical louvres provide each tower a distinct skin that provides shade and gives the overall design an organic visual element. This architectural project intentionally integrates ecological solutions, modular design principles, and contextual awareness to create an urban living space that is dynamic, sustainable, and inclusive for its residents, all while seamlessly fitting in with its surroundings.