to an earlier historic period when social cohesion and an unquestioning sense of duty were expected of Torontonians in the face of a formi- dable enemy.” This is exactly what adaptive reuse attempts to achieve, a modern connection to the best parts of our heritage and history.
The process of adapting a historical building for a new and unintended use is never easy. MacCallum commented that “the ribbon windows and roof monitor of this block-long building now form a kind of abstract mosaic. Each of the thousands of aged panes is unique, whether intact, cracked, patched, fogged, or painted over. Window replacement will be the major aesthetic challenge in restoring this structure and adapting it to productive use.” He hit the nail on the head; what to do with these beautiful windows was one of the big questions with the reuse of this building. The architectural firm Quadrangle was engaged to assist in the reha- bilitation of the building. They were provided two primary challenges to address: 1. Re-purpose a factory building into a self-storage facility and regenerate a worn-down facade while simultaneously preserving the characteristics that gave the building façade its distinct appearance.
2. Create clear branding that points to the building’s new use as a self-storage facility and distinguishes the facility from other competitors in the neighborhood.
When a detailed inventory of existing site conditions was done, the good and bad of what we were working with was narrowed down to the following:
MASSING [4] The existing massing was simple, yet strong, with obvious oppor- tunities for branding at vertical accents.
[ ] The massing did little to signify entrances, resulting in an unclear wayfinding experience.
MATERIALITY [4] The existing brick was in good shape and could be preserved.
[ ] The glazing was in a state of disrepair and did not lend itself well to a self-storage use. It would need to be replaced.
[4] The concept of horizontal glass and brick bands is strong in its simplicity and lends itself to straightforward design interventions.
[ ] The building generally lacked a vibrancy that would attract customers.
SIGNAGE / STREET PRESENCE [ ] Given that the existing building had not operated as a customer service business, signage was not positioned to attract customers.
[4] Vertical accents in the building mass (e.g. the smokestack) and a long street façade offered clear branding opportunities.
[ ] The building was located mid-block with a competitor located closer to the main intersection. Bold signage and branding would be needed to draw customers farther down the street.
[4] The north side of the property was currently undeveloped, offering opportunities for signage and branding visible from the north.
USER EXPERIENCE / WAYFINDING [ ] The existing building was not currently retail customer focused and therefore did not provide clear wayfinding to loading areas or building entrances.
[4] The building was highly visible from Research Road, offering clear opportunities for wayfind- ing devices.
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The strategy for improvement of the building was centered around the following concepts: 1. Repair And Rejuvenate The Façade
• Replace the dilapidated glazing in a manner that preserves the defining characteristic (e.g. the horizontal banding of glass and brick) of the existing façade.
• Take advantage of the long street frontage to create a dynamic façade that will differentiate the building from its competitors.
2. Enhance The Signage • Create a memorable and consistent branding strategy.
• Consider a variance to the signage by-law to allow the placement of signage in highly visibility locations.
3. Create A User Experience • Introduce clearly visible signage for the entrance, parking area, and loading bay.
• Create an inviting entrance closer to the sidewalk with views to the interior and signified by a canopy.
• Create a more active street front by making the store and entrance well-lit and visible from the exterior.
Ultimately, the best solution for adapting the building to a self-storage use was to remove the windows and replace with corrugated metal. In the spirit of conservation, all steel window frames, mullions, fasteners, and window putty were removed carefully to limit further damage to the concrete sills and lintels. One window was salvaged for replication purposes and used to create faithful replicas for new windows in the office area and second floor glazing in the southwest corner of the building. This option was within budget, which is always a challenge when considering adaptive reuse, and maintained the character of the building by preserving
October 2022
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