Toronto has a housing crisis. That’s apparent and we’ve been talking about it for a while now. There’s plenty of creative solutions that we need to implement to combat this crisis and create a city that is affordable with high quality housing. We need to look towards the future and by that we mean we need to think about sustainability. Many of Toronto’s housing stock is dated and not built to function in an eco-friendly way. But there is a movement beginning in the housing market. Old and tired Toronto homes are starting to be revamped and transformed into housing that is environmentally friendly and modern. Today, we’re going to talk about two of these homes in Brockton Village that have been transformed from old and tired traditional family homes into eco-minded three-unit buildings.
Solares Architecture, a Toronto firm, developed and transformed these two properties and calls them Eco Flats. Tom Knezic, the firm’s founder, believes them to be a pioneer and case study in green energy in housing.
Knezic purchased the 1920s row house in 2016 and has worked for a year, renovating and remodelling it into a passive home. A passive home is a more energy efficient home that is sealed air-tight with high quality insulation to prevent energy waste. That was the first home. The second home, bought in 2017, was an old 1940s house that received the same treatment.
Both buildings use only electricity and, because the home is air-tight and insulated well, electric heat pumps don’t have to work as hard as other forms of heating. Knezic claims that this results in a carbon reduction of almost 96%! This was achieved through digging down three feet in the basement, which not only added height to the ceiling, but also allowed for proper drainage and insulation to seal the home.
The single-family homes were transformed into three separate units, modern and renovated though from the outside they look the same prior to renovation. The second building also has a grey water recycling system that is soon to be implemented into the first building. This allows water to be taken from the shower, sterilized and then reused in the toilet. It’s a simple but effective way to achieve more sustainability in the home.
The rents on all the apartments are around market price and have never had an issue being filled. Being so close to transit and in residential neighbourhoods, this housing is just what Toronto needs. Transforming old and tired homes into multi-unit, eco-friendly housing is just one way Toronto can address the housing crisis.