Drawing on extensive experience in the conversion of brick-and-beam industrial sites across Ontario, SLi led the restoration of this historic building in Toronto’s downtown core. Through a coordinated design process with our larger project team, we executed a complete demolition and back-to-base renovation that achieves contemporary functionality, accessibility, and code compliance while honouring and celebrating the building’s original character.

Maintaining a careful discipline around existing wood, steel, and brick components, we removed partial renovations and previous outlying interventions to create new, cohesively designed suites, bathrooms, and amenities. Employing established protocols, robust technical research, and custom strategies, SLi provided innovative solutions to a series of design problems at the site, integrating new services while optimizing spatial quality. We also led the legalization of a non-compliant roof deck and executed multiple accessibility updates, adding universal washrooms, ramps, modified elevators, and other improvements.

Following the renovation, SLi led an intensive design research phase, conducting feasibility reporting on a range of possible usages for the six-storey building, with provisions for accessibility, capacity, zoning, and more. Defined by rigorous research and technical discipline, the restored building represents a case study in urban rehabilitation — using architecture to solve existing or anticipated problems and create spaces that are beautiful and efficient, atmospheric and functional.