Temporary residences for homeless youth are arrayed along a sunny interior street in a new project in downtown Toronto. Photo: Ben Rahn / A-Frame
TEXT Stephanie Calvet
LGA Architectural Partners (LGA) is a champion for socially innovative architecture and is well known in Toronto for its not-for-profit client portfolio. One of the firm?s longstanding relationships is with the local Eva?s Initiatives for Homeless Youth. They?ve designed three facilities for the organization?the first, a transitional housing facility called Eva?s Phoenix, opened in 2003, the second, a 32-bed emergency shelter called Eva?s Satellite, was completed in 2009.
Last year, a redevelopment in Liberty Village meant that Eva?s Phoenix had to vacate its location in a renovated industrial warehouse. In partnership with city stakeholders, the facility found a new home: a 1930s art deco municipal waterworks, in a gentrifying area on the western edge of downtown. LGA designed this newest iteration, too. It includes housing for 50 residents making their way from homeless-ness to independent living, as well as work-shops to train them with job-ready skills. The building?s non-descript exterior has few windows, but the interior couldn?t be more different. Envisioned as a neighbourhood within a building, Eva?s Phoenix is light, bright and uplifting. The residential area consists of a sky-light-topped triple-height atrium, under which ten townhouse-style units line an internal street. Stoop-like entries to each ...