Logements Abordables

1120 Ossington – Affordable Housing

Type: Résidentiel

Address: Toronto, Ontario

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Making the Land Work Harder on an Infill Site

Recognizing an Urgent Need for Affordable Housing

St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society – a non-profit dedicated to providing affordable housing and supportive services, recognized the urgent need to provide new affordable housing in Toronto. With a goal to “make their land work harder”, they developed 1120 Ossington, a three-storey, 25-unit supportive housing project built on land they already owned and was adjacent to one of their existing properties (a converted church which currently provides 20 units of supportive housing).

Additionally, they wanted to make use of the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) Rapid Housing Fund, which has strict sustainability and timing requirements, all while staying within a modest budget. The solution needed to be implemented quickly without compromising durability, livability, that integrated seamlessly into the surrounding community.

Innovative Design Meets Urgent Housing Needs

The result is a thoughtfully designed 7,362 sq. ft. L-shaped building, constructed on a tight infill site, and wraps around the existing refurbished church to create a small but lovely inner courtyard. Architecturally, the building follows Toronto’s Low-Rise Urban Design Guidelines, therefore avoiding the need for a site-specific zoning change.

Element5 supplied 3-ply cross-laminated timber (CLT) sourced from sustainably managed Ontario forests for the superstructure. Combined with panelized tilt-up construction, the building was assembled in just 17 days, significantly reducing waste, neighbourhood disruption, and overall cost.

The use of prefabricated mass timber enabled rapid, precise, and cost-effective construction while minimizing carbon-intensive on-site work. The build was further streamlined with pre-assembled kitchen and bathroom pods, and a slab-on-grade foundation eliminated the need for a basement.

Building Features

Each unit includes a kitchenette and private bathroom, offering residents independence and dignity.
Exposed CLT ceilings bring warmth and openness to the compact suites.
Rooms have been designed to maximize natural light, enhancing comfort and mental well-being.
Fully accessible ground-floor units remove the need for elevators.

Affordable Housing can be Beautiful and Sustainable

In addition to the thoughtful design features noted above, the building’s façade panels use colours that were drawn from the brickwork of the adjacent church. The façade also features public art by local artist Leo Krukowski, whose perforated metal “Wind Garden” screens are mounted outside the windows, casting dynamic patterns of light and shadow across the building – enhancing the streetscape.

For developers working within tight financial site and timeline constraints, affordability and performance often compete with design quality. But with 1120 Ossington, the project team proved that affordable housing can also be beautiful.