1120 Ossington - Affordable Housing

Recognizing an Urgent Need for Affordable Housing
St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society 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..

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.

3-ply cross-laminated timber (CLT) sourced from sustainably managed Ontario forests was used 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.

Affordable Housing can be Beautiful and Sustainable
In addition to the thoughtful design features noted above, the building’s façade panels use colors that were drawn from the brickwork of the adjacent church property. 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.