Discover Top Posts Tagged with #teeple architects

Bridging the Affordability Gap: 60 Richmond East

My first presentation of ‘The Architecture of Engagement’ at the CaGBC Summit in June 2010 coincided with the announcement by Mayor Gregor Robertson of Vancouver’s ‘Greenest City 2020’ initiative. At the time, the one issue noticeable by its absence was that of housing affordability. My contention was (and still is) that for a city (or more reasonably, a metropolitan area) to call itself sustainable, it must have appropriate housing options available and accessible to all socio-economic groups within its boundaries. This is an issue too complex to resolve here, but it is clear that Metro Vancouver’s limited land base (and consequent high land prices) are only part of the equation. The region also has the lowest average family income of any major city in Canada, dragged down by a disproportionate number of low paying jobs and the shortage of land zoned for the kind of enterprises that might support higher paid ones. An integrated approach is clearly required, and the City might do well to look at examples from other parts of the country - notably Toronto, where the situation is only slightly better for low income earners.

A recently completed project in Downtown Toronto provides an admirable example of how the needs of commerce and community can be addressed simultaneously. 60 Richmond East is located just off Yonge and Queen and provides cooperative housing for workers in the hospitality industry. It also houses Hawthorne Food and Drink - a training restaurant at street level, whose employees learn their craft in the Hospitality Workers Training Centre (HWTC) located on the second floor. HWTC is an incorporated, independent non-profit organization established in 2004. Modeled after the highly successful Culinary Training Academy of Las Vegas (CTA, n.d.), the mandate of the HWTC is to develop and provide training collaboratively with employers and workers to support employment, skill development and advancement for employed and unemployed workers in Toronto’s hospitality industry. Based on feedback from employers, and best practices from the CTA, HWTC identified the opportunity to build a social enterprise training facility for new entrants and incumbent workers. The 45 seat restaurant was built with investment from the City of Toronto and the Equal Opportunity Training Fund, and opened in December 2012. Training for new entrants at Hawthorne is delivered through paid contract positions to provide individuals who have experienced barriers to employment with competitive skills and recent work experience. Upon completion of the contract position, new entrant participants are referred to employer partners in the industry.

When I visited the restaurant I was served by a new immigrant from Cuba, who spent the time between shifts at English classes and other courses at the training centre. Her shift manager had arrived two years previously from Jamaica and had clearly begun to work his way up the hospitality industry ladder. I also took the opportunity to speak with Danielle Olsen, Director of the HWTC who informed me her trainees cover a broad spectrum, not only new immigrants, but also locals enduring chronic unemployment or facing challenges returning to the workforce after personal setbacks. Indeed, Hawthorne has recruited training employees from the Fred Victor Centre and other organizations servicing marginalized unemployed workers. Hawthorne is also presently developing additional workshops for incumbent workers to up-skill and diversify their experience based on feedback from chefs and industry partners.

Many HWTC trainees live in the building which provides a high quality environment for workers who could not easily afford other accommodation in Downtown Toronto where most sector jobs are located. The suites are arranged in a single-loaded configuration around a central atrium that extends through the entire building. The atrium admits light, facilitates natural ventilation and promotes casual social encounters between residents.

An exterior terrace at the sixth floor includes a community garden, were the residents grow herbs and salad greens for the restaurant, which in turn provides compost for the garden. The carefully considered building program for 60 Richmond East, and the activities of HWTC combine to facilitate social and community interactions that enrich the project's urban context rather than simply respond to it. At the macro level, the building serves a resident population whose work is critical to the ongoing commercial and cultural life of the city, and who might otherwise face long and difficult late night commutes to more affordable neighbourhoods in the outlying suburbs. Architect: Teeple Architects Client: Toronto Community Housing Corporation Photos: Shai Gil (except where noted) 1) The nine storey facade of 60 Richmond East is articulated by recesses and projections 2) Interior of typical suite

3) Hawthorne Restaurant (Source) 4) Building section showing central atrium and sixth floor terrace garden Credit: Teeple Architects/SABMag

#Teeple Architects #hawthorne restaurant #toronto #60 richmond east #toronto community housing corporation #shai gil #architecture of engagement