Toronto Community Housing Tenant Service Hubs
Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) has introduced Tenant Service Hubs in residential buildings across the city. These Service Hubs decentralize tenant services, allowing residents to easily access support and meet face-to-face with TCHC staff in a location close to home. Brown + Storey Architects have worked closely with TCHC, HL Engineering, residents, and community members to realize these accessible, tenant-centric administrative spaces since January 2020.
We have tied our work to discovering ways of improving current places or creating new spaces altogether. We have also been sensitive to the potential of finding opportunities for active participation in the design and building of community spaces, to find places where the residents’ interpretation can be happily accommodated– as in murals, gardens, community notice boards and meeting spaces. A select number of completed Service Hubs are featured below.
61 Pelham Park Gardens
At the schematic design phase of the 61 Pelham Park Gardens Service Hub site, BSA explored several options to renovate underutilized spaces throughout the ground floor to relocate the existing LOFT Community Services offices and add the new TCHC Service Hub. The total renovation area encompasses 290m2 of space throughout four separate areas on the ground floor. As a strategy to maximize office area throughout the plan, BSA, working with their sub-consultants, created openings in two dividing structural walls between suites to create larger combined suite areas. Throughout the renovated area BSA added a new office space for the LOFT offices, renovated an existing lunchroom/changeroom area for TCHC employees, and added a new reception and waiting room area, a meeting room, an open workstation area, two offices, a print/storage room, an I.T closet, one accessible washroom, one universal washroom, and an accessible shower.
341 Bloor Street West
At the schematic design phase of the 341 Bloor Street West Service Hub site, BSA explored several options to renovate the existing Office for the Commissioner of Housing Equity and add the TCHC Service Hub into several spaces on the second floor of the building. The total renovation area encompasses 380m2 of space throughout seven separate suites. As a strategy to maximize office area throughout the plan, BSA, working with their sub-consultants, created openings in two dividing structural walls between suites to create larger combined suite areas. Throughout the renovated area BSA added several open workspaces, offices, meeting rooms, two reception and waiting areas, I.T. rooms, storage rooms, two kitchenette/break rooms, and an accessible washroom and shower. BSA also upgraded a lobby between the office and residential areas to meet current accessibility standards and meet the security requirements for the building.
855 Roselawn Avenue
At the site analysis stage of the 855 Roselawn Avenue project, BSA identified several underutilized spaces on the second floor that could be converted to residential units. An existing three-bedroom unit on the ground floor of the building was converted into the Service Hub space, and the three-bedroom unit was relocated to the second floor. BSA, working with their sub-consultants, created openings in a structural dividing wall to combine two storage areas into a larger space for the three-bedroom unit. An additional bachelor unit was added to the second floor within one of the underutilized spaces. The total renovation area encompasses 302m2 of space throughout three separate suites. At the ground floor Service Hub space BSA added a reception and waiting room area, a meeting room, two offices, an open workstation area, an I.T closet/storage room, a kitchenette and breakroom, a universal washroom, and an accessible shower.
600 Symington Avenue
BSA provided several options for the renovation of underutilized space on the ground floor plan to add a new TCHC Service Hub. The total renovation area encompasses 117m2 of space throughout two separate suites. BSA, working with their sub-consultants, created two openings in the structural wall dividing the two spaces to create an area for one large, connected Service Hub. As part of the work, BSA relocated and upgraded the existing lobby vestibule to meet current accessibility standards and relocated the mailroom to provide space for the Service Hub. Throughout the renovated area BSA added a new reception and waiting room area, a meeting room, an open workstation area, two offices, a print/storage room, an I.T closet, a kitchenette and breakroom, one washroom, one accessible washroom, and an accessible shower.
384 Christie St. & 2 Lambertlodge Ave
This project will add new staff space for TCHC employees and accessibility upgrades to the ground floor of the existing townhouse complex. At the street face of the 384 Christie St. townhouse, a ramp and stairs are being constructed to provide accessibility upgrades to the Service Hub. These upgrades are designed to meet TCHC and AODA accessibility guidelines. Further to this, a Universal Washroom will be added into the existing lobby space of the building, providing Service Hub visitors and building tenants with access to OBC compliant washroom amenities at the ground floor. As a part of the work, BSA has consulted with TCHC staff to determine how to best meet the needs of the project stakeholders. The retrofit work has required extensive coordination between disciplines to ensure that the building systems can be upgraded to meet current code and accessibility standards, as well as create a functional office space that can flexibly accommodate the needs of TCHC staff and residents.