Location: Toronto
Date of Completion: 1913-1921
Architect: N/A
Date of Renovation: 2008
Architect of Renovation: DTAH Architects Limited
Nominated by: Jill Andrew, MPP (Toronto–St. Paul’s)
“Here is a fabulous example of the reuse of a derelict building that brings life back to an abandoned area of the city. Reuse rather than tear down is the best starting point for sustainability…”
- Canadian Green Buildings Award, 2009
Through the transformation of a derelict streetcar maintenance facility into a much-beloved cultural and community hub, Artscape Wychwood Barns makes the case for sustainability and placemaking through the creative reuse of our industrial heritage.
Streetcar wires crisscross overhead of the Wychwood Car Barns in the first years of their operation. Image courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives
A Community-Driven Push for Adaptive Reuse
Before playing host to countless community events, the buildings and landscapes that now constitute Artscape Wychwood Barns played a very different role in the city, serving as one of the largest maintenance, repair, and storage facilities for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)’s streetcar fleet.
Built in three stages between 1913 and 1921, the five industrial barns were the western terminus of Toronto’s burgeoning streetcar system, servicing up to 167 streetcars at its peak. As the city expanded and streetcar use changed, the barns were eventually phased out and boarded up in 1985. For a little longer than a decade, the five Classic Revival industrial sheds and their ample parking landscape languished in disuse. By 1996, the complex was slated for demolition to make way for private redevelopment of the land.
Significant community opposition to the demolition of these neighbourhood landmarks, along with some creative solutions to bring new life to the complex, led to a very different story that has made Wychwood Barns a case study around the world. Shaped by an extensive community engagement and consultation process led by Toronto Artscape, a local non-profit development agency enlisted to oversee the project, a plan developed for adaptive reuse—the renovation and reuse of existing structures for a new purpose. This saw the industrial barns transformed into a new cultural centre with a focus on community, environment, and the arts.
The organization of the program into the five barns is illustrated in this site plan (top) and section (bottom). Two of the five barns provide circulation throughout the site. Drawing by DTAH Architects Limited.
A Program Inspired By History
While the physical retention of the buildings is the most visible element of heritage conservation, one of the oft-overlooked elements is how the design team was able to develop a program—an organizational strategy for what happens inside the building—consistent with the initial five-barn organization of the original streetcar maintenance facility. In order to do that, each barn was assigned a different use and identity.
Barn 1, the Studio Barn, supports the arts programming of the centre with a community gallery as well as 26 live/work studios and 14 work-only studios for professional artists. Barn 2, the Covered Street, is historically the first barn constructed on the site; it was opened up entirely to provide passage across the site and is a flexible space for large community events. Barn 3, the Community Barn, provides affordable programming, rehearsal, office, and meeting space for non-profit community, arts, and environmental organizations. Barn 4, the Stop Community Food Centre’s Green Barn, is a year-round greenhouse and sustainable food education centre with a sheltered garden, outdoor bake oven, and compost demonstration on site. Finally, Barn 5, the Fifth Barn, was partially demolished and transformed into an architectural feature in the surrounding park. The gable ends of the demolished roof and some concrete frame elements form an “outdoor room” for a unique urban park experience.
This five-part organizational strategy is even reflected in the wayfinding and branding of Artscape Wychwood Barns symbolized by five colour bands — one for each barn. These bands all come together on the highest point of the complex, the old red-brick smokestack, to signal this new chapter in the building’s life and the integration of old and new.
Wychwood Barns' bright wayfinding signage assigning grey, red, yellow, and green to each barn (left) as well as other interior and exterior signage like the large numbers marking each barn (right) was designed by Gottschalk+Ash International. Image courtesy of DTAH Architects Limited.
Sustainability at the Forefront
Central to the transformation of Artscape Wychwood Barns was the foundational idea that heritage preservation, community interaction, and environmental sustainability are complementary and deeply intertwined goals. This principle was front and centre throughout this transformation effort, from the initial community consultations all the way through design and construction, and even how the facility is managed and maintained to this day.
The reuse of this industrial site captures the embodied carbon emissions— energy that must be consumed to produce, transport, and assemble all the parts of a building—that are inherent in making new buildings. By conserving what is already there, more than 71% of construction waste that would have resulted from demolishing the Wychwood Car Barns was diverted from landfills, and additional energy did not have to be consumed to build entirely new structures. At the same time, any new materials introduced in the renovation were carefully considered for their sustainability impact, with many featuring a high recycled material content.
The Stop Community Food Centre's Green Barn (left), houses a greenhouse, community gardens, youth programming, a bake oven, a compost demonstration centre, and a year-round Farmers’ Market (right). Image courtesy of DTAH Architects Limited.
Pursuing environmental excellence, Artscape Wychwood Barns was the first designated heritage site in Canada to seek and achieve certification under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a globally recognized sustainability certification program. The complex runs on a geothermal energy system and uses rainwater harvested from 1 acre of roof area to flush toilets and irrigate the park, gardens, and greenhouse. The existing exterior un-insulated masonry walls were also strategically insulated to improve energy efficiency and longevity.
Because of its exemplary approach to sustainability, community and adaptive reuse, this neighbourhood icon has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a 2009 OAA Design Excellence Award as well as Architectural Conservancy Ontario's 2009 Peter Stokes Restoration Award, the City of Toronto's 2009 Award of Excellence in the Green Design Category, and Sustainable Architecture and Building Magazine's 2009 Canadian Green Building Award.
This post forms part of our World Architecture Day Queen’s Park Picks 2021 series in which the OAA asked Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to nominate a prominent building, past or present, in their riding for a chance to learn more about it. Check out the rest of the series to learn more about great buildings across the province!
Additional Resources
Interested in learning more about Artscape Wychwood Barns? Check out these additional resources: