The Architourist Visits St. Joseph’s Redevelopment

The Globe and Mail’s Dave LeBlanc, aka The Architourist, recently toured the St. Joseph’s Hospital Redevelopment site in Peterborough – an ambitious reclamation of a former hospital site by TVM Group. BNKC is working on several projects at the site including an adaptive reuse apartment building that used to be a patient wing and the new East City Condo development mentioned above.

LeBlanc is not stranger to the challenges of adaptive reuse projects, “Ask any structural engineer, developer, or architect, and you’ll get the collective Greek Chorus: Purpose-built, utilitarian buildings, such as churches or grain silos, do not convert easily to other uses, especially warm-and-cozy residential.” But, the project’s developer, Amit Sofer, is embracing the challenge, “Every unit  is different, so that’s what gives the architects all kinds of problems – and free reign to create.”

Read the full Globe and Mail article Critical Care for a Former Hospital Site.

Serra House is a Pre-Theology Residence on St. George Street in The Annex, operated by St. Augustine’s Seminary for students who are pursuing theological studies with a path towards priesthood in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto.

The entire building has been reconfigured and renovated to create a state-of-
the-art educational facility that caters to the unique needs of Serra House and its users. The layout was carefully planned to accommodate students and teachers while maintaining individual privacy needs.

The main objective of the design was to ensure a distinct identity for the heritage House and the addition, but also to make sure these two elements read coherently as one facility and are sensitively scaled to their neighbourhood and heritage context.

Learn more about Serra House on our website.