The Aimee Street Atelier is an adaptive reuse of a unique building structure found in the Toronto’s Downtown west end. The site on one of the cities main throughfares has seen a variety of configurations over the last 150 years, currently it houses a residential single-family home tucked behind an existing 1-storey commercial storefront that has served the neighbourhood for over 100 years. The previous property owner ran a TV and Radio repair business that has been a familiar stalwart in the community as it has undergone significant change.

The Atelier’s programme is to provide large open workspaces with a small gallery to support its proposed function as an incubator for local art. The project was conceived to provide flexible workspaces and two artists residences to create an expansive and comfortable live-work environment for our client and visiting artists. Based on our client’s stated design objectives the project prioritised the revitalization of the existing structure and expanding the second storey volume to satisfy their need for a large open workspace. The identity of the existing storefront as well as the preservation of the original signage pays homage to the building’s important contribution to the neighbourhood’s unique character