Home Safe Home: A Comprehensive Design Guideline to Retrofit Toronto’s Post-War Apartment Towers to be Healthier

Abstract

The concept of ‘home’ goes beyond the simple responsibility of providing shelter. In today’s dynamic socio-economic landscape, homes do not only provide physical safety but should also promote mental and social well-being. As defined by the World Health Organization, a healthy house should support and promote complete physical, mental and social well-being. Therefore, it is important to extend the focus beyond personal health and include the health of inhabited buildings as they have a direct impact on well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic started important discussions about architecture and its profound impact on health. The focus of this research lies at the intersection of emerging health trends and the soaring housing crisis in Canada. As urbanization surges, the challenges of creating livable spaces that are both healthy and affordable become increasingly complex. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has a stock of post-war residential towers that once were symbolic of modernist urban planning. Today, this aging housing stock suffers from neglect, disinvestment and isolation, however, it is home to nearly one million people. These towers have become long-term and permanent housing options for many low-income residents and new immigrants, despite the unhealthy living conditions, lack of maintenance and outdated building standards.

The Tower Renewal Partnership is a non-profit initiative that has researched, advocated and developed guidelines to transform these towers and their neighbourhoods to be healthier and connected to their neighbourhood. Delving into the critical elements that define spaces within a home, — lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, materials, and spatial design— this thesis develops a guideline for best practices to retrofit this housing stock for a better quality of life. Using the Humberwood Place Tower as a case study for exploring these elements, this thesis aims to build upon the strong foundation of work developed by the Tower Renewal Partnership and improve the health and well-being of residents within the building.