5600 Sheppard
5600 Sheppard is a 10-storey 120-unit rental apartment building in Malvern, Scarborough. The building is a sprawling Brutalist structure designed by Robbie Williams Kassum Young Architects + Planners in the late 1970s. Giaimo was engaged to reimagine the apartment building’s 4 squash courts that were closed and abandoned for the last 20 years. Located in the basement, these spaces presented several architectural challenges including an accumulation of moisture deteriorating the built conditions, no windows, and very high squash-court ceilings which, although generous in volume, made the spaces especially unwelcoming for alternate uses. Working within the confines of this derelict state, our design goal was to transform these spaces into vibrant, user-friendly, community-focused amenities.
Client
Starlight Investments
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Start Date
2020
Completion Date
2023
Area
4000 sf
Status
Completed
Type
Residential Amenities
Renovation
Team
Giaimo, Prime Architect
Gravity Engineering, Structural Engineers
Loring, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers
Image Credits
Adrian Yu
Process
The design process started with research into the local context and demographic, as well as resident consultation including a survey, to better understand what amenities would best serve the community. The results found that given the diverse demographic, ranging in young adults living with roommates, to families with children, there was an equally diverse response in what amenities would be beneficial. Based on this, Giaimo moved ahead with redesigning each of the squash courts as 4 distinct rooms that could serve different purposes: a games room, a basketball court, a multi-use party room, and a gym. A degree of flexibility is built into the rooms themselves, such as the “party room” which can be used regularly as yoga or dance studio, or occasionally to host gatherings and celebrations using the kitchen. The design approach considered how each space can continuously be adapted to align with future residents’ needs.
design
While the baseline existing spaces were all the same, the community feedback communicated a desire to have a range of amenities for gathering, recreation, and improved quality of life. To create more welcoming, animated, and vibrant spaces, each room was distinguished by introducing new colours, textures, and environmental graphics. The lighting strategy also played an important role in addressing the lack of natural lighting and high ceilings. Finishes were selected to mitigate the echo in each room in response to the existing poor acoustics.
The renovation included a complete redesign as well as the addition of new bathrooms. While the abandoned state of these spaces required a significant overhaul of finishes and mechanical systems, we completed an assessment to determine what features could remain and be sustainably reused. As a result, the existing floor was kept in place and refinished. By leveraging creative design solutions, these underutilized spaces were adaptively reused to create inviting, inclusive, and flexible amenities.
