A defining moment for adaptive reuse in Toronto

DTAH worked with Toronto Artscape and the City of Toronto to convert an early 20th century TTC streetcar repair and service facility into a mixed-use centre for artists and environmental organizations.

The Artscape Wychwood Barns consists of five historic streetcar maintenance barns, adaptively reused to house a series of community spaces, a commercial greenhouse and sheltered garden, 26 live/work housing units, 15 work studios for local artists, a children’s theatre and office spaces for local not-for-profits, all surrounded by a new municipal park. The oldest barn at the centre of the site, built in 1913, was converted into a covered street that provides access through the facility as well as a place for markets, exhibitions and large public gatherings.

DTAH has extensive experience adaptively reusing structures so that they capture the existing embodied energy and avoid waste, while also respecting the cultural and heritage significance of the site. The result is innovative, environmentally sustainable projects that enhance the surrounding neighbourhood. Other similar projects completed by DTAH include Evergreen Brick Works, Little Trinity Church and the Malthouse Lofts. The office has also worked extensively on urban agricultural projects with non-profit organizations such as Foodshare, Second Harvest and the YMCA.