All architecture is public. Whether or not a house is a gorgeous addition to a historic neighborhood or an awful eyesore, housing exists as part of interconnected, communal systems—urban infrastructure and the natural environment among them. Janna Levitt and Dean Goodman, cofounders and principals of LGA Architectural Partners, had that in mind when they designed one of their most recent projects. An unconventional condominium in Toronto’s Harbord Village neighborhood, it addresses housing as part of these larger systems that, for the most part, have restricted density, damaged the environment, and disconnected residents from the landscape.

Located on a corner lot that was once zoned for single-family homes and is surrounded by mixed-density housing, LGA’s Ulster House includes four condos, one of which the couple live in. Unlike much of the postwar development in Toronto—which Levitt characterizes as “tall or sprawl”—Ulster House is what she calls “a proof of concept” for the way that design can create modest-size units that are harmonious in layered contexts. In Harbord Village, duplexes and fourplexes hearken back to the early 20th century, when an influx of immigrants transformed larger dwellings into multifamily units; the single-family homes constructed later speak to rezoning that took place decades ago, which restricted the area to single-family (or highly limited multifamily) buildings and helped to create the current housing pressures across the city.

Levitt and Goodman knew that they wanted to build a structure that would address those issues through “gentle density.” Low-rise, multifamily housing, Levitt says, “is really good for not obliterating the social infrastructure or the hard infrastructure”—it supports stable school populations and keeps retail commercially viable, but it doesn’t overwhelm existing water, sewer, or traffic systems. “You should think about your site as part of the design and part of how you live, how landscape is important, how being outside is important,” she explains.

“We couldn’t convince a client to do it at first, so we thought, We got to do it ourselves,” says Goodman. The duo sold their home to finance Ulster House’s construction and found an ideal corner lot with a house that was unsalvageable.

Ulster House may become an icon for Canada’s recent push for new infill projects; LGA has gone on to contribute its multifamily designs to Canada’s Housing Design Catalogue—a recently released book of standardized plans that will hopefully make this type of infill faster and more affordable. Ultimately, says Levitt, this is the type of housing that will cater to the largest number of people, both residents and neighbors alike. “I think the mature, stable neighborhood is one where it can handle new people coming [in], but the neighborhood infrastructure can also flourish,” she says.

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: LGA Architectural Partners

Builder: Desar Construction Studio

Structural Engineering: Blackwell Structural Engineers

Civil Engineering: Blue Grove Engineering Group Inc.

Sound Engineering: Thornton Tomasetti

Cabinetry Design: Renca + Heilimo Inc.

Native Plant Consultant: Lorraine Johnson

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