S Apt Metroburb 3-Lot — Re-Housing the Yellowbelt

‘U’ Shaped Apartment on Three Parcels

‘U’ shaped buildings frame a shared courtyard at the rear of a lot, requiring three parcels to fit.

Occupancy and Density:
Total Unit Count: 30 Units
Total Occupancy: 61 Bedrooms
Lot Area: 1,726 sqm (18,579 sqft)
Soft Landscaping: 480 sqm (5,167 sqft), 28% of lot

Housing Statistics:
Total Floor Area: 3,686 sqm (39,676 sqft)
1-Bed Units: 7 (1 Barrier-free)
2-Bed Units: 13 (1 Barrier-free)
3-Bed Units: 8
4-Bed Units: 1
Parking Spaces: 9 (1 Barrier-free)

This building utilizes external circulation with units on floors 1 and 2 accessed from grade, units on floors 3 and 4 accessed from an open-air corridor that also serves as a communal outdoor space, and units on floors 5 and 6 accessed from a communal rooftop terrace. The courtyard serves as a focal point for community interaction. This building offers a range of outdoor spaces, from private balconies, to semi-private terraces and backyards that are separated but connected to their neighbours, to completely communal spaces within and surrounding the courtyard.

Canada’s cold climate plays a significant role in the lack of outdoor corridors in apartment buildings. However, these present a number of opportunities which ReHousing has tested in Small Apartments Case studies 02 and 03 (pictured above).

Outdoor corridors reduce the amount of space that needs to be conditioned in the building, which can lead to operational cost savings. Thoughtful canopy design can keep snow and rain off surfaces, reducing maintenance requirements. Outdoor corridors also enable cross-ventilation in units which otherwise would not have it, greatly improving light and air quality. Lastly, outdoor corridors are much more conducive to neighbour encounters and community-building than typical enclosed corridors.

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