Inclusive village with rental homes and green space

Project: Mirvish Village

Award: Future Projects - Multi Use, Bronze, 2023

Location: Toronto, Canada

Architect: Henriquez Partners Architects

Client: Westbank

Mirvish Village is a 4.5-acre mixed-use development featuring affordable rental housing, generous public spaces and retail. With a design inspired by Tokyo’s small floorplates and the character of New York’s Union Square, instead of a large, single mass it features 33 micro towers and 23 restored heritage houses, ensuring an intimate streetscape. Buildings feature varied window patterns and cladding to create individual identities and soften the massing.

Currently under construction, Mirvish will provide 900 rental suites (40% below market value). With a day-care and over 40% of units two bedrooms or larger, the project will cater to a diverse demographic. It features generous public spaces including a public park, community gardens and a large public market.

Design highlights

Mirvish Village reintroduces fine-grained retail with around 50 discrete retail spaces offering a range of restaurants, shops, micro start-ups and galleries, all contributing to a vibrant local economy. Its design transforms two notable former sites: Honest Ed’s, a beloved landmark discount store, and the Markham Street art colony, housed in a cluster of late-Victorian homes. An on-site combined heat and power plant will create 40% less waste and provide twice as much usable energy as a standard plant.

Photo credit: Henriquez Partners Architects