Alex Liao
Buffer House
Architecture + Urban Space Study
2021 Winter | U of T Architecture Drawing and Representation II
Instructor : Sonia Ramundi
Site: North York, Toronto - Canada
One of the busiest areas in the greater city region of Toronto, Sheppard East and Yonge has become one of the busiest intersections in North York, with the stretch of Yonge Street evolving into one of the fastest-developing urban hubs in Toronto, with multiple skyscrapers being built for future residents. However, just a short distance away, the surrounding neighborhood presents a stark contrast, with older, low-rise homes that reflect the area's past. This growing divide between the bustling urban core and the quieter, established community highlights the effects of rapid urban sprawl and the fragmentation of the city. The difference in building heights, where towering skyscrapers dominate the skyline, dwarfing the surrounding homes, intensifies this divide, creating a physical and social rift between the two environments. As high-rise developments continue to develop in the city’s center, the quieter, suburban neighborhood remains anchored to a slower, more connected pace of life. This growing gap has led to a disconnect within the community, as the lifestyles of the urban core and the more residential outskirts are increasingly out of sync.
Collage of the Area for Project Ideation
The goal of this project was to design a buffer building that would reduce the stark contrast in height between the high-rises and the surrounding neighborhood, while also maximizing the use of available property for each housing unit. To achieve this, additional residential units were proposed on top of existing or partially constructed garages, providing extra living space for households without disrupting the layout of the property. These additions also incorporated green space balconies, offering a contrast to the cityscape and promoting outdoor access. A pop art style was chosen to highlight the contrast in height, using bright colors to represent the new units towering over the cooler, gray tones symbolizing the existing household units, which are often overshadowed by nearby skyscrapers.
The City
The map illustrates the height of each building with taller buildings appearing more orange seen by the towering skyscrapers and corporate offices while the shorter buildings and communities are represented by lighter colors. The proximity of these contrasting spaces, yet the distance in how people live, interact, and experience their environment, is creating a fractured sense of community where individuals and families in each zone feel more isolated from one another. As taller buildings overshadow the shorter ones, it creates a divisive sense of disregard to the continued development of surrounding communities.
Through documentation of site visits in the neglected neighborhood, it was observed the low utilization of property spaces. With expansive lot spaces, many of the houses had the potential to create additional units based on the typology of their garage orientation. By analyzing the housing groups and their shared characteristics, the typologies were developed to bring potential additional space to each property.
Proposal
A buffer building was proposed to address the growing contrast in height between the skyscraper urban core and the quieter, low-rise neighborhood on its outskirts. It serves as a transitional element, softening the abrupt height difference and preserving the integrity of the neighborhood while accommodating additional residential space without disrupting the existing property layout, allowing for a greater integration of urban development and community needs.
Final Drawing
