Ulster House: A Proposal for a New Urban Housing Typology

A residential complex in Toronto designed by LGA Architectural Partners, Ulster House offers a viable alternative to the dominant urban development models.

The main challenge facing the design team with this project was to combine affordability, careful design, and environmental and social consciousness. The result is a multi-family residential building that offers a new and alternative housing typology to traditional houses and condominiums based on gentle density and passive design.

Housing in major cities is a complex issue. The LGA project explores how to increase residential density in a harmonious and sustainable way in an urban context dominated by “tall” and “sprawl” development, both of which often have negative impacts.

Ulster House: Gentle Density and Adaptability

The project grew out of the redevelopment of a derelict two-story house with a garage in Toronto’s pedestrian-friendly, amenity-rich Harbord Village neighborhood. The new complex comprises five dwelling units spread over three aboveground levels and a basement.

The main apartment is at street level. A covered walkway connects the living area to a separate unit that contains the home’s most private spaces – the main suite and a study that converts to a guest room.

Two two-bedroom apartments occupy the second and third floors, both featuring spacious terraces and panoramic views. The project’s adaptability means it fully satisfies the demands of contemporary urban living.

The intimate, family-oriented interiors have a warm and inviting atmosphere, enhanced by the extensive use of wood and skillful daylighting design. Custom furnishings and a carefully planned layout help define functional, welcoming spaces.

Sustainable Architecture

The cornerstone of the project is its commitment to the environment. The complex meets the sustainability metrics set by the Passive House standard as well as the Architecture 2030 Challenge, which aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuels for energy generation over the coming years. Ulster House has no gas line and operates entirely on an all-electric HVAC system supplemented by a rooftop photovoltaic array.

Sustainability extends to the choice of building materials, with its lumber structure, reinforced with minimal carbon-intensive concrete and steel, significantly lowering the building’s environmental impact.

In Dialogue with Context

While challenging conventional housing typologies, the complex integrates sensitively into its residential surroundings. Its clay shingle cladding engages in a subtle dialogue with the brick of the surrounding Victorian homes but without literally mimicking them.

The pitch of the roof and the façade echo the nearby sloping roofs, while a majestic spruce in the garden has been kept as part of the area’s abundant greenery. The building blends unobtrusively into its surroundings while retaining its conceptual richness.

Ulster House is not just a residential building but an example of conscious design that demonstrates how a growing population can be housed without sacrificing affordability, while simultaneously caring for the environment and preserving a high quality of life.

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