Templar Flats wins for wood-frame construction
Redevelopment for restaurants and housing units
Hamilton’s The Templar Flats has been recognized as the first six-storey, wood-frame building in the province.
The unique infill housing and restaurants project on King William Street, between James and Hughson, is a hybrid of history and modernity — sandwiching a hip new structure between two restored heritage buildings.
At street level it houses four new restaurant spaces, with an additional 25 rental apartments upstairs.
By providing high-density housing and revitalizing existing infrastructure, the project “exemplifies urban development ideals,” says Sarah Hicks, spokesperson for the Canadian Wood Council.
For this, the Templar Flats took home the “multi-unit wood design award” at the council’s 2016 Ontario Wood WORKS! awards, which aims to recognize those who are advancing the use of wood in all types of construction.
The Ontario building code changed last year, allowing developers to expand wood-frame projects from four to six storeys.
Engineered wood products are stronger today and can handle more weight — which allows builders to go higher.
Now, the flats will be used as a case study for developers embarking on future six-storey woodframe construction projects.
“The Templar Flats team took a relatively small, irregularly shaped empty lot and in a short time frame built a beautiful new six-storey hybrid building, with minimal disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood,” Hicks says.
“At the same time, they also took on the job of restoring and adapting the two adjacent heritage buildings, and tied the three buildings together to create a vibrant and new mixed-use occupancy that reflects the charming and inviting character of the neighbourhood.”
Developer Steve Kulakowsky, a partner in Urban Core Inc., says the lightness of wood is what made it the perfect choice for a heritage restoration project like the Templar Flats.
“We wanted to minimize the stress we put on those old foundations,” he said, noting it’s a combination of materials.
“All of the vertical structure is either masonry or steel. And then any horizontal structure, like the floor, is made out of wood,” Kulakowsky says.
He says the award is great, but the “really cool part” is being the first six-storey wood-frame building in Ontario.
“We really wanted Templar to be an example of what can be done with infill, so it’s rewarding to be recognized for that, because we spent so much effort on the overall design of the building, and what’s going to happen on the main floor,” he says.
“We really tried to emphasize that all challenges with heritage buildings can be overcome.”