TCH 220 Oak Street Community Housing

220 Oak St. is a 27-floor high-rise building and a home to 500 residents that has existed like an island, disconnected from the vibrant community of Regent Park just beyond its doorstep. This has been the reality for the diverse population of 220 Oak. However, through a deep energy retrofit that LGA carried, this narrative is changing, with a focus on thoughtful landscape and grade-level design.

Central to this transformation is a previously neglected triangle of land, once prone to malicious activity. This space has been reimagined and transformed into a lively community area featuring benches, an outdoor gym, and inviting common areas where residents and neighbors can gather, relax, and connect. These changes were vital steps in reintegrating 220 Oak into the fabric of Regent Park.

The ground floor has also been reconfigured to encourage invitation and inclusivity. A new addition, with a transparent entrance, welcomes both 220 Oak residents and their neighbors from Regent Park. Inside, a multi-purpose room, a commercial kitchen, and a TV room offer spaces for hosting events, sharing meals, and building relationships. The basement, formerly home to an unused pool, has been converted into a resident-only multipurpose room, providing a safe and accessible area for various activities.

The deep energy retrofit LGA implemented has retained the goals of TCHC’s ReSet energy program and provided major pressure relief from the range of significant needs that critically needed addressing such as: accessibility, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic issues.

Our unique approach starts with the reorganization of the ground floor plane and following through with it in every detail. We believe that a deep energy retrofit is not only about PassiveHouse & LEED standards. Specifically, after the COVID-19 pandemic, we grew to learn the significance of social & communal spaces even more. Our approach starts at the landscape & ground level, activating the ground floor plane, people will use it, and it will be safer.

This project has been guided by the voices of those who call 220 Oak home. Through extensive tenant consultation, LGA took part in regular meetings with an advisory group of tenants and stakeholders, which helped guide the planning of multiple engagement sessions for tenants, as well as site walks with individuals and groups of stakeholders. These meetings allowed LGA to learn about the complexities of life at 220 Oak from the people who live and work there, and to present back “what we heard” using images and graphics to ensure their priorities were being addressed.

Today, 220 Oak is an enactment of how successful landscape-design-led renovation renews and elevates the quality of life for its users.