Where old bones get new life - our take on industrial heritage that actually matters
Look, we're not gonna pretend every old building deserves saving. But when you've got something real - a factory that powered neighborhoods, a foundry where actual craft happened - that's different. We've spent years figuring out how to keep what matters while making these spaces work for today. Sometimes that means exposing steel that's been hidden for decades. Sometimes it's about letting light back into places that forgot what windows were for.
Toronto, ON - Trinity Street
This one was a mess when we got it. Three floors of deteriorating timber, original malting equipment rusted solid, and everyone wanted to gut it. We didn't. Took us eighteen months but we kept the grain elevator shaft, restored the cast iron columns, and turned those massive fermentation vats into feature pieces instead of scrap metal.
The brick needed serious attention - pointed over 40,000 individual bricks by hand. Found the original limestone foundation once we cleared out a century of accumulated crud. Now it's mixed-use: ground floor artisan workshops, upper levels are studio spaces with those killer exposed beam ceilings everyone pretends they don't care about.
Toronto, ON - Don Valley
Honestly? This project changed how we think about heritage work. The Engine House powered the entire brick manufacturing operation from 1889 until the quarry shut down. When we started, the roof was gone, vegetation was taking over, and structural engineers were giving us those looks.
We stabilized the existing walls - some of those bricks were made on-site which felt kinda poetic - and designed a new steel frame roof structure that doesn't pretend to be original. You can see where old meets new. The boiler room's now an exhibition space, and we kept the coal chutes visible because they tell the story better than any plaque could.
1912 shipping warehouse turned creative hub. We kept the loading dock doors - they're 14 feet tall and weigh a ton each. Original crane rail system's still there, just doesn't move cargo anymore. Floor's patched concrete that shows every repair from the last century.
This Art Deco beauty from 1931 was rotting from the inside out. Turns out the original ventilation system was actually causing moisture problems. We redesigned the whole mechanical system while keeping every bit of decorative steelwork and those incredible terrazzo floors.
Railway heritage meets modern use. The turntable's still operational - took forever to get it working again. Those massive wooden doors that closed off each bay? We kept 'em, rehung 'em, and they still work. Place has the right kind of wear on it now.
Every building's different, which sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many firms try the same approach everywhere. We start with the archive work - old photos, original drawings if they exist, building permits, sometimes just talking to people who worked there. Then comes the forensic stuff - paint analysis, material testing, structural investigation. Sounds boring but it's where you find out what actually happened to the building over the years.
The design part's about decisions. What stays, what goes, what needs help, what we can't save even if we wanted to. We're not trying to make museum pieces - these buildings need to earn their keep in the 21st century. That means modern systems, proper insulation, accessibility, all while respecting what makes the place special in the first place.
Deep archival work and material documentation before we touch anything
Honest evaluation of what's salvageable and what's wishful thinking
Making old buildings work without pretending we're living in 1890
Working with craftspeople who actually understand old construction methods
Not that we do this for the plaques, but it's nice when people notice
Ontario Heritage Trust - Evergreen Brick Works Engine House (2019)
Excellence in Industrial Heritage Conservation (2021)
Port Lands Warehouse - Exemplary Adaptive Reuse (2020)
We're always interested in buildings with good bones and better stories. Let's talk about what's actually possible before everyone gets too excited or too pessimistic.
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