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The buildings of Canary Landing have captured considerable attention on the UrbanToronto Forum. Nestled around Toronto's Distillery District on Front Street East, Cherry Street, and Mill Street, the Canary Landing community is an ambitious blend of residential living, retail, and vibrant public spaces. This expansive multi-block development includes first phase Maple House, the under-construction Birch House and Cherry House, and the upcoming Oak House.
With work on the public realm surrounding Maple House in its final stages, Tricon Residential, in partnership with Dream Unlimited, Kilmer Group, and Anishnawbe Health Toronto, is looking ahead to the next phase, Birch House, which is progressing through construction, targeting move-ins of its rental suites by the end of this year. While the Maple House buildings are designed by COBE Architects and architects—Alliance, Birch House's design is from the collaborative efforts of BDP Quadrangle, Two Row Architect, and Stantec.
As the largest residential project of its kind in Canada, Canary Landing is a response to Toronto’s housing shortage with its considerable supply of purpose-built rental units, including a significant proportion of affordable housing. With 770 rental units, Maple House stands just steps from the Distillery Streetcar Loop, providing swift transit access to the downtown core. The project's design prioritizes sustainability, and is aiming for LEED Gold certification.
With work continuing on the public realm, we see the lower floors neatly wrapped in a mix of rich, brick-faced cladding, while the upper levels display textured sections of scalloped precast panels.
Maple House has garnered attention with its design and social integration, offering a checkerboard layout of market and affordable units, making its mark in a district renowned for its restored Victorian-era architecture. The project's partnership comprises provincial land, municipal incentives, and federal financing, creating a government and private sector collaboration. This innovative model is celebrated with awards such as the 2022 BILD Best New Community and a nod from the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel for excellence in residential design. Additionally, the residents living at Maple House have expressed a positive living experience, which is a testament to Tricon Residential's people first - community-building property management approach.
With its green technologies propelling its quest for LEED Gold certification, Maple House’s environmentally conscious approach is complemented by a diverse amenity program catering to wellness and social engagement, aiming to offer high standards in rental housing.
Maple House’s architecture exhibits a marriage of industrial heritage and sleek modernism. Influenced by the neighbouring Distillery District, featuring masonry podiums and silhouetted towers, reminiscent of historic tank houses and industrial silos. The synergy between the Danish architectural firm COBE and local partners architects—Alliance aims for thoughtful urban design, providing pedestrian-friendly spaces around the buildings.
As the conversation shifts to Birch House, this next chapter in Canary Landing will offer 237 one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental suites and townhomes, and an array of amenities. The development's interplay of brickwork and contemporary materials creates a visual dialogue between the old and the new. The brick is patterned after indigenous woven baskets, with the facade punctuated by expansive windows.
Birch House shares a block with the Anishnawbe Health Toronto Indigenous Community Health Centre and an EarlyON Child and Family Centre, offering health and wellness services and showcasing the cultural richness of Toronto's indigenous communities. Its vision is one of a comprehensive living experience where residential, health, cultural, and childcare facilities coexist seamlessly.
The Hub’s exterior, above, characterized by curvilinear forms and dark cladding, stands in contrast to Birch House’s lighter exteriors. Construction machinery, including a cherry picker and boom lift, are pictured at grade behind temporary fences as the final touches on Birch House's exteriors are underway.
Additionally, Birch House also shares the block with a heritage preservation — currently underway — of the old Canary Restaurant, which the development will benefit from.
Canary Landing's phases exemplify Toronto’s adaptive reuse of heritage elements among its modern urban development, with Maple House now renting and aiming to be fully occupied this year, and Birch House set to be available for move-ins in Q4 2024, future residents can find more details about their availability at canarylanding.com.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
