NURTURE

Congratulations to Brianna Brown and Enoch Liu, recipients of the 3rd Place Pella Award.

NURTURE proposes a supportive housing model for adults on the autism spectrum. This apartment aims to promote independence, confidence and social growth in its residents through the spatial design of its high-stimulus and low-stimulus spaces. 24/7 supportive care is concentrated in the lower half of the building and more independent units are concentrated toward the top.

In response to tenant desire for more community centers, the multi-purpose space and communal dining hall foster opportunities for residents and neighbourhood members to interact with one another. Through these community amenities, vocational job training is offered to residents, allowing them to develop professional job skills in the comfort of their residential community.

To further build on the neighbourhood’s desire for more public greenspace, the design extends to an urban farm proposal on the York Beltline Trail. Transforming an underused patch of greenery that disjoints the existing trail, our intervention animates this green corridor, providing accessible planter beds that offer food and gardening space. The building’s ground floor garage doors open directly to the farm, inviting the community inwards.

Through its user-centered design, community-based programming, and environmentally-centered strategies, NURTURE presents an inclusive, sustainable, and interconnected vision for the future of Eglinton-Oakwood-Vaughan.