Location: Woodstock, ON
Client: Indwell
Year of Completion: 2015
Construction Budget: $6,520,000
Architect of Record: Invizij Architects
The Harvey Woods Company knitting mills were a major long-time employer in Woodstock, Ontario. Beginning in 1918, this three-storey brick factory expanded to house offices and production facilities for socks, hosiery, and undergarments until its closure in 1990. The building remained vacant until 2012 when Indwell purchased it to create affordable housing.
Phase One included 54 one-bedroom apartments, and Phase Two added another 26 units (1 and 2-bedroom), for an 80-unit total. The design ensured that much of the building’s original materials and structure —maple floors, wood columns, and steel beams—remain visible. The brick facades remain intact, with new efficient fiberglass windows and new entries with elevators.
Returning to a previous layout of the floorplan, the core of the building was reopened to create a three-storey atrium with a large skylight that provides natural light to the circular corridors and ground-floor community hall. The building’s high energy-efficiency is attributable in part to an open-loop heat pump system for heating and cooling. The total energy of the building was modelled at 39% less than a baseline building.
