Hughson Pocket Housing

This project converts the existing stone church building for Hughson St. Baptist Church, first constructed in 1857, into eightteen individual residential units. The church had outgrown their site and Invizij were able to design their new site with affordable housing a block away in the North Hamilton neighbourhood. This allowed the existing church site to be repurposed as individual condo units following the co-housing model of community-based development. The site is currently undergoing rezoning to mixed use residential. When it is completed in 2021, the complex will include new homes ranging from one bedroom to two-bedroom suites. The intention of the community is that people from different backgrounds and life stages will be able to live and share life together – from seniors that can age in place in their community to small families and singles. The gardens on the site will be for the use of the inhabitants for growing food and enjoying the landscape. The entire development is planned to follow the Passive House model with high levels of insulation, triple glazed windows, and high airtightness in order to mitigate energy consumption. This development aims to be a sustainable model of redevelopment that can be replicated across other heritage structures throughout the city.