John M. Harper Branch Library & Stork Family YMCA

Part 3: Interiors

55 Queenston sets a precedent for context-sensitive, and climate-resilient development. Located on the former City Motor Hotel site, this first phase of affordable housing by CityHousing Hamilton delivers 40 Passive House-certified one- and three-bedroom units. The six-storey building addresses urgent housing needs while advancing the city’s low-carbon goals.

Details:
- Corner Units: The building’s angular form allows for distinctive three-bedroom corner units with unique layouts and abundant natural light—an upgrade from conventional unit designs.
- Accessible Design: Includes 11 fully barrier-free units (27% of total), nearly double the Code requirement. The three-bedroom accessible units are among the few of their kind in Hamilton.
- Universal Design: All tenant amenities were designed for accessibility—including a garbage room with a ramped chute area for easy access to all waste streams.
- Artwork: Three custom art pieces reflect Hamilton’s transit past and future—featuring the incline railway, the Studebaker era of the original City Motor Hotel, and the upcoming LRT.
- Sustainability Features:
• Daylight-filled corridors
• Rooftop solar PV system
• ACM exterior sunshades
• 8" continuous exterior insulation with thermally broken clips
• Low-carbon wood-framed envelope with Rockwool insulation
• Airtight construction (0.3 ACH @ 50 Pa)
- Energy Performance:
• TEUI: 39 kWh/m²/year (extremely low)
• Pre-certified by Passive House International as a Low Energy Building

Team & Details:
• Client : City Housing Hamilton
• Construction Cost : $21.5M
• No. Units : 40 Affordable Apartments ; 11 Barrier Free ; 25 1 Bedroom & 15 3 Bedroom
• Occupancy : June 2025
• Architect : @invizij
• Site Plan Architect : @tomsmcnally
• Structural Engineer : Kalos Engineering Inc
• Mechanical / Electrical Engineer : CK Engineering Inc
• Civil Engineer : S. Llewellyn & Associates Ltd
• Landscape Architect : OMC Landscape Architecture
• Passive House Consultant : @zonengineeringinc
• Construction Manager : Schilthuis Construction Inc
• Photography : @industryous ...

Part 2:
55 Queenston sets a precedent for context-sensitive, and climate-resilient development. Located on the former City Motor Hotel site, this first phase of affordable housing by CityHousing Hamilton delivers 40 Passive House-certified one- and three-bedroom units. The six-storey building addresses urgent housing needs while advancing the city’s low-carbon goals.

A few highlights:
- Location & History: Built on the former City Motor Hotel site—long a community blight—expropriated by the City in 2012 and rezoned in 2014 with support from Toms + McNally.
- Transit-Oriented Design: Designed from the outset to align with transit-oriented corridor standards, despite several shifts in the LRT development timeline.
- Urban Form: This six-storey building is oriented along Queenston Road to capture views and create a distinctive presence at the Queenston Traffic Circle.
- Street-Level Activation: Ground-floor commercial space along Queenston Road will soon house a YWCA childcare centre, featuring a secure play area opening onto the shared courtyard.
- Shared Courtyard: A central, landscaped courtyard between phases offers a quiet, family-friendly retreat, overlooked by the ground-floor community and laundry rooms.
- Façade Design: Grey and white fiber cement cladding is animated by ACM-clad window boxes that provide both visual interest and effective sun shading. A brick masonry base, recessed at street level, enhances the pedestrian experience.

Project info:
• Client : City Housing Hamilton
• Construction Budget : $21,455,000
• No. Units : 40 Affordable Apartments ; 11 Barrier Free ; 25 1 Bedroom & 15 3 Bedroom
• Occupancy : June 2025
• Architect : @invizij
• Site Plan Architect : @tomsmcnally
• Structural Engineer : Kalos Engineering Inc
• Mechanical / Electrical Engineer : CK Engineering Inc
• Civil Engineer : S. Llewellyn & Associates Ltd
• Landscape Architect : OMC Landscape Architecture
• Passive House Consultant : @zonengineeringinc
• Construction Manager : Schilthuis Construction Inc
• TEUI 39 kWh/m2/year = (97 kWh/m2/year PER demand) ...

55 Queenston sets a precedent for context-sensitive, and climate-resilient development. Located on the former City Motor Hotel site, this first phase of affordable housing by CityHousing Hamilton delivers 40 Passive House-certified one- and three-bedroom units. The six-storey building addresses urgent housing needs while advancing the city’s low-carbon goals.

Its form responds to the prominent Queenston Traffic Circle and its extension to Queenston Rd. with setbacks allowing for future LRT infrastructure and enhancing the pedestrian realm. Ground-level commercial space will soon house a YWCA childcare centre, contributing to a vibrant streetscape with a vital community resource.

A shared courtyard between phases offers a quiet, family-friendly retreat. The design prioritizes human connection and long-term livability, supported by sustainable strategies such as daylight-filled corridors, rooftop solar, an airtight envelope, exterior sunshades, and eight inches of continuous exterior insulation which provided the required conditions to meet the rigorous Passive House standard.

Project info:
• Client : City Housing Hamilton
• Construction Budget : $21,455,000
• No. Units : 40 Affordable Apartments (25 1-BR & 15-3 BR; 11BF)
• Occupancy : June 2025
• Architect : @invizij
• Site Plan Architect : @tomsmcnally
• Structural Engineer : Kalos Engineering Inc
• Mechanical / Electrical Engineer : CK Engineering Inc
• Civil Engineer : S. Llewellyn & Associates Ltd
• Landscape Architect : OMC Landscape Architecture
• Passive House Consultant : @zonengineeringinc
• Construction Manager : Schilthuis Construction Inc
• Photography : @industryous
• TEUI 39 kWh/m2/year = (97 kWh/m2/year PER demand)
#passivehouse #passivehousecanada #affordablehousing #multifamilyhousing #hamont #transitcorridor ...

Shout out to @riversyde83foodhub in Simcoe! We were in town yesterday and had the opportunity to stop in for lunch. 🥙 We had helped design this food hub a few years ago, which was constructed by volunteers during the pandemic and is now doing so much for the community. The food is delicious and affordable, and almost all the staff are volunteers! It’s definitely worth a visit to Simcoe, we need food hubs like this in every town. ...

Holly and Emma led a site tour and talk about CityHousing Hamilton’s 55 Queenston project today for the @passivehousecan Pulse event. The building has 40 units: 15 are 3 bedroom (for families) and the rest are 1 bedroom.

There was a good turnout with around 75 eager people who got to hear about and experience two different Passive House buildings. The first photo is of @whyholland and Tim Schilthuis, from Schilthuis Construction, in front of the new City Motor Hotel/ Studebaker artwork by @thearchitectsgarage across from the ground floor elevator. If you’d like to tour the buildings, there is a grand opening planned for one month from now, so stay tuned. We’re also hoping to present about the passive house journey with this project at a future conference.
#passivehouse #hamont #sitetour #cityhousinghamilton ...

What a day! Our community planting day in front of our office on Young Street, called the Cooperage, was a huge success! From the 16yd3 soil delivery and Invizij team hustle to get the soil off the sidewalk, to moving the soil into place and cleaning off the rocks, just the prep was a big job. We were so thankful to have around 20 students from the Green Team at Queen Victoria school come join us to help with the planting. We had over 500 native perennials to plant, so the help was greatly appreciated. Then we wrapped up the day by finishing the planting, distributing the mulch, and watering. This 1000ft2 rain garden is going to be a big asset to the Corktown community, and we couldn’t have done it without all our volunteers!

A BIG thanks to the @gcfoundationca for helping fund the rain garden, to Verbinnens for the beautiful plants, Millgrove Garden Supply for the triple mix and mulch, and to ALL our volunteers for making this happen! We can’t wait to see the rain garden grow in the coming years.
#raingarden #communityplantingday #architecturefirm #teambonding #manyhandsmakelightwork #pollinatorgarden #hamont #gardening ...

#teamworkmakesthedreamwork this morning at Invizij Architects. It was all hands on deck as we needed to rush to move the load of 16yd3 soil that was delivered on the the sidewalk in front of our office. Everyone pitched in (literally) and we got it cleaned up in a little over an hour.

This afternoon we have more volunteers coming - including youth from our local school - to help plant the 200+ perennials and move mulch. It’s going ti be a beautiful rain garden!! ...