Monday Mural

  I'm linking up at Monday Mural 

August 2025 - Toronto ON

 The Lakeshore Lofts are supportive housing built on the lot of a former auto repair shop.

The building is shared with The Compass Food Bank & Outreach Centre, a non-profit organization rooted in Mississauga. The synergies between the affordable housing development and food bank are significant, with 95% of tenants having already participated in The Compass programs, ranging from the food bank to financial coaching.

Supportive housing encompasses affordable and accessible residential accommodation that provide individual-based support and services so that residents can live independently. This can include assistance with activities of daily living, medical care, or access to other community supports.  Community-led projects like this one are made possible by meaningful partnerships with government and local agencies.

The 68-unit apartment complex (primarily composed of one-bedroom units with six studios) includes amenity space for tenants on the first and fourth levels.  The site is adjacent to a public transit stop and close to all civic amenities, enabling tenants to actively engage in the broader community without relying on automotive transportation.  The ground floor space is used for larger gatherings/ activities while the top floor common room is for smaller groups and offers a view of the lake. The furnishings were created by students from Sheridan College’s Bachelor of Craft and Design program in collaboration with Lakeshore Lofts tenants.

A significant feature of Lakeshore Lofts is the energy efficiency it provides, following the Passive House US (PHIUS+ 2018) standard, considered to be one of the most rigorous voluntary energy-based standards in the design and construction industry. By following this standard, Indwell is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering tenant lower utility costs. In fact, the entire building is powered by electricity, and there is no fossil fuel service connection.

The façade design is inspired by the multi-faceted undulation of the waves on nearby Lake Ontario.

Animating the pedestrian experience is a large-scale public art installation celebrating Port Credit. The Mississauga Arts Council and Port Credit BIA held a design competition, with local artist David Anthony selected for this project. The three themes highlighted were the musical community, food culture, and Lake Ontario as central aspects of local identity.