The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto recently launched the Tower Renewal Guidelines book, a publication of environmentally responsible best practices for the cost-effective retrofit of 1960s and 1970s high-rise apartment buildings. Building scientist Ted Kesik and architect Ivan Saleff, professors at the Daniels Faculty, co-authored the publication, which was funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Atmospheric Fund.

Tower renewal is a timely initiative that aims to preserve affordable housing, protect the investments and assets of property owners, and reduce energy use, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It also promotes the creative redevelopment of tower building sites to accommodate much needed social services that strengthen communities and improve quality of life.

“Toronto’s concrete high-rise apartment buildings should be viewed as an invaluable housing infrastructure resource that deserves preservation and renewal,” said Professor Kesik. “The cost of ‘greening’ these buildings is a fraction of building anew, and virtually all of the work can be performed without vacating the tenants. Revenue obtained from adding density at the base of these towers would help subsidize renewal and contribute to more sustainable communities.”

The Tower Renewal Guidelines provide research and information aimed at assisting building owners, designers, restoration contractors and regulatory officials to ensure the full benefits of tower renewal are achieved. Most apartment towers built in the 1960s and 1970s now exhibit various forms of deterioration, primarily on their exteriors.  Investments in over cladding these virtually irreplaceable buildings is needed to restore durability, improve energy efficiency and enhance appearance. This 260-page book covers tower renewal challenges, opportunities, principles and objectives, critical considerations in a tower retrofit, building condition assessments including assessment checklists and audit methodology, site and tower retrofit strategies, cost and benefits analysis of tower retrofits, practical considerations in managing contracts, as well as commissioning and facilities management.

“The currently proposed cycle of renewal should provide at least another 50 years of reliable service and sustainable performance,” said Professor Saleff. “These guidelines seek to establish a framework for responsibly meeting our obligations to the future generations who will inherit this invaluable housing resource.”

As a funding partner of the Tower Renewal Guidelines, the City of Toronto has its own tower renewal program that combines elements of community development, environmental protection and prosperity for the benefit of Toronto residents living in the hundreds of decades-old concrete slab apartment towers.

“The release of the Tower Renewal Guidelines is an important milestone in the progress we are making towards tower renewal in Toronto,” said Eleanor McAteer, Project Director, Tower Renewal, City of Toronto. “Participants in the Mayor’s Tower Renewal Pilot Project currently under way will use these guidelines and best practices in providing a model to improve the environmental performance of high-rise apartment buildings in the city.”

The Mayor’s Tower Renewal Pilot Project has four pilot sites in Toronto to set the stage for a subsequent city-wide roll-out of tower renewal. The project will include building upgrades such as the application of over cladding, solar water heating and other initiatives to substantially reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Focused on more than energy efficiency, the project is aimed at city-wide revitalization to provide social, economic, environmental, cultural, financial and other benefits to Toronto residents, resulting in a greener, more liveable and prosperous city.

The entire guidelines publication may be downloaded free of charge at: /trg

Read Globe and Mail articles:

by Dave LeBlanc Nov 12/09

by John Bentley Mays Nov 6/09

For information on the Mayor’s Tower Renewal Project:
http://www.towerrenewal.ca

Project Team:
Ted Kesik and Ivan Saleff, Principal Researchers;
Robert Wright and Graeme Stewart, Co-Researchers;
Jan Kroman, Nick Swerdfeger and Scott Waugh, Research Associates;
Anne Miller, InDesign Editor

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For more information about Tower Renewal and the Tower Renewal Guidelines, contact:

Dr. Ted Kesik
John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
University of Toronto
Tel: 416 978-0849
 ted.kesik@daniels.utoronto.ca

Ivan Saleff
University of Toronto
Tel: 416 203-2279      
modstreet@sympatico.ca

Eleanor McAteer
Project Director, Tower Renewal, City of Toronto
416 392-9716
emcatee@toronto.ca