Sustainable Seniors’ Housing through Revitalization

Sustainable Revitalization

Introducing: Sustainable seniors’ housing through revitalization! Here, we will present our solution to address the Toronto housing crisis in a sustainable, green, and equitable way.

Natalie, Emily, Inho, Jenny, Ethan, Neo

Inspiration

Instead of constructing new buildings for housing, we wanted to see if we could repurpose abandoned buildings for revitalization, thus saving space and materials needed to address the housing issue for the ever-growing population. We decided to focus on the senior population as a vulnerable population in dire need of affordable housing.

What it does

Revitalize existing buildings including office spaces, old schools, etc. Utilizing and making sustainable alterations to the preexisting features such as the cooling/heating system, overall structure of the building, etc. Although this solution has been done before, our team has put a twist tov our implementation by using a community guided process and thoroughly considering sustainable applications such as a green wall/roof.

Challenges we ran into

Most old buildings do not have an air conditioning system so we would need to find an affordable way to install one. To overcome this roadblock, we decided to look into inexpensive implementations, such as a ductless heating system which is energy efficient and also better suited for older buildings because it requires less renovation.

Some things that make our solution more sustainable are the use of green walls and green roofs, as inspired from Mr.Mlotek during his presentation about LEED. Green walls promote biophilia and will improve the wellbeing of seniors. Other benefits include air purification and energy conservation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Despite never being able to meet in person, we made a successful presentation and potential future application!

What we learned

During this hackathon, we learned about the various aspects of affordable housing, city planning, and sustainable buildings.

What's next for Greenhouse Hackathon Solution

If selected, our next plans would include further research into feasibility, consultations with stakeholders, revitalization of buildings, and the transition process of seniors into the buildings.

Check out our project on the youtube link and our presentation on the "Try it out" link!