Wellington Street | Church Conversion
Brantford
Property Type: Existing Church with Attached Gymnasium
Project Overview:
A bold adaptive reuse project turning a historic church and its adjoining gymnasium into 28 residential units with over 80 bedrooms—blending heritage preservation with high-density residential transformation. This project demonstrates how institutional buildings can be reimagined to meet modern housing needs while retaining architectural character.
Scope & Strategy:
Our team was brought in to lead the architectural vision, building code strategy, and municipal coordination required to convert a complex structure originally built for assembly use into a compliant multi-residential development.
Design and planning considerations included:
Preserving key architectural features (vaulted ceilings, stained glass, exposed trusses) where feasible.
Strategically inserting floor levels and walls into the existing church nave and gymnasium to create livable, code-compliant units.
Developing a new exit and fire separation plan to satisfy Part 3 of the Ontario Building Code for multi-unit residential occupancies.
Challenges Solved:
Coordinated a full change of use from assembly occupancy to residential, triggering structural, fire, and egress upgrades.
Balanced density goals with existing building constraints such as tall ceilings, minimal existing insulation, and limited window locations.
Integrated mechanical systems, soundproofing, and natural light strategies across large-scale shared volumes.
Investor Benefits:
Delivered high unit count with low land cost by reusing an existing building envelope.
Increased bedroom density to over 80, ideal for co-living, student rentals, or transitional housing.
Preserved architectural charm while creating a high-demand residential product with major visual appeal.
Current Status:
Zoning/Planning Application/Review underway. Permit has been submitted.