01 / Overview

The LifeCycle Loop transforms Winnipeg’s historic 1910 Glengarry Building (290 McDermot Avenue) from an industrial timber warehouse into an intergenerational housing complex and social condenser. Grounded in the Housing Loops theoretical framework, the project reframes domestic living as an enduring, lifelong journey that allows young adults, growing families, and seniors to remain rooted within a single collective bound by intentional fraternity and shared amenities.

02 / Process

The primary design challenge was adapting a rigid, seven-storey heavy timber and masonry warehouse with deep floor plates into a daylight-filled residential environment without resorting to demolition. Balancing the structural constraints of existing nail-laminated timber (NLT) floors with the distinct spatial, acoustic, and privacy needs of three generational unit typologies required surgical material interventions and precise structural reconfigurations.

03 / Outcome

The Life-Cycle Loop reframes housing as a journey within a “Social Condenser” designed to foster intergenerational cohesion. Rather than a series of disjointed migrations moving from dense urban gr apartments to suburban homes, and later to senior housing, residents (young adults, growing families, and seniors) choose to remain in within one intergenerational collective bound by “Intentional Fraternity”. This model utilizes three distinct unit typologies designed weave the lives of the “Neighbourhood” together. This housing model is replicated across the McDermot Block, where they all have direct access to a public rooftop park that includes recreational spaces, an event space, and an auditorium. The commercial spaces across the block are a combined two-storey mall containing grocery, daycare, café, fitness, and event spaces, everything residents need are embedded into the block.