The Baker District Canada’s second One Planet Living-endorsed community.
Location
Guelph, ON
Type
Mixed-Use
Size
300 Suites
15 Storeys
50,000 sq. ft.
Architects
DTAH (private sphere)
Diamond Schmidt Architects (public sphere)
Other Key Partners
Urban Equation (sustainability)
Melloul Blamey
(general contractor)
Capital Cost
$280M
Status
In Design
The Baker District is a unique mixed-use brownfield redevelopment project being undertaken in partnership with the City of Guelph to help revitalize the City’s historic downtown centre.
The development will deliver a new central library, two urban squares, retail space, and approximately 300 residential units, including affordable housing. To boost the project’s social impact, Windmill and its design partners collaborated with the community in an extensive public engagement process. Baker District is the first of its kind in Canada to use ecological footprinting to optimize the development’s carbon footprint. It is the second One Planet Living-endorsed community in Canada – Windmill’s Zibi was the first.
Zero Carbon EnergyBaker District is key to achieving the City of Guelph’s goal of becoming a net zero carbon city by 2050. Since buildings make up 35% of the City’s ecological footprint, the Baker District redevelopment presents an opportunity for the City and private industry to collaborate to produce a leading-edge zero carbon development. Specific targets include reducing embodied carbon, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, and using passive measures to manage building cooling and heat loss.
Local and Sustainable FoodLocal and sustainable food is a priority principle for the Baker District because it aligns with the City’s Smart City goal to create Canada’s first circular food economy. The project will leverage the resources and energy from Guelph’s dynamic food community to make the Baker District a hub for urban agriculture and food responsibility.
Travel and TransportStrategically located downtown and within walking distance of the GO/VIA station, Baker District will support many of the City of Guelph’s transportation goals, including promoting active transportation, encouraging the use of public transit, reducing traffic congestion, and providing parking infrastructure that can adapt to both future re-use and growth in electric vehicles and other emerging technologies.
