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The traditional strip mall has been growing evermore obsolete as urban centres across North America densify developable lots. Like large swaths of surface parking lots, aging strip malls offer an opportunity to redefine a city block by introducing new land uses and building typologies. At the corner of 10th Avenue SW and Centre Street S, a non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate poverty and homelessness converted a tired retail plaza into a 12-storey apartment building for low-income individuals.
The nondescript two-storey commercial building that previously existed on the site fronted 10th Avenue with a parking lot and a patch of green space. The main floor of the building was occupied by several storefronts, including a Korean restaurant, with the top floor devoted to office space.
Intergovernmental funding and a design by BCW Architects lifted the proposed 1010 Centre project off the ground. The image above shows the state of construction in November 2012, where the concrete structure was about halfway towards settling at its final height.
Completed in 2015, the 1010 Centre contains 224 furnished studio and one-bedroom apartments. The colours and fenestration of the contemporary design are meant to echo the neighbourhood's warehouse vernacular.
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