Shannon Mews is a two phase project, developed on the site of the historic Shannon Estate, once owned by both Austin Taylor and BT Rogers. Originally built in 1925, the brick and stone mansion, coach house, and gate house were all restored and upgraded for gravity and seismic loads. The original Gate house off Granville Street was upgraded to a single dwelling. The coach house was renovated as 4 stacked townhouse units. Finally, the original concrete and brick mansion was upgraded to house a handful of residential units alongside amenity and gathering spaces for residents of the development.
These upgrades were painstakingly undertaken to minimize intrusion into a number of heritage designated interior spaces that once housed a library, a billiards room and a conservatory. Millimeters of high-strength retrofit and carbon fibre slab provided strength to the structure and beams, allowing the original finishes to be retained and re-installed on top. New stair and elevator cores were added to provide lateral resistance and worn out exterior areas were identically mimicked with robust structures.
Designed to LEED Gold equivalency, 68% of the 10 acre site is green space. The estate’s original landscaping, including pools and ponds, was meticulously modelled, catalogued, re-conditioned and replaced or replicated.
The project also included the addition of 440 condos and townhouses, including 200 units of rental property.
Images © Robert Stefanowicz, Bob Matheson