Photo Credit (Above): Rémi Carreiro Photography
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Architecture Practice: Steven Fong Architect (now Steven Fong Architecture Inc.) in collaboration with ONE:1 Designs
Chosen by a jury of respected design experts, the 20 projects comprising the OAA’s 2026 Design Excellence Finalists represent a diverse range of building types, including sustainably designed community centres, innovative housing solutions, revitalized academic and cultural facilities, and transformative public spaces. These finalists serve as the shortlist for the OAA’s 10 Design Excellence Winners, which will be announced next month and honoured at the OAA Conference in the Waterloo Region in May. The biennial OAA Design Excellence Awards program offers Ontario practices the opportunity to display the transformative influence of architecture, promoting broader public recognition and appreciation for the field. The following media statement has been supplied by the submitting project team:
Red Lane Housing is a row of five rental micro-lofts organized along a midblock pedestrian pathway and landscape of community allotment gardens. Fashioned from retrofitting the vacated vehicle parking beneath a 1950s-era apartment building in east Toronto, it is an innovative mix of sustainable development, strategic site planning, and architectural reimagining. What was once a paved driveway is now the addressing and common outdoor amenity for new grade-related households.
The architecture relies on simple assemblies, readily available materials, and restrained interior finishes. This project demonstrates that modest, small-scale interventions can produce uplifting city-building outcomes.
Photo Credit: Rémi Carreiro Photography
Photo Credit: Steven Fong Architect + ONE:1 Designs
Photo Credit: Rémi Carreiro Photography
This blOAAg post is part of a series exploring the OAA’s 20 Design Excellence Finalists for 2026, as selected by our jury.