Set within a historic industrial building in downtown Toronto, this new loft apartment from architectural practice Susa Space blends contemporary forms and materials with a playful nod to the space’s heritage. The Candy Factory Lofts started life as a textile mill, built at the turn of the last century.
Ultimately, the building became a confectionery factory, amongst other uses, before becoming one of the first large-scale reuse projects in the city on the crest of the initial wave of loft conversions back in the 1990s.
The main living area in the Candy Loft
The conversion retains more than just a memory of these former uses, with intentional layers of reference to the past. Most notably, this includes a series of prominent curved features, directly inspired by the conveyor belts that once carried an array of sweets and chocolates through the manufacturing process.
The main living area in the Candy Loft
As the architects note, the site itself has a history that predates the era of manufacturing and labour. ‘Beneath this industrial narrative lies an older geography: the Carrying Place, an Indigenous trade route used by the Wendat, Seneca, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, whose presence continues to inform the land,’ they write.
Inside the Candy Loft
The new apartment blends dynamic contemporary elements with restored and retained features, most notably the timber columns, metal detailing and stonework. Many of these are heritage listed, so the curving divisions that form the layout and programme of the loft are threaded through them without impacting on their position or completely subdividing it into conventional rooms.
The curved wall shapes and directs the space
This was also a response to the client’s request for flowing open space, alongside a requirement for plenty of storage. To cater for this, large bespoke cupboard units, finished in light timber, are set alongside the original beams. ‘The design responds through a strategy of careful revelation rather than replacement,’ say the architects.
New interventions are placed alongside the original timber structure
The flowing curved ‘armature’ structure that references the production line is a multi-functional element, serving not as a conventional wall, but as a ‘piece of domestic infrastructure.’
Described by the architects as a sculptural spine, the component integrates the key functionality of the apartment, including the kitchen, laundry, and pantry, as well as a fold-out bed and storage areas. ‘By consolidating utility into one element, the remainder of the loft is freed for light, movement, and flexible use,’ they say.
The bathroom is wrapped in Travertine
Other materials were chosen to make a deliberate contrast with the raw and worn industrial character of the original building. They include Travertine marble for the stone-wrapped bathroom and white oak for the flooring and cupboards.
Where one material meets another, the thresholds have been carefully delineated to define each individual space. In addition, the client’s collection of artworks has been given precise and exacting locations to further refine the sense of a journey through the space.
SUSA Space was established by Sara and Suzan Ibrahim, Swedish-Canadian-Iraqi architects who work between Toronto, Paris, and Malmö. This project brings together the studio’s interest in reinvention, cultural memory and historic context, finding serenity in detail and place.
