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Plans are in the works to expand Toronto's Planet Traveler Hostel at 357 College Street, just west of Augusta. A submission for Site Plan Approval (SPA) to the City presents a five-storey, SUZITA+MORITA (SUMO Project)-designed addition, set to significantly expand the hostel's capacity while improving street-level conditions with new retail.
The 1,172.05 m² addition to the existing four-storey, 690.72 m² hostel would bring the building's total gross floor area (GFA) up to approximately 1,863 m². An additional 33 rooms would be built, with 184 new beds among them. This would bring the hostel's total up to 298 beds and a maximum capacity of 302 people.
Along with the expanded capacity, the addition is proposed to include a new ground floor lobby, a winter garden and ancillary café with access from College Street, a private kitchen, and a lounge area. New outdoor spaces would include a rear exterior patio garden at the basement level, as well as a 4th-floor lounge and green roof terrace.
Complementing the existing brick and stone-clad building, the addition would be finished in a mix of new brick, Corten steel, precast concrete, and metal panels. A number of energy efficiency measures would be implemented in an effort to offset heating and cooling costs. These green initiatives include triple-glazed windows, the use of radiant heating, solar panels, heat exchangers, geothermal energy, green roofs, and stormwater management systems.
Below, an image from Google Street View of the May 2015 conditions, showing Planet Traveler and the building to the east which will be replaced with the addition.
Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.
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