Gingerbread City 2024

Over the past few years, I would often find myself at St. Andrew's Playground Park after work. I'd lay on the loungers to read, write about my day, or think about what I might bake next. More often than not I would be facing the Ace Hotel by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects with it's brick façade changing colours as the sun sets and the lobby begins to glow. Some days, I would pass through the ribbon and go inside for a pastry, a drink with friends, or dinner at Alder under the expansive concrete arches that frame the interior. The Ace Hotel is a timeless building, rooted in the city's history while also looking to its possible futures. And now it's gingerbread.

Two story mansion with tower and wraparound porch with a covered side porch. Decorated in blue, silver and white it’s feative for both Christmas and Hanukkah.

The ‘Spice Lane’ rowhouses aspire to capture the Christmas spirit on a quaint New York street after a fresh dusting of snow. Inspired by the late 1800s rowhouses in New York, the design features three connected rowhouses, that reference the many styles of rowhouses present in Brooklyn’s older neighborhoods. Features such as the walk-up entrance, the ornate window frames and the flat roofs ground this build as a representation of the rowhouses of old, reminding us that taller is not always better.

Not all trends should be followed but all trends should be watched. Not all homes are built alike, but all homes should be respected. As we finish another year and begin another winter season, we should appreciate all that we have. The simplest of gestures, like building a gingerbread home can bring us together to raise awareness of trending topics that need more advocacy. As you ponder your year’s achievements, consider how you can help others achieve theirs in the new year.

A mid-century marvel, the long-lost conversation pit, makes a comeback in this sweet and spicy retro bungalow. Clerestory windows, built-to-last breeze block, and a wall-to-wall stone (Rice Krispies) fireplace set the mood for cozy holiday gatherings. But wait, there’s more! A tall and tasty tree greets you at the front door as it grows through an aperture in the butterfly roofline. This gingerbread delight is a bite-sized homage to sunken living rooms, blending nostalgia with holiday cheer.

The Woodsworth Cooperative is one of those buildings that has quietly shaped the streetscape of the St Lawrence neighbourhood for more decades, passed by thousands of people at the Market or heading over to the Distillery District. But it is an unsung hero - a midrise, non-market, residential building that more than a hundred families call home – the sort of building Toronto wants and needs more of. This entry was inspired by the film Living Together: The Story of De Warren, which screened at the Architecture and Design Film Festival. Like those young commune-dwellers who designed and built the first co-op residential building in Amsterdam, the Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto worked closely with architecture firm Sillaste & Nakashima to design a building filled with light and a sense of community. That special place – Woodsworth Coop – opened in 1979, and its story also deserves to be told.

Our creation is a to-scale model that is 48" tall, employing a Rice Krispie core, gingerbread structure, and sugar candy elevator shafts and podium. And of course lots of internal led lights to match the real tower.

There's a housing crisis even here in Gingerbread City, but luckily there are some great precedents we can learn from! My bake this year is inspired by 60 Richmond Co-Operative housing, a project designed by Teeple Architects for the Toronto Community Housing. Completed in 2010, this mid-rise building has 85 units. It is also highly sustainable, with a 40% window to wall ratio, as well as stormwater collection system and a green roof. The courtyard also includes gardens and plenty of space for neighbors to gather. Why build one gingerbread house when you can have 85 of them in a single structure?

A family home decorated and ready for Christmas time. Inspired by visits with family and the nostaglic feeling of the holidays.

Our gingerbread CN Tower is a nod to Toronto's most iconic landmark. You, too, can try your hand at this build-your-own kit, in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities Toronto.

I have made a gingerbread house every Christmas starting with my children who inspired me. In 1972 the Toronto Star had a recipe and directions for making a gingerbread house, Santas sleigh and reindeer. I have been using this recipe and patterns for the house, Santa's sleigh and his reindeer ever since. We would take it to the Sick Children's Hospital for children to enjoy. It was very simple at that time. The skaters. skiers and a forest of animals have been added as I collected the figures. Note the gingerbread man running away at the front of the house. Many of these figures are no longer available. Now I make it with my two youngest grandchildren who decorate the house and I complete the surroundings. After the New Year it is demolished and eaten. The design is intended to create a winter wonderland using simulated snow as a base, lights and trees. The house is a home with a yard that extends into a forest and ski hills, with skiers, a rink with skaters, a forest of animals and of course Santa, his sleigh and his reindeer on the roof of the house.

A study for a future permanent public art installation at the Cumberland Street entrance to TTC Bay Station. Titled "confluence," the project is a collaboration between artist Francisco-Fernando Granados and architect Kurt Kraler that will transform the station's ambiance with thousands of vitreous glass mosaic tiles.