Toronto Metropolitan University

Oakham House

Opportunity

Originally built in the Gothic Revival style in 1848 as a house for architect William Thomas, Oakham House is now the Toronto Metropolitan University’s student body hub, complete with a campus pub, meeting rooms, offices and link to the adjacent Student Union building. The building itself is a load bearing, brick masonry structure with a timber frame roof with cedar shingles and a wood bay window on the north façade. The chimney, carved millwork and a wooden bay window needed restoration.

Response

Having faced several unforeseeable challenges, such as termites, foundation issues, further chimney degradation and masonry lintel conditions, the outcome involved the restoration of the soaring chimneys, and carved millwork. The scope grew to include the replacement of its timber frame roof, addition of heat tracing systems, and sheet metal flashing to address water shedding at key locations.