Toronto, the fourth-largest city in North America and home to over 2.6 million Canadians, is expected to grow by almost 36 percent by the year 2030. Many urban planning and design scholars are already voicing concerns that Toronto is on its way to becoming “Manhattanized” with smaller housing units, constant development, and more glass high-rises.
“The Exostructure,” was based off the idea of “symbiotic cities” that coexist peacefully with nature while also evolving with increased needs from a growing city.
You can think of it like a high-tech, low-energy greenhouse that can be built around buildings to keep them in optimal temperatures. In the future, this could be a viable retrofit option for the many inefficient buildings, including all those glass towers we’re currently building that will require millions to retrofit once they begin to leak. Now, considering that a huge portion of energy in Toronto goes to heating our buildings, the reduction in energy consumption that the Exostructure creates can be significant.