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Stella's

A welcoming, accessible space—codesigned by young adults, for young adults

  • 11K

    Square Feet

  • Toronto, Ontario

    Toronto, Ontario

An exemplar for young-adult driven, community-based mental health

Offering free mental health services for young adults aged 16 to 29, Stella’s has emerged as an innovator for young-adult driven, community-based mental health services in downtown Toronto. Stella’s fosters a sense of community through a welcoming, fully accessible space featuring a contemporary café, one-on-one counseling rooms, group rooms, a teaching kitchen, and staff workspaces.

For the new Stella’s flagship location, we were engaged to reimagine and renovate a three-story 1940s post-and-beam former candy factory. Understanding how the built environment influences the health and well-being of building occupants, our young adult design team worked directly with Stella’s Place participants, peer counselors, and staff in a collaborative design process. Celebrating the industrial character of the original warehouse, the design features interior brick walls and heavy timber frame that is playfully contrasted with thoughtful, modern interventions. Based on thoughtful feedback from the users, a double-height entrance lobby was carved into an otherwise utilitarian space to create an open, daylight-filled, and non-clinical invitation into the building. 

Today, Stella’s is safe, welcoming space for young adults to seek peer support, learn new skills, find connections, find respite, and become empowered on their mental health journeys.

Meet Our Team

Deanna Brown, Principal

I’m driven to provide creative, efficient planning and designs that improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of society.

Robyn Whitwham, Associate, Architect

As an architect, my job is to design spaces that reflect the core values of the people who occupy them.

Deanna Brown

Principal

Robyn Whitwham

Associate, Architect

We're better together

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    Work with passionate people who are experts in their field. Our teams love what they do and are driven by how their work makes an impact on the communities they serve.

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