Designing Temporary Installations beneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway to Enhance Thermal Comfort during Shoulder Seasons

Urban underutilized spaces, often the secondary by-products of large infrastructure projects, are often overlooked, despite their potential to enhance city life. With meaningful design interventions, these neglected areas can be transformed into inclusive public environments that offer social, environmental, and cultural value. This research investigates how modular, temporary installations beneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, in Canada, can enhance thermal comfort and foster community engagement during the shoulder seasons. Using a multi-step methodology, including literature review, thermal comfort guidelines, site-specific climate analysis, and precedent studies, the research identifies key design strategies tailored to the unique microclimatic and social conditions of under-bridge spaces. The study culminates in the proposal of a flexible system of movable panels that provide wind protection, solar control, and opportunities for gathering, interaction, and rest. By reimagining these unnoticed infrastructure zones as adaptable, climate-responsive public spaces, this research contributes to sustainable urban design and highlights the importance of design strategies that address the challenges of a warming and increasingly variable climate.