Industrial Projects | Warven Forge Architecture

Look, there's something about walking into a hundred-year-old factory that just hits different. The bones are already there - solid steel, honest craftsmanship, character you can't fake. Our job? Don't screw it up. We're not about erasing history; we're about giving these spaces another shot at life.

BEFORE

The Broadview Foundry

Found this beauty sitting empty for 15 years. Everyone said gut it, but the ironwork inside was too good to lose. The roof was a mess, yeah, but the trusses? Still solid.

Year Built 1912

Steel Preserved 78%

Floor Area 42,000 sqft

Completed 2023

Now it's mixed-use - creative studios on the lower floors, residential lofts up top. We added steel-framed glass pavilions that respect the original structure. The old crane rails? Left 'em in as design features.

AFTER

More Projects We're Proud Of

Each one taught us something new about working with industrial heritage.

Warehouse Conversion

Junction Works

Former textile mill turned co-working space. Kept all the original timber columns - they're like 16x16 inches, solid Douglas fir. Don't make 'em like that anymore.

Toronto, ON 2022

Heritage Restoration

Waterfront Cannery

1920s fish cannery that sat abandoned for decades. The brick was crumbling but the steel frame underneath? Nearly perfect. Now it's a restaurant with killer lake views.

Hamilton, ON 2021

New Build

Steelyard Studios

Not everything we do is restoration. This one's brand new but designed to look like it's been there forever. Exposed steel, concrete floors, big windows. Industrial aesthetic done right.

Mississauga, ON 2024

Technical Specs Matter

But so does the feel of a place

Our Approach to Industrial Work

We're not the type to show up with a plan and refuse to budge. Industrial buildings always surprise you once you get inside. That beam you thought was decorative? Turns out it's holding up half the building. The foundation that looked sketchy? Actually over-engineered by some paranoid Victorian engineer.

Assessment First

We spend weeks just looking, measuring, testing. Understanding what's actually there before we touch anything.

Preserve What Works

If it's solid and doing its job, we leave it alone. Original materials beat new ones nine times out of ten.

Modern Necessities

HVAC, electrical, code compliance - we handle all that stuff without making it obvious. New systems, old soul.

Real Collaboration

We work with engineers and contractors who actually get this kind of work. No cowboys, no shortcuts.

The truth is, every industrial project is kinda like archeology. You're uncovering layers of history, figuring out what worked and what didn't, respecting the people who built this stuff with their hands. It's slower than new construction, yeah, but way more interesting.

Got an Industrial Building?

Thinking about what to do with it? Let's talk. We'll come take a look, tell you honestly what's possible, what's not, and what it'll take.

No pressure, no sales pitch. Just straight talk from people who've done this before.

Start the Conversation

By The Numbers

Some stats from our industrial projects over the years

27

Projects Completed

850K

Sqft Restored

73%

Avg Material Saved

12

Years Experience