Even suburban settlements can house electrical substations. 640 Millwood Road is one of more than 250 camouflaged substations in Toronto.
Like London's Leinster Gardens, where the building's front is just that — a front — the space seems almost theatrical, according to descriptions of the interior from Toronto's Globe and Mail.
"Like the wings and backstage area, everything is raw, stripped of ornament and totally utilitarian," the article says.
For ventilation, the part of the building that houses the electrical equipment has no roof, and the equipment is only walled off on two sides, separated by a chain-link fence.