GTA condo sales reach record high in June

In June, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)’s new housing market continued to climb with condominium sales in the region reaching a new record high, reports the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).

Sales of new multi-family condo apartments in high-rise and mid-rise buildings and stacked townhouses climbed almost 59 per cent over May to 5,495 units, while prices for available units also continued to climb, according to Altus Group, BILD’s official source for new-home market intelligence.

New home sales jumped 23 per cent year-over-year with 28,889 new homes sold so far in 2017 – a 14 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2016 and a 44 per cent increase over the 10-year average.

“We continue to see that the province’s Fair Housing Plan in effect since April has had little impact on the new home market,” said Bryan Tuckey, BILD president and CEO, in a press release. “Unlike the resale market which experienced a slowdown last month, the numbers reflected in the new homes market are quite different. Prices continue to rise and supply continues to be low. Three out of four of the new homes purchased in the GTA so far this year have been condo apartments. With condo prices continuing to escalate, this segment of the market is becoming out of reach for many consumers.”

Of the 6,046 new homes sold in total last month, 91 per cent were multi-family condo apartments in high-rise and mid-rise buildings and stacked townhomes, while only nine per cent were low-rise single-family homes.

New condo sales topped the previous record set in March 2017 with 5,495 units sold last month, an increase of 89 per cent year-over-year and well above the 10-year average of 2,550 units. In June, 551 new single-family low-rise homes were sold, which is a 72 per cent decline from June 2016 and 64 per cent below the 10-year average.

Patricia Arsenault, Altus Group’s executive vice president of research consulting services, says the record number of condo sales in June came down to a ‘perfect storm’ of factors. “These factors include: the sizeable number of units in new condo projects opened in May and June (over 8,500); demand from end-user buyers who might have preferred a single-family home but have adjusted their expectations due to a lack of affordable supply; and heightened investor interest due to the rapid price increases for condo apartments in recent months,” she said.

The average price of available new condominium apartment units continued to rise, and experienced a month-over-month jump of $22,000 over May to $627,000. This average price was 34 per cent higher than the average price of a condo in June 2016. The average available unit size was 845 square feet, with an average price per square foot of $742. One year ago, the average price per square foot sat at $587.

In June, the average price of available new low-rise single-family homes only increased slightly month-over-month to $1,250,262, but that is more than 40 per cent above year-ago levels when the average price was $887,543.

Although prices continue to climb in the low-rise single-family sector for available new semi-detached and townhome units (to $943,115 and $1,091,151, respectively), the average price for a detached home fell by nine per cent month-over-month in June to $1,761,985.

The supply of new homes across all home types in June fell by nearly 20 per cent in June to 8,661 as high-rise inventory continued to fall and inventory in low-rise single family homes remained low.

June 2017 saw 10,820 new homes available to buyers, but one year ago, there were 18,063 new homes available. In June 2007, however, there were 30,300 new homes in builders’ inventories, of which slightly over half were low-rise single-family homes.

“The ongoing drop in new housing inventory demonstrates how hard it is for the industry to bring new homes to the market,” added Tuckey. “The challenges builders face including lack of serviced and permit ready developable land and out of date zoning bylaws continue to impact the supply of housing. It’s time for governments to work with the industry in order to help bring supply in builder inventories to a healthy level.”

Multi-res superintendent finds success with waste diversion program

Education and easy access are two key factors in a successful multi-residential waste diversion program, according to an Ottawa-based condo superintendent.

For the past four years, Jovan Cheff has overseen the recycling program at HOM condominium, a building with 110-units and five townhouses. When the building first introduced a green bins program, Cheff ordered kitchen containers and placed them in the mailroom for tenants to pick up. New tenants moving in were given a welcome card explaining the green bin recycling program. Soon, popularity grew, along with a sense of pride.

“We started off with two green bins,” Cheff told the City of Ottawa. “Today, we’re up to five bins of organic waste collected each week.”

The tenants’ participation in the green bin program has also led to a decrease in garbage collection, with the weekly requirement of three containers dropping now to two. It also results in a cost reduction for private collection, since there is no cost to green bin and recycling collection.

Recycling is mandatory for all Ottawa residents receiving city waste collection service. Multi-residential properties are provided a once-per-week collection of recyclable materials from front end loading (FEL) containers or recycling carts from the city’s contracted private hauler.

For other multi-residential buildings that are interested in starting their own green bin program, Cheff recommends superintendents should work with tenants who have an expressed interest and they will help get others on board. The City of Ottawa offers signs, pamphlets and other tools to help residents understand how to properly sort out waste.

Vancouver quadruples purpose-built rental target

Vancouver is boosting the number of affordable homes it plans to build over the next ten years to 72,000, exceeding its previous ten-year housing targets by 85 per cent.

Purpose-built rental housing will quadruple – up to 20,000 additional homes over the next ten years, with plans for new 100 per cent rental buildings with a minimum of 20 per cent of units priced below-market for renters earning $30,000 to $80,000 a year.

Council will vote on the final approval of new housing targets in November, but confirms about 48,000 of these new homes will be rentals. About 29,000 will be for families and more than 12,000 homes will provide social and supportive housing for lower income residents.

“The City has a plan to deliver 72,000 homes – the biggest affordable housing boom in Vancouver history,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “These 72,000 homes are for people who live and work in Vancouver. We’re going above and beyond what’s ever been done in Vancouver to enable new affordable housing for local residents matched to realistic, local incomes – housing that people want: rentals, laneway homes, coach houses, duplexes, and townhomes in neighbourhoods across the city.”

This is just one aspect of the city’s action plan to ensure stability for renters. Last year, the city proposed restrictions on short-term rental regulations that could bring 1,000 long-term rental units back to market in 2018.

Council will also consider changes to Vancouver’s City-wide Development Cost Levy program. Contributions could generate one billion dollars in revenue, with half going to new affordable housing and childcare projects.

Royal Roads University holds CESIP open house

Royal Roads University recently held an open house for its new Centre for Environmental Science and International Partnership (CESIP), which is being built on the west end of campus. Royal Roads invited community members to look behind the scenes at the project’s vision and design inspiration.

At the open house, HCMA Architecture + Design’s Stuart Rothnie described how the new Centre would be transformed from a 100-year-old horse stable. The CESIP was designed to be a living laboratory that will foster innovation in research, sustainability and intercultural understanding at Royal Roads. Rothnie says the new space will encourage a sense of belonging among students and create ways for people to learn and explore together through shared interactions and learning experiences.

“When students come to Royal Roads and if they are worlds apart when they arrive here…, it’s our hope that they begin to connect and share experiences,” said Rothnie, in a press release. “When they leave, when they graduate, there’s a moment when they become global citizens and sensitive to the needs of others. If we create a facility that meets that objective of international partnership, then we have succeeded.”

Rothnie, the architect on the project, says the renovated Mews building and newly construction additions will serve as classrooms, laboratories and interaction spaces for meetings, break-out sessions and socialization.

“We know that learning is everywhere in our lives and the opportunities for students to engage, connect and socialize in and around this facility is vital to its success,” said Rothnie. “As architects, we think very carefully about the connective spaces between the program needs and we make sure they are as successful as the teaching environment.”

CESIP’s construction is expected to be complete by April 2018.

Net zero facility to become teaching tool

The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation is poised to become a teaching tool for current and future building professionals alike.

The net zero-targeting project is part of Canada Green Building Council and World Green Building Council pilots that will establish benchmarks for carbon neutral buildings. And once the four-storey, 96,000-square-foot institutional facility is occupied, Mohawk College will give students the chance to participate in its operations for credit.

“Students, through capstone projects or research projects, will have the opportunity to, either for a day, or a week, or a month, actually manage the building — make sure that the temperatures and the lighting and other key components are performing properly,” said Tony Cupido, chief building and facilities officer at Mohawk College. “And they’ll be able to do that electronically and through data review and analysis.”

Fittingly, the facility is designed to support the expansion of the college’s engineering program, although it will ultimately accommodate up to 1,000 students from various disciplines in flexible learning spaces. Slated for a narrow site, the facility will rise on a slice of green space between two existing buildings, which will give it a prominent position at the entrance to the college’s roughly 66-acre Fennel Campus in Hamilton, said Cupido.

Now under construction, the project is on a tight April 30, 2018, deadline tied to $20 million in funding obtained through the federal Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investments Fund, which was announced in the 2016 budget as part of an innovation agenda.

In addition to differentiating the college from other post-secondary institutions, the pursuit of net zero on the project was considered a way to make the application for federal funding stand out, said Cupido.

“The planning, design, construction, operation of the building will be unique, because it will be one of the largest net zero buildings in an institutional setting, certainly in Ontario, but perhaps in Canada,” he said.

The strategy evidently worked, and the project, which will also see another facility renovated, broke ground early last fall. The Joyce Family Foundation, for whom the building is named, has committed $5 million to the project, which is expected to cost an estimated $54 million.

The capital budget wasn’t the only budget for the project. The architects created an energy budget for the educational facility, a building type known to be energy-intensive, particularly when it includes labs, as this one will.

“As we designed our systems, we gave them these allowances so that we were confident that the energy simulation we were developing would be accurate,” explained Kevin Stelzer, principal at B+H Architects, which is collaborating with mcCallumSather on the project in a joint venture partnership.

The facility is forecast to operate at roughly 70.5 to 71 kilowatt hours per square metre on an annual basis, said Stelzer, one-third of which is assigned to equipment and plug loads and two-thirds of which is assigned to building systems. Office buildings operate at roughly 335 kilowatt hours per square metre on an annual basis, he said by way of comparison.

The facility will rely on a geothermal system and photovoltaics for heating and cooling. The expectation is that it will generate and store for future use more power than is needed in the summer but may require some supplementary power from outside sources in the winter, said Cupido.

With the lighting and ventilation on occupancy sensors, the decentralized systems will automatically adjust to the distribution and number of occupants within the building, which typically dips in the summer months.

“It’s easily demand-operated, so if one portion of the building needed heating and cooling, and not the rest, it can operate that way,” said Stelzer.

Curtain wall will enclose the building, despite the thermal shortcomings of the cladding system. The ability to prefabricate the system and quickly install it on site made it the right choice for the project given the tight construction deadline, Stelzer explained.

The use of structural rubber gaskets will help resist the heat flow that generally occurs through the aluminum framing of the system, he said. The building will also be buffered from the heat loads of western sunlight by the rooftop solar panels as well as vertical aluminum shading.

Plug loads are one of the variables that could compromise the carbon-neutral operation of the building, Stelzer noted. The facility’s design discourages this by limiting the number of outlets available for use as well as by making occupants aware of real-time energy use through apps and on-site displays in the facility.

The net-zero target will take more than design to achieve, as the performance of the building will depend on how it’s operated on an ongoing basis. It will take a change in the attitudes and behaviours of occupants, observed Joanne McCallum, principal at mcCallumSather.

“There is a true cultural shift that we need to go through as a society as we become more accountable for how we use our energy,” said McCallum. “We’re used to being able to take our phones, our computers, doing whatever, and plug in wherever we want.

“You have to be aware in terms of when you go into the building; [for example] don’t come with your computer battery dead.”

In addition to informing occupants of the facility’s real-time energy use, its design will provide visual reminders of the project goal of sustaining the facility’s operations on only the electricity it generates.

On the interior, a learning space called the “collaboratorium” will feature direct current (DC) lighting, which, McCallum said, has become available in response to the increasing uptake of solar power. Normally, she explained, the power captured by solar panels would have to be converted to alternating current (AC).

On the exterior, the photovoltaic panels will be elevated, literally, as a design feature, in two “wings” that cantilever over the building as it steps down from four to three to two storeys.

“Solar panels tend to be hidden on roofs,” said McCallum. “You’ll see them in fields as you drive along, or you see people starting to put them on their houses, but it’s something we wanted to celebrate.”

The design of the rooftop solar panels will also allow students to safely access an area that might otherwise be restricted, added Cupido. They will have the ability to take an up-close look at how the technology is installed, maintained and operated, as well as check data from an accompanying weather station.

As the fall 2018 occupancy date gets closer, Mohawk College plans to start preparing students for the move to the new facility, said Cupido. Despite losing roughly a day per week to rain in recent months, the project is on track to reach substantial completion on schedule next spring.

Michelle Ervin is the editor of Canadian Facility Management & Design.

ISSA elects new board members for 2018

New members have been elected to the 2018 ISSA Board of Directors, which will be led by incoming ISSA President Ted Stark III, Dalco Enterprises, Inc. ISSA is the leading trade association for the global cleaning industry.

New members

Vice President/President Elect: Paul Goldin, Avmor Ltd.
Executive Officer: Jim Chittom Jr., Roman Chemical Corp.
Manufacturer Director: Tom Friedl, Hospeco
Distributor Director: Paul Barrett, North American Corp.
BSC Director: Matt Vonachen, Vonachen Services, Inc.

Returning Board Members

Past President/International Director: Richard L. Rones, Americo Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Secretary: Mark J. Bevington, NSS Enterprises, Inc.
Treasurer: Taylor M. Bruce Jr., IH Services, Inc.
Latin America Council Chair: Mauricio Chico Cañedo, Distribuidora Lava Tap, S.A. de C.V.
Europe Council Chair: Michel de Bruin, Greenspeed B.V.
Distributor Director: Daniel Josephs, Spruce Industries, Inc.
Wholesaler Director: Harry A. Dochelli III, Essendant
Manufacturer Director: Michael C. Dunn, Georgia-Pacific Professional
Manufacturer Director: Terry Neal, Impact Products, LLC
Director Canada: Peter Farrell, Cannon Hygiene Ltd.
Manufacturer Representatives’ Director: John K. Riches, Riches Associates Ltd.

Outgoing Board Members

David E. Sikes, Sikes Paper Co.
Ken Bodie, Kelsan, Inc.
Roman Chmiel, Scrub, Inc.
Nick Spallone, Tahoe Supply Co.
Mark Jackmore, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Inc.
John Swigart, Spartan Chemical Co., Inc.
Alan R. Tomblin, Procter & Gamble Professional.

ISSA members are invited to personally greet the new board members when they officially take office at the ISSA General Meeting, September 12, at 8:45 a.m. The meeting takes place as part of ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2017, September 11-14, in Las Vegas.

Quebec landlords resist swift hydro service cut

Quebec’s energy regulator is considering how rental housing owners should be notified when their tenants terminate hydro contracts. Smart meter technology now gives Hydro-Québec the ability to disconnect power immediately, and it proposes doing so on the account holder’s chosen day to end service unless landlords have registered in advance to take on the costs.

However, Quebec’s largest rental housing association argues that the default assumption should favour landlords. It suggests any hydro service cut should be delayed for at least one month, or until April 1 if a contract is terminated during the winter months, unless the landlord indicates otherwise. In that interim, costs would automatically be charged to the property owner.

“If a tenant cancels the hydro and leaves in the winter, the pipes could freeze and break,” says Hans Brouillette, director of public affairs with CORPIQ (Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec).

Under current rules, property owners are notified seven days in advance of any hydro service cut, giving them the option to cover electricity payments until the unit is reoccupied and a new tenant assumes the hydro contract. Hydro-Québec is calling for a website-based registry to take the place of this formal notification process.

As proposed, landlords would pre-register their properties and — if they choose to — an agreement to automatically assume any contracts that tenants in those properties cancel. Registered owners would also receive notification by email when one of their tenants cancels hydro service, but much of Hydro-Québec’s administrative burden would be alleviated.

“Property owners have to know that a website exists that they need to register on,” Brouillette observes. “If Hydro-Québec doesn’t know who the property owner is, which is 20 per cent of cases, or if the owner isn’t already registered, the electricity will be cut off as soon as the tenant stops service or payments.”

In 2015, CORPIQ successfully appealed to the provincial Régie de l’énergie to lower the fee to reconnect hydro service after tenants have terminated their contracts. It was reduced from $361 to $50, largely in recognition that Hydro-Québec expends little effort to provide the reconnection service. The Régie de l’énergie has not yet delivered a decision on this issue.

Federal government advances Smart Buildings initiative

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is now implementing the Smart Buildings initiative in up to 100 buildings across Canada through a phased approach over the next three years.

The announcement follows a successful pilot project that involved 13 buildings in the National Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau. The Smart Buildings technology that was implemented resulted in energy savings of up to 17 per cent, which translates into $1 million per year.

Once installed, the technology collects raw data from mechanical or electrical systems, analyzes it and uses the results to detect inefficiencies that can be solved right away. The government can better monitor and control mechanical, heating, cooling and lighting systems in federal buildings across the country to increase the efficiency of these systems.

Since 2015, energy saved by smart buildings is equivalent to 128 vehicles taken off the road and 496 acres of forests saved.

Jones Lang LaSalle Real Estate Services and a joint venture between RYCOM Corporation and Built Environment Optimisation Pty. Ltd are providing the Smart Building technology services for the federal buildings.

“The Smart Buildings initiative allows us to make a real impact by implementing innovative technologies and identifying opportunities for energy savings,” noted Steven MacKinnon, parliamentary secretary to the minister of public services and procurement. “The result is lower overall energy costs for federal buildings and a reduced carbon footprint.”

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is providing PSPC with expert advice on green building technology for this and other initiatives.

“NRC designed and performed the technology pilots and quantified both energy cost savings and GHG reductions, and from these pilots developed the technical specifications used by PSPC when selecting the Smart Buildings technology,” said NRC President Iain Stewart. “This is one of several initiatives in collaboration with PSPC to green Government of Canada operations.”

Colliers International moves into brand new HQ

Colliers International just moved more than 220 employees into its sprawling new headquarters in downtown Toronto, with 34,420 square feet of flexible office space spread across two floors. Beaming with natural light and wrap-around views in the financial district, the Brookfield Place location balances collaborative workspaces with social gathering spots to boost productivity among employees.

Standing in the bright lobby, John Arnoldi, executive managing director of Colliers’ Eastern Canada division, gestures to the multifunctional spaces the One Queen office never had.

“The previous space was like something out of the ‘80s,” he says. “It was dark, with big corner offices, high cubicles and very little natural light bordering the interior. We had been there for 30 years and renovated a couple of times.”

All communal areas in the new office are interchangeable. The lobby can be used for a 120-person cocktail party or lunch-and-learn, with the reception desk transforming into a bar. Next to that area is space for employees to meet, collaborate and eat lunch in diner-style booths with USP ports, while doors can close off the space for private dining use or staff functions. There’s a drop-down screen for presentations and chairs can move into stadium seating for about 100 people.

Quite a difference from the lack of collaboration and meeting spaces that were a barrier in the old location — outdated features that no longer served the company’s growing number of employees.

“Colliers wanted a space that we were proud of, a space that tells the story about who we are, that reflects the talent of our team and our personality,” adds Linda Monaco, director of marketing for Colliers.

Stakeholders and employees took part in “discovery sessions” well in advance of the construction process, which commenced mid-January 2017. More than 221 employees moved in by April 21. In rethinking the new workplace, the team gathered information to establish a vision for the project, and considered requirements like location, flexibility, timing and benefits.

“At the same time, we analyzed current space benchmarking, industry standards and getting any additional information from staff,” says Monaco. “From this, we determined the change management that was required to implement our workplace guiding principles.”

Eight guiding principles aligned with the overall design: client-focused space, flexible meeting and event space, right to light, embracing new technology, acoustic privacy and sound quality, brand identity expression, showcasing Colliers as a downtown leader and increasing productivity among employees.

“People are more productive when they’re happy, so we tried to create a space where people can be happy,” says Arnoldi

Wellness, a factor accelerating in offices across Canada, played into this philosophy. The firm targeted WELL certification in the new space for employee health and wellbeing, aiming to incorporate such modern necessities, while staying true to their old values.

“We made the decision not to abandon the private office because that was important to us; we’re kind of a hierarchal company here; you earn an office based on your revenue, so we didn’t want to lose that competitive edge we created,” says Arnoldi. “At the same time, all employees have access to natural light, so someone sitting in a back cubicle would be privy to 90 per cent of light streaming from the windows around the periphery.”

There are also collision spaces in every corner and a fun zone, with graffiti-spotted walls and informal chairs. All employees have a wireless headset so they can move around the office, away from their sit-stand desk, into whatever open area they choose. Vending machines offer only healthy snacks, and fresh drinking water is accessible within reach of every worker.

Collision space

Redesigning their corporate headquarters was really about shaping employee productivity. To measure this effectively, Colliers recently circulated its annual employee engagement survey through human capital and management consulting services firm Aon Hewitt. Results, come August, will visibly show productivity per agent on a revenue basis, and generate feedback on what workers think about the new space and if they are happier coming to work for the company.

As for how the new space will help Colliers advise its clients, Arnoldi says there isn’t one exact fit for every company. What works for them, doesn’t necessarily work for law firms or especially high-tech clients, although some aspects, wellness for example, are more similar.

Collaborative spaces are another universal trend, whether that means thinking beyond the desk or creating gathering spots to host clients. In Colliers case, it involves both.

Gensler’s 2017 Design Forecast, which represents a wide range of sectors and job roles among office workers, reveals that more collaboration and the use of different spaces for different work modes correlate to higher levels of creativity and innovation.

“The optimal workplace gives people flexibility, choice, transparency and connectivity,” the report concluded.

Workplaces that prioritize both individual and group workspace have been found to directly affect employee performance and innovation. This concept is keeping companies on the leading edge of design in the midst of constant change.

Future-proofing offices, it seems, is a challenge for many companies, Colliers included. The real estate brokerage firm is sure it has modernized itself for at least the next five years, with technology upgrades and modular elements.

“Five years from now, if we decided we didn’t want to have offices anymore, we could take out the walls,” says Arnoldi. Over the weekend, we could remove a block of offices and turn them into work stations, and all the furniture in the office is interchangeable. So, we can change the space as we adapt; we could even build more offices if we wanted to.”

Rebecca Melnyk is online editor of Canadian Property Management @rebeccachirp

Smarter Buildings on the Rise

Technology moves quickly, and one of the places it is moving fastest is inside the built environment. Smarter building technology systems are unlocking more meaningful data and providing more solutions than ever before – dramatically changing the way in which buildings perform, and informing the overall approach to their design, engineering, and construction. At the same time, this rapid change in approaches and quick uptake of new technologies also means building users and developers are aware of – and expect – more.

Smart Buildings Boom

“The integration of technologies and systems that control every aspect of a building’s operation and user experience is a trend we’ve seen rapidly evolve,” says Sharyn Gravelle, WSP’s National Vice President, Telecom & Technology, noting, “The reality is that we’re at the start of a new cycle of smart buildings that are attaining ever higher levels of efficiency, sustainability, and capability.”

That cycle is expected to continue moving the global smart building market forward to a value of more than $24 billion by 2021, according to a recent MarketsandMarkets report. Driving the demand for smart technology solutions are government initiatives and regulations and rising demands among building owners for lower operational costs. Other drivers include the rising need for integrated security and safety systems and the growing adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) platforms within building automation and asset management.

Effective technology integration requires effective collaboration within a holistic, whole-project, and whole building life cycle approach. Whether it is a new construction or the rehabilitation of an existing structure, everything from the sensors monitoring a building’s energy consumption to the security surveillance and alarm systems, and the networking and IT infrastructure to the automation of building systems, are all becoming more tightly intertwined. That means the teams who deliver smart building designs and upgrades must mirror this approach. This is why WSP formed the Telecom & Technology service line in January 2017, with three core areas of focus: Wireless Infrastructure Services, Fiber Services, and Smart Technology.

Technology and Teamwork: A WSP Case Study

As Sharyn Gravelle explains, “In order to execute a fully integrated technology design, WSP combines experts in building technologies, security, communications, networking, structural, mechanical, electrical, and sustainability. Cohesive teams ensure that the complex, multi-dimensional decision-making required for smart buildings is resident inside each team and that all members are aware of the overarching objectives and the constraints and nuances multiple technology overlays require.”

WSP’s Alex Petroff, senior project manager, and Alexander Lui, manager, commercial and sustainability, recently collaborated on Toronto’s new EY Tower, a 40-storey, 900,000 sq. ft. facility and the city’s first Triple-A office building built to LEED standards. Inside EY Tower’s high-performance building envelope, mechanical and electrical systems provide zoned climate-controls that utilize dual ventilation systems for temperature and fresh-air supply. Other smart technologies at EY Tower include daylight and motion sensors, leading-edge lighting controls, and parking designed for electric cars.

What’s more, explains Petroff, there are even plans to pipe music into the stairwells: “To heighten the opportunities for tenant wellness, and encourage the use of stairs for exercise, standard lighting levels inside the building’s stairwells were boosted by 50 per cent. Music will also help motivate people to use the stairs for fitness purposes.”

UX is Integral

The importance of the user experience (aka the UX) is becoming more integral to smart buildings, just as it is in the apps and websites that people immerse themselves in on a daily basis. The bottom line is that the smarter a building is, the greater the benefits that accrue for both the owners and operators and the building occupants.

WSP is one of the world’s leading professional services consulting firms. With over 7,500 people across Canada – engineers, technicians, scientists, project managers, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists – we design and deliver lasting solutions in the Buildings, Transportation, Infrastructure, Oil & Gas, Environment, Geomatics, Mining, Power and Industrial sectors.

Condo management companies strike partnership

Associa Maple Ridge Community Management (MRCM), a large community management firm that serves southwestern Ontario, announced last week that is has struck a strategic partnership with Harmony Management, a boutique property management company that serves the GTA.

Through the partnership, MRCM and Harmony Management plan to enhance current systems with cutting edge software and ready communities for the impending roll out of condo law reforms.

“Together, we will not only make advances to our operating systems but also strengthen our core foundation so we can better serve our clients and residents,” Michael Le Page, president of MRCM, said in the news release. “We are excited to be partnering with such a respected local property management company and their dedicated team.”

Residents of the more than 5,500 units in communities under management by Harmony Management’s 25 employees can expect to see services improved and staffing unchanged, according to the news release.

“Being a part of the Associa Maple Ridge Community Management family will allow us to expand our current operations and provide additional management services to our residents,” Scott Newhouse, president of Harmony Management, said in the news release. “We are excited to embark on this partnership and will continue to focus on providing the highest quality of customer service available.”

U of T’s Robarts Common breaks ground

The University of Toronto’s Robarts Library, Canada’s largest academic library, is receiving a major expansion that will add 1,200 work and study spaces to the facility, which is recognized as an iconic example of the 1960s Brutalist style of architecture.

Robarts Common, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, is comprised of a five-storey, glass-enclosed addition along the building’s west side. The original concept for Robarts Library included three pods surrounding the core of the library, but only two were built. They now house the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the Faculty of Information iSchool. The new student space completes the plan, which occupies an entire block in downtown Toronto.

“We’re adding a range of options for studying, both individual as well as more socially-oriented, collaborative settings to learn,” said Gary McCluskie, principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects, in a press release. “Robarts Common will have its own entrance and plaza connecting to the street and be much more transparent, much less intimidating than the original.”

Robarts Common’s wraparound glass façade and wood accents contrast greatly from the existing concrete structure of Robarts, yet Diamond Schmitt created a relationship between the old and new. “The height is the same as the other wings and we wanted to fit with the geometry of the existing building and reference the triangle form in how the glazing is framed,” said McCluskie.

The freestanding expansion will connect with the existing building through a four-storey bridge. In addition to adding traditional study carrels and reading tables, Robarts Common will also feature amphitheatre-style seating on levels two through five and 32 group study rooms. The building will be Wi-Fi accessible and allow wireless printing throughout the facility.

“This expansion will increase study space by 25 per cent and make a huge difference,” said U of T chief librarian Larry Alford. “It’s about creating space for students to do new and different kinds of things, a space for social learning. Some students want places where you can hear a pin drop, and others need space to work with each other… This addition will add to the mix of those kinds of spaces.”

The new addition will feature sustainable design aspects, including a rainfall recycling system, green roof and an electronic rolling blind system to control the amount of light and solar gain coming through the glass façade of the building.

Diamond Schmitt previously completed a multi-year renovation of Robarts Library that opened up corridors and stacks to invite daylight deeper into the facility, improved study space, data infrastructure, way-finding and transformed two exterior porticos into entry halls.

The addition of the new wing is the first expansion of the library since it opened in 1973. Construction is expected to be complete by the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year.

Victoria multifamily market spurs construction

A vacancy rate below 1 per cent, steadily rising rents, compressing cap rates for existing properties and ample access to low-cost financing underpin Victoria’s purpose-built rental housing boom. Colliers International’s newly released overview of the Victoria multifamily market lists 13 projects encompassing nearly 1,150 units slated for the city’s downtown. Of these, five are now under construction, one has received approval to proceed and seven are at the proposal stage.

Analysts don’t expect to see much change in the vacancy rate that CMHC pegged at 0.5 per cent in the fall of 2016 even as new supply, in both purpose-built rental and condominium stock, augments the overall inventory. In-migration to Victoria has brought new tenants, while rapidly increasing housing prices have discouraged sitting tenants from making the move to ownership. Landlords are also renovating some units on turnover, thus taking them out of the market temporarily.

Across the Greater Victoria area, the average monthly rent for one-bedroom units is pegged at $912 as of June 2017, up from $890 one year earlier. Downtown, market rents are hitting a range upwards of $2.30 per square foot, considered necessary to make the case for new development. Alternatively, would-be investors have few options to buy.

“Investor demand for purpose-built rental apartment properties in the Greater Victoria marketplace continues to be sustained at levels that far outpace the supply of available product,” the Colliers report states.

The first half of 2017 saw 20 sizable transactions — i.e. worth at least $1-million —amounting to $108 million in sales value. This was a pickup in investment activity from the first six months of 2016, when major deals totalled $69 million. The average suite price was $214,488, up from $181,96 last year, as the average cap rate dropped to 3.83 per cent. Although long-time landlords are generally hesitant to absorb the inevitable tax hit that comes with sales, current market dynamics have helped some resolve to act.

“Many owners who now find themselves in an aging demographic, are viewing a disposition of their buildings as a more palatable way in which to come to terms with estate driven initiatives,” the report hypothesizes. “Additionally, for owners who choose to vend into this current frothy market, currently populated by capable investors competing for a meagre supply of quality product, timely dispositions are the order of the day.”

Only mid-rise and low-rise buildings were in play, however, with the largest property at 76 units. Just four properties boasted 60 or more suites, while the next largest contained 45.

New purposed-built projects cover more of a range of sizes with three in the 200-unit range and four with fewer than 20 units. Meanwhile, 28 downtown condominium projects are generally larger, comprising 2,400 units in total. These are also expected to factor into the rental supply.

Rental housing complex breaks ground in Saskatoon

Construction has started on a new 26-unit affordable rental housing project in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The development, located on the 200 block of Avenue O South in the core-neighbourhood of Pleasant Hill, is a joint venture between the federal government, the province, the City of Saskatoon and Quint Development Corporation (Quint).

The townhouse complex will consist of eight one-bedroom units (493 square feet) 10 three-bedroom units (1,064 square feet), six four-bedroom units (1,475 square feet) and two four-bedroom accessible units (1,912 square feet).

“This project will provide 26 safe, quality homes for people in this community who have complex needs and are not able to maintain housing without support services,” said Tina Beaudry-Mellor, minister of social services and minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC). “Our government is pleased to be involved with this initiative that supports hard to house families and individuals.”

The federal and provincial governments, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and SHC, are jointly contributing up to $3.19 million toward the project under the Canada-Saskatchewan Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) 2014-2019 Agreement. The City of Saskatoon will provide $557,000 in funding plus additional incentives towards the project, while Quint is contributing about $1.7 million in the form of cash equity and mortgage financing.

Established in 1995, Quint is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the economic and social well-being of Saskatoon’s west side core neighbourhoods.

“Quint’s Affordable Housing Program is expanding in order to meet the growing need for larger family sized safe and affordable rental housing in Saskatoon,” said Joy Crawford, chair of Quint Development Corporation’s board of directors. “In addition, this infill development will significantly improve the aging housing stock in Pleasant Hill and help strengthen and revitalize the neighbourhood.”

Teknion showroom earns WELL certification

Teknion Corporation is the first manufacturer in the world to receive WELL certification at the silver level under WELL v1 for its downtown Toronto showroom. It achieved this by meeting 100 per cent of the WELL Preconditions applicable to the Project Type in all Concepts.

The showroom, which was designed by Vanderbyl Design in collaboration with SGH Design Partners, is a 10,750-square-foot Collaboration Hub that reflects the company’s vision of the workplace. It is located on the 20^th floor of the LEED Gold-certified Bremner Tower at 120 Bremner Boulevard in downtown Toronto.

“Teknion’s WELL Certified Silver award for their Toronto showroom demonstrates outstanding healthy building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, chairman and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute, in a press release. “IWBI’s mission is to bring human health and wellness to the forefront of building practices globally, and it is leaders in the building and design industry such as Teknion that are helping to advance this movement.”

“Becoming the first manufacturer in the world to achieve WELL certification under WELL v1 speaks to the unwavering environmental commitment of everyone at Teknion,” added Tracy Backus, director of sustainable programs.

The WELL Building Standard is the first building standard to focus solely on the health and wellness of the people that work in buildings. WELL is a performance-based system for measuring and certifying features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. It is based on research that explores the connection between the buildings where we spend more than 90 per cent of our time, and the health and wellness impacts they make on their occupants.

Diamond Schmitt shortlisted for concert hall design

Diamond Schmitt Architects has been shortlisted to develop a concept design for a new concert hall in London, United Kingdom, in partnership with UK architecture firm AL_A. The competition to design the Centre for Music is being led by the Barbican Centre, London Symphony Orchestra and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, with support from the City of London Corporation.

The Centre for Music is planned to house a world-class concert hall, education, training and digital spaces, and facilities to help bring music-making to the widest possible audience. It will also be a permanent home to the London Symphony Orchestra and host performances from the Barbican’s family of Associate orchestras, as well as performances from touring artists and orchestras from across the UK and the world.

The developers were looking for applications from internationally-recognized experts to develop plans for the building. The shortlist also includes Norman Foster, Frank Geary and Renzo Piano.

The preferred site for the new Centre for Music is in the heart of the Square Mile, currently the site of the Museum of London, which is developing a new and larger site at West Smithfield.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to help the Barbican, London Symphony Orchestra, Guildhall School and the City of London Corporation realize their goal for a concert hall to be among the best in the world,” said Donald Schmitt, principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects, in a press release.

“I am thrilled that AL_A and Diamond Schmitt Architects have been shortlisted for this ambitious project,” added Amanda Levete, Principal of AL_A. “It is an extraordinary opportunity to redefine the role that music and culture can play in today’s society, right in the heart of the city.”

Tim McGinn named ASHRAE director at large

Tim McGinn, principal at Dialog in Calgary, has been named director-at-large with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) at its annual conference in Long Beach, California.

A global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment, ASHRAE’s 56,000 members worldwide focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today through research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education.

A long-time member, McGinn has been actively involved with ASHRAE since joining as a student in 1982. Serving a three-year term, his focus as director-at-large will be to guide the implementation of ASHRAE’s strategic plan to lead and accelerate sustainable industry trends.

“From the local chapters to the society level, ASHRAE’s strength is its united, global vision to serve humanity through a more sustainable world,” says McGinn. “It’s a huge honour to give back to an industry that has provided my livelihood, and is aligned with Dialog’s vision to improve the wellbeing of our communities.”

McGinn is a professional engineer and has degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering. His green building design expertise includes low temperature heating and high temperature cooling systems, radiant heating and cooling, passive, direct and indirect evaporative cooling, displacement and underfloor air systems, mixed mode natural ventilation, grey water reuse and passive solar heating.

“The tremendous amount of volunteer work that occurs within ASHRAE is unique, compared to other societies. The dedication of our 2017-2018 officers will strengthen our society’s knowledge base, community reach and ability to shape a more sustainable world,” says ASHRAE’s president Bjarne W. Oleson.