urban capital magazine birth of a (garden) city urban capital in 2012

URBAN CAPITAL MAGAZINE

BIRTH OF A (GARDEN) CITYURBAN CAPITAL IN 2012

TRENDS IN DESIGN 2BIG BUILDINGS ON SMALL SITESVERTICAL URBAN FACTORY

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Cover Close-up of board-formed concrete at River City Phase 1, designed by Montreal-based Saucier+Perrotte Architectes.

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CONTENTS

FEATURES12 TRENDS IN DESIGN 2

Urban Capital’s Trends in Design series returns with topCanadian designers in landscape architecture, furniture designand graphics

19 UC’S PORTFOLIO IN 2012A roundup of the projects Urban Capital finished or hadunderway in 2012

28 CONCRETE ARCHITECTUREERA Architects are rekindling our 1970s love affair with concretearchitecture. For Urban Capital Magazine they give a personal tourof their favourite concrete structures throughout the GTA

32 BIRTH OF A (GARDEN) CITYThe Garden City Movement returns, in a way, in Urban Capital’smaster plan for a 16 acre site in the centre of Mississauga

36 HIGH RISE DESIGN GOES LOWThe things that happen when a high-rise developer lands a low-rise site

40 VERTICAL URBAN FACTORYWhat would happen if we brought factories back into urbancentres? This is what Nina Rappaport looked at in her VerticalUrban Factory exhibition at Toronto’s Design Exchange,sponsored by Urban Capital

THE FRONT6 A Year in Urban Capital’s Life

The comings and goings of Urban Capital in 2012

10 Objects of our DesignersOur architects reveal their favourite (material)things

THE BACK44 Condo Development 101

Building big buildings on small sites, or howto keep your neighbour’s property fromfalling into yours, and other minor details

45 Real EstateBarry Lyon and Jasmine Cracknell, two ofCanada’s top real estate analysts, on theCanadian condominium market in 2013

46 IllustrationOttawa’s Centretown gets a quirky make-overby Rachel Ann Lindsay

48 REAR VIEW 40

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PHASE THREE: COMING NEXT

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Sales office located at 554 Queen Street East at River Street

rivercityTORONTO.com 416.862.0505

PHASE TWO: NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

PHASE ONE: NOW OCCUPYING

2010 BILD AWARDBEST BUILDING DESIGN

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Welcome to our second annual Urban Capital Magazine, our record of whatwe’ve been up to, what’s been happening around us, and what’s influenced usover the past year.

We spent 2012 principally executing projects we launched over the previoustwo years. So we had River City, Tableau, Nicholas and Trinity Towns underconstruction in Toronto, and Central Phase 1 (which we completed this pastsummer) and Central Phase 2 under construction in Ottawa. In 2013 we willcomplete River City Phase 1, Trinity Towns and Central Phase 2, while Tableauand Nicholas, large projects with 5 levels of below-grade parking, will pop theirheads above ground. We will also start construction of Hideaway in Ottawaand River City Phase 2 in Toronto.

We also spent last year starting to look for new development opportunitiesoutside our two key markets – Toronto and Ottawa. To date we have focusedour efforts on Halifax, where we have been shortlisted for a large city-owneddevelopment site, and Winnipeg, where we are launching Glasshouse, a 170unit residential tower that is part of the large mixed-use Centrepointdevelopment. At the same time, we’ve started to explore additional in-filldevelopment opportunities in the Toronto market, building on our experiencewith the highly successful Trinity Towns project.

There are of course more details of what we’ve been up to in the pages thatfollow, including Birth of a (Garden) City on Page 32, which looks, in thecontext of the Garden City movement, at the design and planning process weled to develop a 16 acre site in downtown Mississauga, and High Rise DesignGoes Low on Page 36, where we explore, through the eyes of our designers,the fusing of high-rise design sensibilities into a low rise townhouse context.

Like last year, we also look at design-related items that are more tangential toour actual projects. So starting on Page 12 we recap our 2012 Trends inDesign series, which featured furniture designer David Podsiadlo, graphicdesigner Roderick Grant and landscape starchitect Claude Cormier. Taking acue from the raw beauty of the board-formed concrete that graces our RiverCity project (as well as the cover of this magazine), we ask Michael McClellandand Graeme Stewart of ERA Architects to take us on a tour of Toronto’sConcrete Architecture (Page 28). And finally, on Page 40, we look at NinaRappaport’s Vertical Urban Factory exhibition, which Urban Capitalsponsored at Toronto’s Design Exchange.

Our second Urban Capital Magazine comes at an interesting time in ourindustry. The state of the long bull market in condominium sales is in question,particularly in the country’s (and our) largest market – Toronto. But long-termtrends point to continued population growth and urbanization, which supportcontinued demand for condominiums going forward, as Barry Lyon andJasmine Cracknell explain in their cross-country market survey (see RealEstate on Page 45).

And a number of features return from last year, including CondoDevelopment 101 (or “Condo Development for Dummies”), and Rear View,where we look at something that ended for us in the last year (this year it’s ourlittle Ottawa sales office that could).

As always it is appropriate to take a moment to thank the many people whomake our projects possible, including our many development partners,construction lenders, designers and construction teams. Finally, we’d like tothank our two main magazine contributors, returning from last year: AustinMacdonald, our Montreal-based writer who wrote many of the pieces here,and the Walsh Group, our go-to marketing and graphic design firm, who madeit all happen.

See you next year.

David Wex Mark Reeve

FOR MORE INFORMATION

URBAN CAPITAL PROPERTY GROUP17 Nelson StreetToronto, ON M5V 0G2

(416) [email protected]

www.urbancapital.ca

www.facebook.com/UrbanCapital

www.twitter.com/UrbanCapital

GET ON OUR MAILING LIST

Register with us at www.urbaina.comor email us at [email protected]

SALES OFFICES FOR PROJECTSCURRENTLY BEING SOLD

RIVER CITY554 Queen Street East(at River Street)Toronto, ON M5A 1V2(416) 862.0505www.rivercitytoronto.com

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CENTRAL PHASE 1 & 2 and HIDEAWAY455 Bank Street, Unit 2(at McLeod Street)Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y9(613) 789-5475www.centralcondominiums.comwww.central2.comwww.hideawayatcentral.com

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December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012

Tableau Groundbreaking PartyIt was heading into the dark days ofwinter, but we couldn’t wait for theearth to thaw. So, at the beginning ofJanuary we threw a party inanticipation of what was to come –the start of construction of one of themost talked about condos in thecentre of Toronto’s EntertainmentDistrict – Tableau. Above the formerEmbassy Nightclub we had “Last Call”while we got set to break ground atthe corner of Richmond and Peter.

JANUARY 10, 2012

1st Annual “Naughty and Nice” Christmas PartyWith temperatures dipping below zerowe were glad to have all our friendsand Urban Capital family warm up atour new head office for our 1st annualChristmas Party. Our naughty andnice theme was quite a hit, and wefound out just why Santa has to checkhis list twice - with a whole lot of“naughties” and not too many “nice”.It was a great way to celebrate oursuccesses of the past year and cheerthe ones to come!

DECEMBER 19, 2011Urban Toronto interviews Mark & DavidWhen Urban Capital’s twopartners, David Wex and MarkReeve, were asked to do aninterview with Urban Toronto, itwas a no-brainer. They were bothexcited to discuss their passion –the development business,amongst other things, and howthey got here. Emphasizing someof Urban Capital’s more recentdevelopments you can get asense of how their experiencehas played a role in some oftheir biggest decisions.Read the article atwww.urbancapital.ca/about

FEBRUARY 2012

A YEAR IN URBAN CAPITAL’S LIFE

A YEAR IN URBANCAPITAL’SLIFE

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April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 Aug

River City bridge hoisted into placeA big milestone at Urban Capital’s River City project happenedin June with the erection of the four storey bridge connectingthe two buildings that comprise Phase 1. Meant to extend theform of the Phase 1 building over the road that cuts through it,the bridge also allows residents of each building to share in theamenities of the other. www.rivercitytoronto.com

Central Phase 1 is registeredCongratulations to all of Urban Capital’spurchasers at Central Phase 1! With almostall of the 240 units occupied, thecondominium was registered in June.Central Phase 1 is the first of five buildingsUrban Capital is developing with Ottawapartner Tamarack in the immediate area, sothe residents of this phase will be seeingrapid changes in this up-and-coming Ottawaneighbourhood over the next few years.

JUNE 2012

JUNE 2012

JUNE 2012

Nicholas hits bottomAfter six months of technicallycomplex excavation, andluckily without upsetting thesurrounding buildings,construction finally hit bottomat Urban Capital’s Nicholasproject. At five levels down ona 15,000 square foot site, theexcavation was more of acorkscrew operation thananything else.www.nicholasresidences.com

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June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012

Trends in Design 2012 kicks off with DavidPodsiadlo of Gus Design and Stylegarage fameOur 2012 Trends in Design series in Ottawa kickedoff on September 16th with a packed-houseaudience to listen to Toronto furniture designerand manufacturer David Podsiadlo describe hisexperiences in designing, manufacturing andselling modern Canadian furniture.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

How not to launch a neighbourhood branding campaignOur “South Central” branding campaign for theneighbourhood around our various developments(including just completed Central Phase 1) indowntown Ottawa got a somewhat chilly receptionfrom local anti-poverty activists, who came out inforce to protest our neighbourhood launch party onJuly 10th. The resulting violence and police take-downs led to headlines in the local newspapers andon the late night TV news, and quite a lot of debatein the blogosphere. While we might accept thatattempting to name an existing neighbourhood,especially with the controversial name “SouthCentral”, could be construed as “corporate top down”branding, the protesters definitely lost credibility bycalling our mid-rise, affordable LEED Gold buildings“racist and anti-queer”,and our purchasers“yuppie scum”!Read the OttawaCitizen and CBCarticles online in the‘Our Life’ section atwww.urbancapital.ca/about

JULY 10, 2012

Urban Capital supports “MigratingLandscapes”, Canada’s entry to the 2012Venice BiennaleThrough direct sponsorship and also thepledging of ticket sales from its Trends inDesign series, Urban Capital sponsoredMigrating Landscapes, Canada’s official entryto the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture,architecture’s “Olympics”. This follows itssponsorship of Canada’s 2010 entry –Hylozoic Ground, and is part of its on-goingsupport for Canada’s design industry.

SEPTEMBER 2012

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A YEAR IN URBAN CAPITAL’S LIFE

A YEAR IN URBANCAPITAL’SLIFE Taya Cavanagh becomes Taya Cook

Well, all good things come to an end. So it iswith Taya’s single life, which ended(officially) on a beautiful July evening atArcheo in the Distillery District, when shetied the knot with tall, dark and handsomerestauranteur Jamie Cook. Next up: aplaypen in the boardroom.

JULY 21, 2012

Trendsin designINTIMATE INTERACTIVE ENGAGING

2012

October 2012 November 2012 December 2012

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Roderick Grant explores the ubiquityof graphic design in 2012’s secondTrends in Design In another jam-packed Trends inDesign, OCAD graphic design chairRoderick Grant looked at theimportance of graphic design intoday’s world of minute digital toolsand aging demographics.

OCTOBER 11, 2012

Trends in Design 2012 wraps up with Canadianlandscape starchitect Claude CormierThis year’s last Trends in Design offeredattendees a very intimate opportunity to hearone of (if not) Canada’s premier landscapearchitect talk about his whimsical, quirky andmostly grass-free portfolio of landscape designs.

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

Urban Capital sponsors “VerticalUrban Factory” at the DesignExchangeIn September Urban Capitalsponsored Vertical Urban Factory,the leading fall exhibition at theDesign Exchange, Canada’s DesignMuseum. Curated by Americanarchitectural curator and historianNina Rappaport, the exhibitionlooked at over 30 urban factories,from American Apparel in LosAngeles to VW’s “TransparentFactory” in Dresden, to ask whetherfactories can be reintegrated intotoday’s urban centres.

SEPTEMBER 2012

Urban Capital signs deal todevelop the largest residentialtower in downtown WinnipegUrban Capital is heading to thePrairies! In September UCentered into an agreement withlocal developer Longboat tojointly develop the residentialcomponent of Centrepoint, amajor office, hotel and residentialproject in downtown Winnipeg,across from the MTS Centre.

SEPTEMBER 2012

LCBO coming to the groundfloor of Central Phase 2After a year of negotiations ledby our Ottawa partners theTaggarts, in December wesnagged an LCBO for theground floor of Central Phase 2,a major coup for all our Centralresidents, who will no longerhave to walk far to stock theirbars. From what weunderstand, this is the firstLCBO to be located in a stand-alone condominium building,and represented a major sea-change in how the LCBO viewsits retail stores.

NOVEMBER 2012


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THE DESIGNERMarc Ryan, Public Work

Marc designed the landscape plan for a competitionUrban Capital recently entered for a major site in Halifax

(results unknown at time of writing!)

THE OBJECT The Louisville Slugger bat

THE REASON “This beautifully functional object is a classic. TheSlugger has hardly changed over its 120 year life because itsdesign is so simple and essential. The bats are carved out of ashbecause it is one of the lightest, strongest timbers that tends toflex instead of break. I love the way the design worksstrategically with the grain of the wood, its timeless form bornout of creating the ‘sweet spot’, the way it feels, how it ages overtime, and the sense of tradition associated with the object. It hasserved legends of the game from Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and LouGehrig to today’s players, and it still uses the same material andform, while embracing new fabrication techniques. Go Jays.”

OBJECTSOF OURDESIGNERS

OBJECTS OF OUR DESIGNERS

THE DESIGNERRudy Wallman,Rudy Wallman ArchitectsRudy is the architect behind Tableau

THE OBJECT Riedel Swan decanter

THE REASON “Because Form follows Fantasy”

Urban Capital asked five of its designers to reveal their favouriteobjects. On this page, the sometimes surprising results.

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THE DESIGNERDeni Poletti, CORE ArchitectsAt last count Deni has designed tenbuildings for Urban Capital, in Toronto,Ottawa and Montreal.

THE OBJECT The Espresso Machine

THE REASON “Espresso machines found on every marblecountertop across the globe are an industrial work of art. Theappreciation of its design comes from its elegant balance ofleavers, dials, stems and gauges. The appreciation of thisobject also extends into the artful display and sounds of thebarista creating the coveted elixir.”

THE DESIGNERRoland Rom Colthoff, RAW DesignRoland is currently designing a buildingfor Urban Capital in Ottawa

THE OBJECT Parlee TT road bike

THE REASON “I like this bike because although it’sreally a single purpose machine each manufacturersolves the puzzle a little differently and you cansee when you get up close an artistry in theengineering. The freedom of the new carbon fibermaterials means that each bike manufacturer can

have a distinct personality. My Parlee, which justfinished an Ironman, is hand built in Utah (the

stealth graphics are cool too).”

THE DESIGNERElaine Cecconi,Cecconi SimoneInterior DesignElaine has been working withUrban Capital for close to 20years, most recently designing theinteriors of Trinity Towns and Tableau

THE OBJECT Art and Cook cookbook

THE REASON “One of my favourite design objects is a cookbook.It’s not an ordinary cookbook. It combines all the things I love: food,packaging, graphics and photography all mixed with whimsy. The package isfashioned out of a garden variety cardboard egg crate, which is a nod to ourheightened awareness around local and organic food. The book nestleswithin this cradle. The cover, photography, page layouts and recipes are allbeautiful. It takes food to a whole new level; it’s a visual art.”

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NIGHT 6 DESIGNING MODERN FURNITUREDAVID PODSIADLO

NIGHT 7 GRAPHIC DESIGN IS OUR ACCESS TO THE NEW WORLDRODERICK GRANT

NIGHT 8 LANDSCAPE DESIGN WITHOUT GRASSCLAUDE CORMIER

Urban Capital and Tamarack launched the first Trends in Designseries in the Fall of 2010 with five nights of fashion, urban design,industrial design, architecture and interior design. In the fall of 2012,they followed up with the second series, this time on furniture design,graphic design and landscape architecture. In what follows, a briefreview of how it went.


2012

Designing Modern FurnitureN6Tall and athletic, with a blithe and etherealspirit and a masterful way in the art ofunderstatement, David Podsiadlo,principal at Gus Design Group, is asCanadian as the furniture he designs:updated mid-century minimalist Canadiana,pieces with names like the Atwood Sectionaland the Trudeau Sofa.

“Similar to Scandinavian countries,contemporary Canadian design is accessibleto the rest of the world. Yet, at Gus we trynot to create things that scream Canada —like lumberjack-check ottomans,” Podsiadlooffers, “...which might not be a bad idea,come to think of it,” adding after a pregnantpause. Intended as self-deprecation, themoment turned into one of inspiration.

“I started Gus and Stylegarage, our retailconcept, with my wife and my best friend in2001, which may be a whacky thing to dobut seems to be working out. I think thatcreating a brand has really been oursuccess,” Podsiadlo explains. “Anyone canmake a chair, anyone can make a five-sidedstainless steel box. We mix it with an elegantstyle, our name, the fact that we returnphone calls, and we do the small thingscorrectly,” all qualities which have allowedthe troika of founders to sustain theirbusiness. “It’s the little things that makesomeone want to purchase something.”

Generally, Gus is inspired by simpleforms and honest materials, according to thefirm’s mission statement.

For example: Gus’s Timber Table. “Weused to sell large factory end-cuts, likestumps of wood, which were very popularbut hard to get a hold of, and could beexpensive,” he recalls. He wondered how

Gus could reproduce them as somethingman-made. “We took acrylic, roughly 12inches by 12 inches by 18 inches, and silkscreened the bottom sides with a wood-grained pattern, but not a very complicatedwood-grained pattern,” he says. Now, “Youcan sit on it or it makes a stunning endtable. Just editing things down to the bareessentials, seems to be working.”

Yet, to hear him detail the secret ofGus’s success, he sounds more like an artdirector than an upholsterer - of which he isneither. According to him, the value-add ofGus lies in creating breathtaking “looks” intheir marketing materials.

Gus’s humble lead furniture designer ishappy to give credit where it’s due: “We havea great graphic designer on staff who knowsjust how big the font should be, where itshould go and the right spacing,” he says.“Any time we do a project we like tophotograph it in a unique and interestingway, like a Robert Smithson work.”

Podsiadlo has made a career out ofcombining his furniture with found objectsand eye-catching backdrops: bright yellowstring sourced from a hotel’s parking lotoutside of North Carolina’s semi-annualHigh Point Market trade show; vasesunearthed from a Queen Street Westneighbour’s garbage can; or playful,oversized chalk drawings on slate-colouredwalls.

Truth be told: “It’s extremely cheap butextremely stylish,” he says, “You don’t needto go out and spend a ton of money onaccessories and stuff. You only need a goodeye and some creativity to make any spaceunique.”

Night Six

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David PodsiadloPartner, Gus Design GroupDavid Podsiadlo is a partner and headdesigner at Gus Design Group, an 11 yearold Canadian furniture company based inToronto. He studied Industrial Designbefore co-founding Stylegarage in the city’sWest Queen West neighbourhood. His furniture designs emphasize rawmaterials, clean lines and basic forms. After gaining local notoriety withStylegarage, David launched Gus* in 2001,which now designs, manufactures and sellsfurniture in North America and Asia.

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Graphic Design is OurAccess to The New WorldN7“I’m not sure how many of you can actuallyread or see this,” Roderick Grant, Co-Chairof the Graphic Design Program at OCAD,wondered of his slides on the 50" screen ashe began his presentation – a maybeunintentional but certainly on-pointintroduction.

The devil will be in the details forfuture graphic designers of all stripes, frominterface designers who must conceivehuman behaviours on touch screens, totypeface designers who must account forwhether their letters and symbols will befront- or back-lit. Yet, their goal is the same:“At the end of the day it’s not about brandsor about sales,” Grant warns. “It’s actuallyabout people, access and inclusion. It’s auniversal problem.”

Grant told two seemingly unrelatedstories, one on the individual scale, howgadgets like iPhones will no longer shipwith manuals, and the other on anenvironment scale, how signage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport gets multi-lingual, multi-generational travelers fromgate to baggage claim.

The crux of the matter is our agingpopulations and their failing eyesight.While this has implications for manysectors of the economy, it’s of paramountimportance for those working in the fieldformerly known as graphic design – now anagglomeration of way-finding, signage,identity, information, packaging,publication and systems design.

On the one hand, on the individualscale, designers must visually translateobjects and their behaviours, often based inphysical reality, into pixels and intuitive,

compelling and functional interfaces –keypads, calendars, magazines, to name afew basic examples. Sometimes this is donewell (Flipboard) while other times it’s amind-boggling disaster (Apple’s fauxleather trim for iCal for OSX Lion).

“What are you asking someone to dobefore they get to do the thing they want todo and why?” Grant asks, citing DonaldNorman’s maxim from The Design ofEveryday Things. “If we are going to play inthis digital soup of phone interfaces, theweb, or whatever, it’s a question for whichwe have to come up with an answer prettyquickly.” Good on-screen design translatesa physical reality into virtual behaviourstowards which people are going togravitate.

On the other hand, in architecturalenvironments, where type isn’t “scalable”,designers will increasingly have to worryabout such things as accessibility fordisabled people. While this means largertype for the growing numbers withdwindling eyesight, it also means morenon-verbal cues. “We might start seeing anincreased reuse of the visual rather thanthe verbal, ideally you start seeing thosethings happening at the same time toguarantee communication,” Grant explainsabout his signage master plan work for Sea-Tac, but which applies to all public spaces.

His two narratives, extreme cases,bookend the future for designers and thelevel of attention they have to respond to.“Eventually, somewhere and somehow it’sa profession that has to speak to everyone.”

Night Seven

Roderick GrantCo-Chair, Graphic Design Program, OCADRoderick Grant is a professor, designer,and current Co-Chair of the GraphicDesign Program at OCAD University. He has taught graphic design inCanada, the United States and theMiddle East. Prior to his work ineducation Roderick was a graphicdesigner with Methodologie, then nbbjin Seattle, Washington, working oncomplex information design and way-finding projects.

Landscape Designwithout GrassN8

Night Eight

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Claude CormierPrincipal, Claude Cormier + AssociésClaude Cormier has built aninternationally recognized office inMontréal that calls itself a “LandscapeArchitecture – Urban Design” firm. Hispractice extends far beyond theconventional realm of traditionallandscape design to forge bridgesbetween urban design, public art andarchitecture, resulting in such wonderfulurban spaces as Sugar Beach and HTOPark in Toronto, and Place d’Youville,Tom and Pink Balls in Montreal.

Claude Cormier is Canada’s landscapestarchitect. A playful contrarian, he hasbrought Warholesque change to his field, aseismic shift. He has a penchant for props,rather than potted plants, in his whimsical,entertaining designs, like blue sticks, pinkballs or an 11-meter 3-tiered maroonVictorian pedestal fountain (now welcomingguests at Toronto’s Four Seasons.)

The down-to-earth head of Montreal-based Claude Cormier et Associés provideda fast-paced survey of his firm’s portfoliofor the last installment of the 2012 Trendsin Design. The lighthearted and mad-capped evening was an intimate affair.Cormier, who often laughed loudest,divulged that his series of urban beaches inToronto and Montreal earned him thenickname “Son of a Beach” by a Berkeleyacademic.

Blue Stick Garden from 2000 is the mostemblematic work of Cormier’s genius. Itwas a three-month long conceptual gardenin a remote region of Quebec. Cormierpopulated the rows of mixed flower bordersalong snaking walkways of a 1920s heritagegarden with tall, Himalayan Blue Poppycoloured sticks, the hue sampled from thelocal species. These densely spaced rows ofsquare reeds of varying heights were poppyblue on three sides, bright orange on thefourth and oriented in the same direction.

“Walking down the paths created achromatic experience, as though you werein a real, blooming garden but compressedin time,” he says, “Like Frederick LawOlmstead who did Central Park and ParcMont Royal, Blue Stick Garden was based onthe Victorian period’s notion of

experiencing the landscape by movingthrough it.”

Two years later Blue Stick Gardenshowed again in Toronto at Canada Blooms,an annual flower and garden show. Theflower- and plant-less installation caused aruckus. “When you push the limits andwhen the thing becomes controversial, Ithink it’s always a good sign because itmeans that you’re right on it,” Cormiersays.

Cormier’s meteoric rise has thrust himinto an entirely new orbit of multi-acre andmillion-square-foot developments. Yet thefundamentals remain the same. “We’ve keptthis attitude that landscape architecturemay be a fun thing; a sustainable thing orecological thing but it must have aesthetics,meaning and sensibility,” he says,reasserting his firm’s design touchstones.

Cormier also attributes his firm’ssuccess to its singular focus, “We’re alwaystrying to tap into the idea of doing just onething per project, just one. If you try to dotoo much you miss it and it just becomesnoise,” he explains.

It was impatience that led ClaudeCormier, who studied plant breeding,landscape architecture and the history andtheory of design, to begin working withinanimate elements. “If you wait for flowersto do something good or great you’re goingto wait three, four or five years.”

“I don’t have a garden,” Cormier says,during the question and answer period,provoking yet another eruption of laughter.A case of the garden-less landscapearchitect, the tidbit ended the occasion on ahigh note.

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Night One

Fashion trends and showLara Ceroni On-line Editor, Elle Canada

N1Fashion is the ultimate trend setting industry. Its fast pace and cutting edgevisionaries are always a few seasons ahead of the current trends, forecasting the nextrevolution down the runway. So where will we be five months from now, and fiveyears from now? In Urban Capital’s first Trends in Design night, Elle Canada On-lineEditor, Lara Ceroni talked about where fashion is going, and what is taking it there.Following Lara’s talk, Schad Boutique unveiled their top lines for Fall/Winter 2010 inan exclusive fashion show.

Night Two

New thinking in designing citiesGeorge Dark Partner, Urban Strategies

N2Cities are changing. Canadian cites are changing faster than most. They arebecoming more urban, larger in population and size, but wanting to stop the sizegrowth. People want to walk more, drive less and experience more nature in the city.Urban agriculture... what’s that about? Our jobs are changing, the space allocated tojobs is changing and how we work is changing. Suddenly graffiti is a good thing ... it’surban art. Suddenly design counts and is marketable. In the second Trends inDesign night, George Dark talked about the changing dynamic of building asuccessful Canadian city.

Night Three

Where industrial design is taking usJulian Goss Program Chair, Industrial Design Department, OCAD

N3Industrial or product design lives in the moments and experience of almosteverything we do. It’s the toothbrush we use in the morning, the paperclip and laptopwe use at work and the furniture we relax on in the evening. It’s also changing. Newtechnologies are creating new possibilities, these create new needs and desires andin turn new economies. In this Trends in Design presentation Julian Goss talkedabout where industrial design has been, where it is today and where it might betaking us in the near future.

Night Four

Architecture in our new centuryRobert Claiborne Design Lead, Cannon Design

N4Architecture is constantly changing and reinventing itself. The ability to inspire and toenhance the way we live knows no limits. No longer seen as distinct objects in ourcities, buildings today are all about integration, creating alliances with landscape,urbanism and sustainability, and new opportunities for inventiveness. These in turnallow for unexpected connections between culture, recreation, and work, and forexplorations into integrated space, flexible space and transparency. Rob Claiborneexplored these latest architectural trends and how they impact our urban experience.

Night Five

Interior design thinks smallElaine Cecconi Partner, Cecconi Simone Interior Design

N5With the urbanization of Canadian cities comes a new way in which we live. Therealities of city development – with land increasingly expensive to buy and buildingscostly to construct – are resulting in smaller dwelling units. But less space doesn’tmean living less. By challenging the conventional product that we were building inour cities, we have come up with creative and intelligent uses of three dimensionalspace that have transferred the measure of value from square feet to cubic feet. InUrban Capital’s 5th Trends in Design night Elaine Cecconi explained how we haveadapted our design thinking to small spaces over the past ten years, and where wemight be heading in the next.


Past Presentations

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NSales Centre at 455 Bank Street,Unit 2 (at McLeod Street)

CENTRAL Phase TwoMove in summer 2013

CENTRAL Phase OneNow completed

HIDEAWAYUnder construction

All proceeds from Urban Capital’s 2012 Trends in Design series went tosupport Migrating Landscapes, Canada’s entry into the 2012 Venice Biennale,for which Urban Capital was also a corporate sponsor. Curated by Winnipeg-based 5468796 Architects Inc. and Jae-Sung Chon, the exhibition featuredeighteen video narratives and architectural scale models of “dwellings” thatcollectively questioned socio-political borders, the migration of people andideas, and how this affects contemporary architecture.

The Venice Biennale is the world’s most prestigious internationalcontemporary architectural event, the Olympics of architecture. SponsoringCanada’s entry into the Biennale, which Urban Capital did in 2010 and willcontinue to do in future years, is the company’s way of supportingexperimental architecture in Canada, and Canada’s presence on theinternational architecture scene.

For more information:www.migratinglandscapes.cawww.labiennale.org/en/architectureca

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OUR PORTFOLIO

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CENTRAL 1Central 1 is the first of a three phase, 540 unit LEED Silver mixed usedevelopment, with retail stores and “loft houses” at the ground level,and residential units above. Located over two city blocks south of Bankand Gladstone, the development is ideally situated between Ottawa’sdowntown core and the trendy Glebe neighbourhood.

Central’s LEED Silver features include green roofs and rain waterstorage systems, energy efficient windows and mechanical systems,water efficient fixtures, sustainable materials, and partnership with acar share program for use by all residents.

DETAILSADDRESS

453 Bank Street, OttawaDESCRIPTION

Urban condominiums - 3 phases, 540 units, Phase 1 - 10 storeys, 239 unitsDESIGNERS

CORE ArchitectsDEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

Taggart GroupWEBSITE

centralcondominiums.com

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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NICHOLASTRINITY BELLWOODSCENTRAL 2BOUTIQUEMONDRIANEAST MARKETMcGILL OUESTST. ANDREW ON THE GREENCHARLOTTE LOFTSCAMDEN LOFTS

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A “condo-collaboration of art, fashion, design and good taste”, Tableau is Urban Capital’s latestoffering in Toronto’s Entertainment District, following on the heels of Camden Lofts, the Sylvia,Charlotte Lofts and Boutique. Developed jointly with Malibu Investments and AlitDevelopments, Tableau is centred around a huge structural table which divides the mixed-usedevelopment into three zones: residential suites “above the table”; condo amenities “on thetable”; and commercial space, retail space and a huge Claude Cormier designed public plazafeaturing a 90’ art piece by Canadian artist Shayne Dark “below the table”. Tableau is now underconstruction. www.tableaucondos.com

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As the first phase of Toronto’s new revitalized waterfront, River City is Toronto’s groundbreakerfor the twenty first century. Designed by Montreal based Saucier + Perrotte architects, winnersof seven Governor General Awards, and surrounded by some of Toronto’s most spectacularurban parks, this LEED Gold, carbon neutral development of over 1,000 loft-stylecondominiums, family friendly townhouses, cafes, restaurants and boutiques will be likenothing else in Toronto. Urban Capital won the right to develop River City in 2008 after anextensive public tender process in which 18 national and international developers participated.Phase 1 of River City is now under construction. Phase 2 construction starts January 2013.www.rivercitytoronto.com

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Nicholas Residences is set on charming 19th century cobblestoned St Nicholas Street.Immediately south of Bay, Bloor and Yorkville, it is steps from one of North America’s premierretail neighbourhoods. By carefully incorporating the Planing Mill Building as a design elementin its base, and by adding a series of contemporary brick faced townhouses, Nicholas stays trueto the street’s beauty and heritage. This 35 storey 308 unit project, which is 100% sold out andnow under construction, is being developed jointly with Alit Developments.www.nicholasresidences.com

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Perfectly located between Trinity Bellwoods Park and vibrant Little Italy, Trinity BellwoodsTown+Homes consists of 45 contemporary-design freehold townhouses ranging in size from1,900 to 2,650 sf. Trinity Towns, which is being jointly developed with Shram Homes, is UrbanCapital’s first foray into stand-alone townhome development. As with Nicholas it is 100% soldout and now under construction. www.trinitytowns.com

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Central 2 is the second phase of Urban Capital’s three phase, 540 unit LEED Silver Centralproject in Ottawa’s Centretown. The 9 storey building continues the mid-rise form and loft-styleinterior design of Central Phase 1, completed in 2012. www.central2.com

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TORA homage to Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, this 23 storey building in Ottawa’s central

business district is notable for its striking red panes of glass interspersed among strong linearelements. Completed in 2011, the building contains 249 contemporary condominiums anddouble-storey penthouses, retail at ground level, and a resort-inspired outdoor pool area. Thecondominium portion sits atop a five storey public parking podium, which is enclosed in aluminescent glass screen.

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Boutique is two-phase, 637 unit development located at the nexus of Toronto’s Entertainmentand Financial Districts. Combining the best of condominium features and boutique hotel-style amenities, the development close to sold out shortly after being launched in late2005. The project was completed in 2011.

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McGill Ouest, Urban Capital’s first development in Montreal, is a two-phase, 244 unitdevelopment in the now coveted district adjacent to McGill Street, between Old Montreal andthe Cité du multimedia. Like East Market in Ottawa, it introduced high-design “new loft”condominiums to a market where they had not existed before. Launched in late 2003, the firstphase of McGill Ouest was completed in 2006, and the second phase in 2008.

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The East Market is a three phase, 420-unit condominium development in Ottawa’s trendyByward Market district. Launched in 2000, the project was the first large-scale condominium tobe developed in the city in over ten years. The East Market introduced to Ottawa many of the“new-loft” features that Urban Capital developed in Toronto, offering the city’s purchasers asophisticated urban housing choice not previously available to them. As a result, the project hadthe strongest sales launch in Ottawa’s history. The project was completed in 2008.

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St Andrew on the Green is a finely proportioned, nine storey terraced building located on awinding crescent overlooking the Islington Golf Club in Toronto’s Islington Village neighbourhood.Beautifully detailed in traditional masonry and accent precast, St Andrew includes a variedcollection of 106 suites with bay windows, French balconies, terraces, patios and roof-top gardens.

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Completed in mid-2002, the 66 unit Charlotte Lofts was Urban Capital’s third “new-loft” buildingin Toronto’s King-Spadina district. Designed by Core Architects, Charlotte Lofts features hugewindows, brick on the lower floors, and lighter materials higher up. This division of materialsallowed the building to relate to its early 20th century warehouse neighbours, while at the sametime remaining true to its clean, modern design.

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Completed in 1999, this 48 unit loft-style building set a new trend in both design and location.The first new residential building in the King-Spadina District, Camden Lofts led the way forother developers in this formerly industrial area. Camden was also among the first in Toronto tointroduce “new-loft” features, including exposed concrete ceilings and walls, huge warehousestyle windows, and custom industrial lighting. The building won a City of Toronto Urban DesignAward in 2001.

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Concrete architecture, so prevalent in the 1960s and 70s but maligned inthe years afterwards, has the potential to make a comeback after a decadeof glass towers. Michael McClelland and Graeme Stewart of ERA Architectsgive UC Magazine a brief history of concrete buildings, and take us on atour of some of their favourite examples in Toronto.

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oncrete has been the preferred materialof great architects for more than acentury. When Frank Lloyd Wright

finished building Unity Temple in Chicago,his first all-concrete building, he said he hadceased being an architect of structure andhad become an architect of space. Soliberating was the potential of concrete thatWright’s most famous structures would havebeen unbuildable without it. He pushed thelimits of the material to their extreme withthe cantilevers of Fallingwater, the sinuousforms of the Guggenheim and the innovativeprecast concrete of the Imperial Hotel inTokyo.

Concurrently in Europe Le Corbusier wastesting the artistic potential of concrete. He

talked about ‘béton brut’, meaning roughconcrete, and with that he meant that hewanted to see not smooth finished forms, buta texture to the surface of his buildings thatexpressed the act of making, the impressionof the formwork, and the builders’ hand. Thefluidity of concrete allowed Le Corbusier andother architects to explore new territoriesand invent new forms.

Concrete had an impact locally in Toronto aswell. During the 1950s, Toronto, as a growingcity, found a natural affinity for the use ofthis innovative material. The surge ofimmigration from Europe brought with it urban planners, architects, andtradespeople, all of whom were skilled in thenew uses of concrete. During the 1960s and

ORTHO PHARMACEUTICALPLANTARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1954DATE OF COMPLETION: 1956STATUS: Standing

The bright white concreteexoskeleton of this structurewas John Parkin’s answer toDon Mills master plannerMacklin Hancock’s ideals forhis modern town: clean, sleek,and, most importantly,modern. Highly published,Ortho became an icon andwas catalytic to moderndesign in Canada.

SIDNEY SMITH HALLARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1960DATE OF COMPLETION: 1962STATUS: Standing

The first building in theUniversity of Toronto’swestward expansion, SidneySmith’s tower, podia andplaza marked a bold newdirection for the historiccampus. An early and refinedexample of postwarmodernism in Canada, thebuilding has evolved to meetchanging demands.

THE CLARKE INSTITUTEARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1961DATE OF COMPLETION: 1964STATUS: Standing

Associated with the westwardexpansion of the University ofToronto, the Clarke Institutewas the area’s first moderntower, its bright whitemoulded concrete precastpanels bringing out thesculptural possibilities andsimplicity of the modernmaterial.

THE SHERATON CENTREARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1965DATE OF COMPLETION: 1972STATUS: Standing

Built in concrete to achieve a contextualrelationship with the New City Hall, theSheraton Centre was part of an effort bythe City to surround its new urban squarewith a modern project worthy of Revell’scelebrated icon.

From schools to housing to highways, themedium of Toronto’s explosive post-wargrowth was concrete. The material lentitself to expressions of both mechanicalproduction and individual exuberance thatcaptured this age, perhaps best exemplifiedin the contrasting work of Parkin Associatesand Uno Prii shown here.

FOR FURTHER READING: Concrete Toronto, A Guidebook to ConcreteArchitecture from the Fifties to the Seventiesby Michael McClelland, Graeme Stewart

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1970s the city had a substantial buildingboom and it built more high-rise concretetowers than any other North Americancity outside of New York. In fact it was inToronto that the “flying form” wasinvented, a method of reusing theconcrete formwork over and over again,and it was this invention that suddenlyincreased the potential to build quickly and efficiently. ThisCanadian invention is now usedthroughout the world.

In post-war Canada, the country wasexperiencing unprecedented growth.There was an enthusiasm and optimismabout the future, and with thecelebrations of the centennial year in

1967, Canada looked forward to a newera of prosperity. Concrete was thematerial that best represented the boldnew spirit of the times. Unlike themasonry materials of stone and brick,concrete was a material that could beunderstood as democratic, non-elitist,and modern. This led to innovation atmany scales. Key landmarks like the CNTower and major university buildings,both at York University and theUniversity of Toronto, were proudlymade of concrete, and leading localarchitects, like Irving Grossman, JohnParkin and Uno Prii, produced designsfor a range of buildings that explored theexpressive nature of the material.

Toronto’s architecture over the pastdecade has been dominated by afascination with lightness andtransparency, with building envelopesmade principally of glass. Yet these clearfaçades have been buoyed by robustconcrete frames and as we see the newcity emerge around us, concrete is adominant material. More recently, anemerging fascination with both opacityand sustainability in building envelopeshas allowed us to take a renewed interestin the possibilities of concrete as abuilding’s primary expression. There isnow a great opportunity for concrete totake on again a leading role, and fordesign innovation to take its cues fromToronto’s long concrete heritage.

ROSEDALE VALLEY BRIDGEARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1954DATE OF COMPLETION: 1966STATUS: Standing

The little brother of the BloorViaduct, the Rosedale ValleyBridge brings the Bloor-Danforth subway gracefullyacross the Rosedale Ravine’sdeep gorge. Soaring overtreetops, this open spandrelconcrete arch bridge isenclosed to prevent trainnoise from disturbing theneighbourhood around it.

BATA HEADQUARTERSARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1963DATE OF COMPLETION: 1965STATUS: Gone

This Temple-like BataHeadquarters was sited on arise overlooking Eglinton andthe Don Valley. John Parkincelebrated modular precastconcrete construction in thisbuilding by setting its organicframe against smooth sheetsof glass.

NATIONAL LIFEARCHITECT: John C. ParkinDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1971DATE OF COMPLETION: 1974STATUS: Standing

National Life was designed asa modern addition to themonumental streetscape ofUniversity Avenue. Sculpturalpiers lift the building’s heavybulk, under which hangs thecantilevered second storey,while the building’s warmlight limestone aggregateechoes the neighbouringmasonry structures.

20 PRINCE ARTHURARCHITECT: Uno PriiDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1963DATE OF COMPLETION: 1965STATUS: Standing

This modern tower hasbecome the canonic Priistatement, its sweeping forma symbol of mod 1960’ssophistication in a styleunique to Toronto. Surroundedby Victorian streetscapes, itsspace-age look has come tohelp define the eclecticcharacter of the historicAnnex neighbourhood.

44 WALMER ROADARCHITECT: Uno PriiDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1967DATE OF COMPLETION: 1969STATUS: Standing

44 Walmer brought a light,modern motif to the denseVictorian architecture ofToronto’s West Annex. Modestin scale compared with otherPrii projects, this cruciformpoint tower has become aneighbourhood icon throughits curvilinear balconies,sculptural foundation andporte cochere.

JANE EXBURY TOWERSARCHITECT: Uno PriiDATE OF CONCEPTION: 1968DATE OF COMPLETION: 1970STATUS: Standing

Landmarks visible for miles,the Jane Exbury Towers are amodern statement in Toronto’snorthern fringe. A furtheriteration of Uno Prii’scharacteristic sweeping forms,these five identical towers,repeated in typical modernfashion, bring a remarkablecoherence and originality tothe ravine site.

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In 2011 Urban Capital was asked to lead the master planning of a 16 acresite at the western edge of Downtown Mississauga. The resulting community– “Garden City Mississauga” – could end up being a modern take on theoriginal Garden City Movement from over a century ago.

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(GARDEN) CITYhat is the “Garden City” of thetwenty first century?

Back in 1898, Sir Ebenezer Howard created amovement in England to bring the workingclass out of the unhealthy, overcrowdedVictorian cities of the time into new, tidy,self-contained communities where peoplewould breathe fresh air and have access toparkland. Each community would have itsown homes, businesses, industries andparks, all connected to a major city, butseparated from it by “greenbelts”.

Ebenezer’s plan was called the “Garden CityMovement”, and while it was a wonderfulidea, it didn’t really turn out as planned.Instead, over the past century we builttoday’s typical suburban municipalities,single-purpose sprawling “bedroom”communities serving the adjacent urbancentre.

Mississauga, the city that sits at Toronto’swest end, has been trying to buck this trend.Over the past twenty years Canada’s sixthlargest community has opted for “product

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differentiation” and has been shapingitself into a full-fledged stand-alone city.Since 1987, when municipal officialsmoved their city hall to Hurontario andBurnhamthorpe, Mississauga has beensteadily working on an identifiabledowntown core with a distinctive skyline.

Specifically, the city is in the midst ofconverting a 2.3 by 1.5 km-wide area intoDowntown Mississauga, a dense live-work-play neighbourhood with a sense oflocation and a palpable character.According to Ed Sajecki, Mississauga’sCommissioner of Planning and Building,the City presently has more than 700,000inhabitants and 440,000 jobs but only35,000 residents and 20,000 jobs arelocated downtown. Yet, the city’s nascentcore has the capacity to build out to70,000 people with the same number ofemployment opportunities, targetsofficials are gunning to reach with theCity’s new Downtown 21 plan.

So when the Rogers family approachedUrban Capital to help them develop alarge tract of land they owned on thewestern edge of Downtown Mississauga,it was this context that drove the planningprocess: create a community thatsupports Mississauga’s evolution into afully developed urban centre, with peopleliving and playing in a truly urban

environment in order to complement theindustry and businesses that are alreadythere.

To get going, Urban Capital assembled adiverse team of consultants, includingCooper, Robertson and Partners from New York, one of North America’s leadingurban design firms and the firm behindNew York’s Battery Park City, and RudyWallman of Wallman Architects, thearchitectural firm behind Urban Capital’sTableau project.

Based on the plan they developed, theRogers family’s 15-acre site, tentativelycalled “Garden City Mississauga”, is slatedto become a 4,500-unit multi-block,mixed-use development; a pedestrian-friendly west end for the rapidlyintensifying downtown core.

Of course, Garden City Mississauga’sprojected 12,000 residents and supportingcast of retail merchants will only be onepart of the equation in fulfillingMississauga’s big city aspirations. By allaccounts, transit will be another. Awaiting further provincial fundingannouncements in 2013, Ed Sajecki hasalready undertaken the detailed designwork for a major north-south light railrapid transit line. The 23-km corridor withabout 30 stations will connect

Mississauga’s waterfront to Downtownand points north, calling at four GOTransit interregional hubs along the way.

Given Garden City’s location at thewestern border of Downtown Mississauga,the master plan calls for signatureresidential buildings, like a 60-story pointtower on the corner, defining a westerngateway to Downtown and bookending itsskyline with iconic architecture.

“We wanted to create one or two veryimportant signature towers onBurnhamthorpe,” says Donald Clinton ofCooper Robertson. “If you are downtownand you look west and east, we’d likeGarden City’s towers to be as importanton the skyline in the west as the AbsoluteWorld towers are in the east. Reallydefining the edge of the downtown.”

The master plan outlines typical blockconfigurations. The massing of thebuildings are of four- to six-story podiumstopped with slim high-rise condo towersset back from the podiums’ edges. Thiswill simultaneously allow significantcontributions to the skyline while thepodiums will preserve a human scale forpedestrians.

The Garden City team took the sun’strajectory into account to determine the

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building heights, profiles and locations of the ten condominium towers theyanticipate for the site, ranging between 30and 60 stories each. They choreographed

them to maximize direct sunlight on thecommunity’s central green space, thetallest ones to the north and the shortestsurrounding the park. Depending on astreet’s orientation, they chose the

podium heights with the aim of providingthe latest afternoon sun possible to thesidewalks, an important consideration,particularly in the winter months.

Garden City also features small, walkableblock sizes, narrow streets, widesidewalks, and curbside parking whichbuffers pedestrians and calms traffic. A couple of angled streets discouragespeeders from zipping through.

“We had streets that didn’t really form agrid per se, they meandered a little bit,”says John Anderton, Vice-President andTreasurer of Rogers private companiesand the company representative mostactively involved throughout the masterplanning process. “While the UrbanDesign Panel reacted positively, differentcity departments were less enamouredwith it because it didn’t conform to whatthey were used to,” hinting at theinvolved to-and-fro process with the city.

The Garden City master plan enhancesDowntown Mississauga’s extensive bikepath and trail system by joining twopreviously unconnected parts, the MaryFix Greenway and Bud Cleary Park.

This alternative transportation network ismeant to connect the Downtown’s parks,squares and commons, and the Garden

City consulting team enhanced this bycontinuing the Mary Fix Greenwaythrough two contiguous green spaces.One, a linear park, runs like a ribbonthrough the heart of the main retail stripextending the pedestrian realm on oneside of the street.

“We embraced their network of openspace and made a big deal out of the MaryFix Creek alignment. They wanted thegreen space to tie in more strongly to BudCleary Park. We felt high densities wouldbe more appropriate, and made Mary FixLinear Park a much narrower openspace,” says Clinton. “What we’ve endedup with is an amalgamation of two ideas,something that’s a big open space to thesouth but then something tighter andmore urban which goes north towardsBurnhamthorpe.”

Will Garden City look like somethingEbenezer Howard could imagine?Mississauga will never be the communityHoward dreamed of, an idyllic 45,000person town separated from itsneighbours by rolling countryside. But bydeveloping a dense, transit-oriented urbancommunity, where people have closeaccess to parks, shops, restaurants andtheir office, we can all do a little honourto what he was trying to achieve.

A DEFT DESIGN TEAM AND EXPERIENCED BUILDERSTRANSLATE URBAN CAPITAL’S GLASS TOWER SENSIBILITIESINTO A NEW TORONTO TOWNHOUSE TYPE

ith Trinity BellwoodsTown+Homes, Urban Capitalalong with partners Shram Homes

introduced a n ew typology to downtownToronto’s residential real estate market.This 45-unit housing development,designed by Richard Wengle Architectsand Cecconi Simone Interior Design andmade up of two rows of three-storytownhouses, could equally be viewed asa pair of horizontal skyscrapers. Just north of Dundas Street, lyingback-to-back with 110 meters of frontagealong Manning Avenue and ClaremontStreet, each row of townhouses is astatuesque composition, a massing offour residential volumes, each containingsix dwellings and several differentfacades. A single palette of exteriorcolours and finishes provides a visualcohesion along the full length of the twostreet lines. The variety and sequencing of thefacades make the exterior envelope ofthe volumes patterned and multifaceted.Architect Richard Wengle borrowed thissolution from good high-rise design.“Whereas simple towers use onerepetitive element, the better projectstend to be more of a composition, moresculpted,” he explains, revealing hisinspiration for the grouped townhouses’facades of large glass window panes,grey-brick masonry, wood-veneerpaneling and metal trim. Buoyed by Urban Capital’s high-riseexperience and the custom in-fill housingknow-how of Shram Homes, the TrinityBellwoods design team reinterpreted andreinvented urban living for the low-risetownhouse context. It was a fruitfulprocess. They discovered muchtransferable knowledge, resulting in a

complete rethink, Townhouse 2.0, of thismedium-density housing type. These two rows of clustered, high-rise-inspired townhouses were awelcomed departure from the everydayvocabulary of traditional townhousedevelopments. “Up until recently the most typicalplanning scenario for townhouses was avery simple elevation repeated, maybewith an alternating brick colour,” saysWengle. “But this wasn’t the typicaltownhouse scenario and Urban Capital’shigh-rise background made for a goodmix. They had an appreciation for thedesign of smaller units and work thatwas a little more linear, if you will. It wasa perfect opportunity to try somethingdifferent.” Launched in late 2010, TrinityBellwoods was at the time a newconcept. “It was really groundbreaking. Itwas one of the first consequential,contemporary, low-rise developments,bringing sophistication and modern

design to a large townhouse project in aneighborhood with great proximity to somuch of downtown west.” Back then, the project’s 45-dwellingscale was a distinguishing feature. Therehad been plenty of precedents ofcontemporary, new constructiontownhouse developments of two, four oreight dwellings, but nothing much larger.“We felt that the market had acceptedcontemporary design in high-riseresidential buildings but no one hadventured into doing contemporarytownhouses at a medium scale,” saysElaine Cecconi, the project’s interiordesigner. On the opening weekend, PaulJohnston, the project’s realtor, soldnearly 50 percent of the townhouses.“The brisk sales confirmed theconsiderable demand for newly-built,centrally-located, unequivocally-contemporary single-family residences,”he remarks. Since then other propertieshave been brought to market that are

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emulations or interpretations of the sameconcept. Sold between $800,000 and $1.6million, the value proposition of UrbanCapital’s townhouses was twofold. First,the townhouses were less expensive persquare foot than new downtown high-risecondominiums. And second, they didn’trequire any further renovations, unlikethe majority of downtown Toronto’s aginghousing stock, a sea of 80- to 120-year-oldfixer-uppers with English gardens. “By comparison to new high-rise ormid-rise condominiums they were lessexpensive. Also if you compare them toexisting homes in the neighborhood andadd to the purchase price of that homethe kind of renovation that would berequired to get it to the level of finish bothmechanically and aesthetically, thesewere a really affordable option and that’ssomething a lot of people grasped,”Johnston explains. The townhouses’ state-of-the-artkitchens and bathrooms, both withcustom millwork, were indeed ready for amodern family to move in to and begin touse. No protracted renovations, spiralingcosts, nor arguments with contractors orlive-in partners. “Two of our buyers were actually in

the midst of doing a fixer-upper and wereso frustrated by the experience that theyabandoned ship, saying, ‘Let’s just buysomething that’s already done,’” Johnstonsays. “Clearly these were homes for peoplewho had really decided on the downtownlifestyle but were seeking a home thathad sufficient space and was divided in amore traditional home way,” Johnstonadds. Elaine Cecconi, who has collaboratedwith Urban Capital for the better part oftwo decades, was able to identify abroader trend and another source ofstrong interest for this high-rise-influenced townhouse project. “What’s happened is that a lot of firsttime buyers who bought ten or fifteenyears ago are looking to either getmarried or have families. They now havebetter jobs and higher incomes,” she says,“So they are looking for the same designsensibility that they’ve becomeaccustomed to in their high-rise units.These townhouses are a nice transitionfrom a condo to a private residencebecause they contain some of the morecontemporary design elements that weintroduced to our purchasers in our high-rise buildings.”

“It’s extremely challenging anddemanding to ask someone who has comeof age in a new building that’s from adesign perspective of our generation tothen transition into a century-old homethat’s in disrepair,” says Johnston,referring to the often first-time, one-bedroom condo purchaser from a decadeago who has grown up accustomed to thebenefits and comforts of high-rise living,including contemporary interior design,new construction and sensiblycontemplated floor plans. Designing these sextets of narrow buttall townhouses didn’t come without itsown set of inherent challenges andpeculiarities. “We applied the principleswe first developed in high-rise to theselarger living environments but they poseddifferent challenges because theirfootprint tended to be narrower andlonger so you’re dealing with deepspaces,” says Cecconi, “It’s a differentplanning challenge.” Yet, some of these challenges alsobecame unique opportunities that yieldedpositive outcomes in these relativelycompact, single-family living spaces. “Since the townhouses are fairlysmall we were able to put a lot of customelements into them. It’s almost like a

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custom home has been designed for youthough you haven’t worked directly withthe designer or architect,” she explains. “A lot of what we’ve done is just based onwhat we know people need to live andwork and have in a house. So there’s ahigh degree of custom work though it’sbasically a production product.” “I consider this project a hybridbetween custom, private residences andcondominium living,” she adds. Rather than the interior designer andarchitect working in isolation, for TrinityBellwoods Cecconi and Wenglecollaborated from the earliest stages ofthe design process. They worked bothfrom the outside in and the inside out. “Like on our high-rise projects weworked really closely with the developerright from the beginning. We wereliterally brought on almost as soon as thearchitectural team was. At that point theproject is still malleable like a piece ofclay, and there was flexibility in terms ofthe windows and even structure. We couldstill manipulate those things before thebuilding was solidified,” Cecconi explains. This collaborative process gave themaster bathrooms more natural light. “Wehave a clerestory window over the vanityto give daylight and a vertical window to

the left for views outside. When there’s anopposite townhouse just 30 feet away, thewindows’ locations become veryimportant,” Cecconi says, “So we workedtogether on the bathroom layout and theplacement of the windows, it was a back-and-forth dialogue, an ongoing dancebetween interior design and architecture.” A successful upgrade was thestaircase with a central riser encasedbehind a glass wall, which turned thestairs into a showpiece. Ceconni felt thatit was important to have floor-to-ceilingglass. “The stair became an architecturalsculpture and it also gave the sense ofexpanded space to the outside wall.” The self-contained back decks are thetownhouses’ principal outdoor areas, offof the family rooms. An extension of theinterior, the designers intended them foral fresco entertaining, weatherpermitting. “We consider the terrace a part or anextension of the home. It’s really anoutdoor room. We really feel the interiorand exterior should work in harmony interms of finishes, lighting and furniture,and really speak to one another,” Cecconioffers. At first glance, the new rows of high-rise-inspired Trinity Bellwoods

Town+Homes may seem outlandishcompared to the rest of theneighbourhood. Despite this, Wengle didborrow from the local architecturalvocabulary of the surrounding streets. “The neighborhood has a lot of thirdstories but they’re hidden in dormers.What we did for the streetscape, so thatwe wouldn’t tower over everybody, westepped back the third floor, whichcreated balconies,” the architect explains.Coincidentally, “Seen from above thetownhouses actually almost replicatemuch of the block, the house and lotdepths are very similar all the way downthe street.” Wasn’t it about time someoneoverhauled and rehabilitated theantiquated Victorian row house withcontemporary design suited for moderncity life? Indeed it was. In 2008, according tothe United Nations Population Fund, forthe first time more people lived in urbansettings than rural ones. This silenttipping point has ushered in the “UrbanMillennium”. As urbanization continuesunabated, it will undoubtedly be an erawhere high-rise condo design influencewill continue to spread.

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ow can we provide spaces for urbanmanufacturing to encourageindustries to take root in our cities?

What is the factory of the futureeconomically, architecturally andurbanistically? These are some of thequestions that I address in my travellingexhibition, Vertical Urban Factory, whichwas first displayed in New York, then atthe Museum of Contemporary Art inDetroit, and this past fall at Toronto’sDesign Exchange.

Historically, factories (those places ofmaking, shaping and assembling things)were our cities and our cities werefactories filled with multi-storied densespaces for “making”. Throughoutarchitectural history, the factory has beena place of design innovation forengineers and architects. This once-new

building type provided a freedom toexplore the spatial, structural, andorganizational ramifications of machinesand production, from vertical systemsdependent on gravity flow andcentralized power sources, tohermetically sealed horizontal sheds insuburban fields. The origins of the“vertical urban factory”, while perhapsnot environmentally clean or safe intoday’s standards, were very much sourbanistically and economically.Workers, owners, machinery all were inproximity. Factories were integrated intolife, providing stable jobs and building anurban economy.

With the ease of containerized shippingand the digital supply chain, factorieshave been leaving North American andEuropean cities in search of cheaper

What if factories could be reintegrated into today’s urban centres,bringing manufacturing jobs closer to where people live, andmanufactured products closer to their customers? Nina Rappaportasks this very question in her “Vertical Urban Factory” exhibition,sponsored by Urban Capital at Toronto’s Design Exchange. For Urban Capital Magazine, she follows up with some answers.

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VW FACTORY, DRESDENHenn Architects’ “Transparent Factory”for VW represents the “consumption ofproduction” where manufacturingbecomes a public spectacle.

AMERICAN APPAREL PLANT, LOS ANGELESAmerican Apparel reuses existingindustrial buildings with a commitmentto producing in LA, itself a part of it’surban brand.

VALDOMINGOMEZ RECYCLING PLANT,MADRIDAbalos & Herrareros designed tworecycling facilities that unite a selectionand processing complex, storage,workshops, exhibition area and offices..

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Vertical Urban Factory opened on September 12, 2012 at Toronto’s DesignExchange, sponsored by Urban Capital. The exhibit features a timeline comparingindustrial technology, social issues and factory design over the centuries, andtakes an in depth look at over 30 factories, illustrated with over 200photographs, diagrams, drawings, models and films.

land, production, and labour elsewhere.The new free trade zones in developingcountries such as China, India, andMexico, together with networked just-in-time production, have contributed to aglobal “flat” world and, by removing theprocess of “making” from our everydaylife, changed the dynamic of our cities.As industry is redefined, cities and theirentrepreneurs must find new strategiesto maintain manufacturing sectors sothat they can also inspire new inventivemodes of production.

What might the future factory look like?In response to the urgent need for jobsand cleaner production, the “verticalurban factory” can be a model forinnovation integrated into our cityscapes.New industries and niche productionrelating to the local consumer, such asfurniture, fashion, printing, and food, cancontinue to expand and revitalize urbaneconomies.

Vertical Urban Factory envisions anumber of different scenarios for thisnear future. The first is the “transparentfactory”, representing what I call the“consumption of production”. A factorycould engage and educate the publicabout making by displaying itsmanufacturing processes through large

windows onto our city streets. Naturallight would improve conditions forworkers and those passing could see howthings are made. An example of thisalready exists in the VW factory inDresden, Germany.

Another direction for the future is the“cleaner and greener factories” seen, forexample, at the recycling plant ofValdomingomez in Madrid.Manufacturing for sustainable industriessuch as plastic and paper recycling,electric cars, and eco-furniture, can beurban-based. Local production alsoreduces transit costs and air pollution.Collectively, greener manufacturing canresult in an urban industrial symbiosis,where one factory’s waste fuels another,and energy produced by a new buildingsystem can supply power for entireneighborhoods.

Finally, “flexible vertical urban factories”are often located in existing loft spacesthat we are now seeing again in NewYork, Detroit, and Toronto, which areeasily adaptable according to newmachinery and economic needs. Theseare light industrial but also often high-tech workshops, neo-cottage industries,or shared hacker and maker spaces thatcan be located in new incubator

buildings. With open-sourcemanufacturing software, CNC and 3Dprinters, designers can quickly makeprototypes and develop a product insmall batches. This could increaseinnovative, small-scale, just-in-timeproduction for goods on demand.

With these smaller spaces manufacturingcan occur everywhere. We do not needseparate industrial zones – new cleanmanufacturing could be integrated intomixed used areas to encourage workingand living in proximity with a mix ofincomes and thus diversity.

If factories could be taller, denser, anddiversified, and light industrial zoningallowed at higher densities, the “verticalurban factory” could be reinvented forfuture entrepreneurs in new flexibleeconomies. A building type that wasonce inspiring in its architecturalinnovation needs to be reconsidered assignificant for designs today with newmaterials and technologies. Ifindustrialists and urban planners couldreconsider the potential for buildingfactories vertically, this, in turn, couldreinforce the cycles of making,consuming, and recycling for sustainableand self-sufficient cities.

Nina Rappaport

CONDO DEVELOPMENT 101

How to build largebuildings on small sites(in 10 easy steps)As our urban centres become more and more dense, availabledevelopment sites are getting smaller and smaller. So the art,and science, of putting big buildings on small sites is ever moreimportant. For over 15 years Urban Capital has had intimateexperience in building in very tight urban locations. In whatfollows, a little inside knowledge on how they’ve done it.

DESIGN A TIGHT PARKING PLAN.Notwithstanding our urban planners’desire to have everyone bike to work,people still want cars, and places topark them. So make sure you can getas many parking stalls as possible intothe tight underground space you have.

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GET THE ENGINEERS GOING. Before youstart any work you need a surveyor tosurvey your property and a geotechnicalengineer to investigate the soils andbedrock beneath it. No point startingyour project by hitting a gas line, ortrying to found your building in muck.BE ON GOOD TERMS WITH YOUR

NEIGHBOURS. You can build abuilding without the cooperation ofyour neighbours. But it’s not easy.See if you can get them to agree toallow you to install “tie-backs”beneath their properties (see Step 8below), and generally not complainwhen you start making a mess of theneighbourhood.

PHOTOGRAPH EVERYTHING AROUND YOU.Before you start any construction workon site, photograph every inch of thebuildings and properties around you.That way when a neighbour alleges thatyour excavation work has damaged hisbuilding, you have something to look atto see if he’s right.

SEND CONTAMINATED SOILS TO A PROPERLANDFILL. Most urban sites are “brownfield”sites, often containing contaminated soilsfrom previous industrial uses. As excavationproceeds, make sure your environmentalconsultant is on site to test the excavatedsoils and separate out the dirty ones tosend to special landfills.

START CONSTRUCTION. Once you reach thebottom, you can finally start to build thebuilding’s foundation walls, which take overfrom the shoring system as they move up theexcavated pit. Ultimately, Steps 2 to 9 are justtemporary measures to secure the site to allowyou to build your below-grade parking. Which isdepressing, as it can take up to half the overallconstruction schedule to get that done!

INSTALL “TIE-BACKS” TO SECURETHE LEVEL YOU’VE JUST EXCAVATED.Once you reach the bottom of alevel, you need to install a row ofspecial anchors called “tie-backs”,which are rods drilled at an anglefrom each pile a long distance intothe surrounding soils, to hold thepiles in place. Otherwise, thewhole thing will just fall apart.

REPEAT STEPS 6 TO 8 UNTIL YOUGET TO THE BOTTOM. Repeat theprocess of excavation, laggingand tie-back installation untilyou reach the bottom. Along theway, carefully monitor all pilesto ensure that they are notmoving, and pump out any waterseeping into the excavation.

EXCAVATE DOWN A LEVEL,INSTALLING LAGGING ALONG THEWAY. Once the piles are installed,the structure of your excavatedhole is pretty well in place. Nowyou can proceed to excavatedown a level, installing timberlagging between the piles to holdback the earth behind theexcavation.

INSTALL PILES. The first physical stepin excavating your site is to installsteel columns (or “piles”), spacedabout 2 m apart, around the entireperimeter of your site, to a level belowyour lowest basement level. In somecities, like Toronto, the standard is todrill these piles, quietly. In others,like Ottawa and Montreal, everyonejust bangs them in.

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he multiple-dwelling unitphenomenon (apartments,townhouses and semi-detached

homes) is gaining traction across thecountry from St. John’s to Vancouver.While conditions vary in each of themajor markets, all Canadian cities sharecore housing fundamentals which arestarting to or have already shifted theform of housing from single-detachedhomes to multiple dwellings.

Immigration is the root of populationgrowth and by extension, housingdemand. While some markets willexperience a slowdown in totalpopulation growth, of the eleven majorcentres surveyed, all are expected to postpositive net migration gains in 2012 and2013. Each of the centres will alsoexperience employment growth in 2012,with the majority of job creation in full-time positions. Saskatoon, St. John’s andCalgary will see the strongest growth,mainly from the energy, oil and gas andmining sectors, as well as capitalinvestments. The importance of Canada’sperceived economic and political stabilityon the world stage has also attractedinternational purchasers and investors tocities across the country.

Relative affordability has been asignificant driving force behindcondominium apartment demand. Nearlyall the major markets have seen double-digit gains in single-detached pricingbetween 2009 and 2012. Erodingaffordability in the single-family homesector has underpinned much of the pushtowards more affordable multiplehousing. Historically low mortgageinterest rates have also helped makehome ownership more attainable.

While these market fundamentals areexpected to remain stable, a number oftrends and market dynamics willcontinue to drive high-density housingdemand across the country:

The growing need to reduce commutingtimes and enhance live/workrelationships. In downtown Toronto, forinstance, the large and growing newpopulation of young, well-educatedcondominium owners and renters iscontinuing to stimulate demand for newoffice and retail space within walkingdistance or a short transit ride. This inturn is stimulating new officeconstruction and the relocation of majoremployers from the suburbs todowntown, which in turn is creatingdemand for more downtowncondominium supply.

Aging populations and the appeal of amaintenance-free lifestyle thatcondominium housing offers.

In more mature condominium housingmarkets, such as Toronto, Vancouver,Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax,the increasing popularity of the urbanlifestyle, offering a mix of universitiesand colleges, sports facilities, culturalvenues, food and entertainment.

Very tight market conditions in purpose-built rental apartments in many of thecities surveyed are drawing investorsseeking to purchase condominium unitsto be rented.

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REAL ESTATE

The Canadian CondominiumMarket in 2012

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Notwithstanding short term set-backs in some markets, population growthand other demographic factors will continue to fuel condominium marketsacross the country, says Jasmine Cracknell and Barry Lyon, two of Canada’stop real estate observers.

ST. JOHN'S HALIFAX MONTREAL QUEBEC TORONTO OTTAWA WINNIPEG REGINA SASKATOON CALGARY VANCOUVER

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MULTIPLE DWELLINGS AS A % OF TOTAL HOUSING STARTSMajor Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas

2009 and 2012 Forecast

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ILLUSTRATION

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Rachael Ann Lindsay’sCentretown

achel Ann Lindsay is a Toronto-based illustrator making aname for herself with her whimsical line drawings. ForUrban Capital she created a tableau of Ottawa’s Centretown

district, replete with local haunts such as Barrymore’s,Whalesbone, Ada’s Diner and Thimble Cakes.

Urban Capital has a keen interest in the Centretown district,with Central Phase 1, Central Phase 2 and Hideaway anchoringits southern end, and future developments planned on sites atboth Bank and Flora and Bank and James Streets, propertieswhich Urban Capital acquired in 2012. In all, Urban Capital isbringing over 800 residential units to the Bank Street strip fromCatherine to James Street, together with large and smallretailers, including the first ever LCBO in a stand-alonecondominium.

In addition to developing major infill buildings in the area,Urban Capital (together with Ottawa partner Taggart Group) hascommitted significant funds to the public sphere, spending over$1.3 million to bury overhead utility wires on Bank Street,Gladstone Avenue and McLeod Street, and contributing$200,000 to the capital campaign of the National Capital YMCA,a major local institution.

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The Little Sales Office that Could, RIP

In December 2012, on the start ofconstruction of Hideaway, UrbanCapital finally brought the curtainsdown on its itinerant Ottawa salespavilion, which began its life inNovember 2005 at the corner ofBank and Laurier as the Mondriansales office, then moved to Bankand Gladstone in late 2006 for thelaunch of Central Phase 1, thenmoved a block south in early 2008for the launch of Central Phase 2,and finally, in the fall of 2011,moved a couple of hundred metreseast to the Hideaway site for thelaunch of that project.

We will miss you.

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PHASE 1NOW COMPLETED

PHASE 2

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

OWNWITHONLY5%DOWN*

SALES OFFICE AT 455 BANK ST. UNIT #2 AT MCLEOD.MON-WED 12-6 PM | THURS 3-8 PM | SAT 12-5 PM | SUN 1-5 PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US

613.789.5475 CENTRAL2.COM*NOTE, AN ADDITIONAL 5% DUE ON INTERIM OCCUPANCY

17 Nelson StreetToronto, Ontario M5V 0G2

Tel. 416.304.0431

urbancapital.ca

RIVER CITYTORONTO

rivercitytoronto.com

NOW SELLING

HIGH DESIGN URBAN LIVING

TABLEAUTORONTO

tableaucondos.com

CENTRAL Phase 2OTTAWA

central2.com

HIDEAWAYOTTAWA

hideawayatcentral.ca

GLASSHOUSEWINNIPEG

glasshousewinnipeg.com

Documents

urban capital magazine birth of a (garden) city urban capital in 2012