Planning Rationale. A) Family Oriented Development

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1 Planning Rationale A) Family Oriented Development The proposed building at 800 Montreal Road is a place designed to engage and stimulate the local community. The wide range of unit types provided offer the strength of diversity by creating an environment where families as all sizes interact. Unit types include: Type Count Area 1 Bedroom: 31 units 44.5 m 2 1 Bedroom Accessible: 7 units 53.5 m 2 2 Bedroom: 14 units 67.5/70.5m 2 3 Bedroom: 12 units 86.5 m 2 4 Bedroom Accessible: 1 unit 131 m 2 4 BedroomTownhouse: 9 units 113 m 2 TOTAL: 74 units Inside, the main level contains visitable townhouse units with interior and exterior entrances, amenity space, laundry, mechanical/electrical, garbage/ recycling, change rooms/ showers/locker rooms for cyclists and administration space. The basement level is reserved for the lower level of the townhouses. At the second level a large multipurpose community space and lounge opens onto a double height lobby space below and provides a venue for community programs to develop. Levels 3-8 contain a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartment types.

2 B) Urban Approach At the urban scale, the building integrates with existing neighbours both at an appropriate scale as well as with a complementary material palette. The project consists of a lower 2 story townhouse podium with 6 stories of apartment units above. The massing of the town house podium that wraps the base establishes a friendly pedestrian streetscape at the human scale. A break in the town house volumes creates a clearly legible entrance from Den Haag Drive. A canopy above the entrance further defines the public access point. Adjacent to the entry, iconic public art anchors the corner of the site and offers a public transition zone leading indoors. The corner of Den Haag Drive and the new internal public street is an important corner that is articulated as a prominent community entry (see Figure 1). Figure 1 The spirit of the HOK design guidelines has been followed with respect to massing, setbacks, building entries and streetscape treatments. Through consultation with the city it was determined that a service access from Den Haag Drive was not desirable, and as such vehicular access to the site is via the proposed new internal public road connecting Den Haag Drive and Montreal Road was not desirable. This road provides access to a parking area at the rear of the building where a Vrtucar space is provided to encourage a diversity of transportation options and to support the city s mandate of promoting accessible places. (For the transportation study, please refer to Delcan s study of February 1, 2010.) C) Public/ Open Space Concept Given the importance of connectivity within the larger context of the site, the ground plane is designed to encourage the easy movement of people through the building, the

3 site and beyond. At the main entrance, the building becomes porous, allowing visual connection and easy access to the rear garden and to the green buffer identified to extend to the public park at the north of the site. The lobby is conceived as an urban interior street that passes right through the building. Exterior brick, paving and landscape planting are carried through this space to link the street with public spaces at the rear. The outdoor spaces encircling the building are programmed as active areas for residents that create a sense of place. These include: a kids play area, patio, BBQ area, bicycle storage, and garden. In addition, a green roof public outdoor space situated on top of the southern portion of the podium overlooks the community area below. Atop the western podium along Den Haag Drive, private decks animate the pedestrian streetscape below (see Figure 2). The diversity of activity within this compact community will help create its own distinct identity. Through this identity and sense of place, the project aims to exemplify the Liveable Community goals targeted by the Official Plan. D) Architecture Suited to Context Figure 2 The exterior of the building is grounded by the brick base on top of which sits the lighter coloured apartment mass. A change of massing, material and colour between the townhouse podium and the apartments above clearly communicates their respective

4 character and use. Unit layout has been organized such that none of the living spaces face north to maximize day lighting opportunities. Patio doors and operable windows offer residents a connection with the outdoors. A dynamic pattern of fenestration with accented panels creates a rhythm that contributes to enlivening the urban fabric. Window recesses in the facade create a play of shadow and offer a further subtle level of articulation. Shading fins on the west offer another layer to the elevation that is both architecturally playful and environmentally responsive (see Figure 3). Please refer to sections and for design descriptions relating specifically to energy efficiency and accessibility. Energy Efficiency/ Sustainability Figure 3 A) Integrated Design Process An integrated design approach was used to create a holistic sustainable strategy for this project. A sustainability consultant team has been engaged to follow an integrated design process that will include design charrettes at key points throughout the project. The team consists of: Lunchbox Consulting James B. Lennox Associates Inc. Landscape Architects Christopher Simmonds Architect An energy consultant reviewed the proposed design and assessed the potential energy consumption savings to be 35-40% over the Model National Energy Code For Buildings (MNECB). Christopher Simmonds Architect has experience with three other social housing projects that have been monitored post occupancy show a measured 25% reduction in energy consumption over the MNECB with the provision of air conditioning.

5 B) Site Planning Water Management Porous landscape surfaces are used surrounding the building to encourage infiltration, storm water retention and recharge of the ground water aquifer. Sustainable Landscaping Native drought resistant landscape planting is proposed to reduce maintenance and irrigation demand. Heat island effects have been reduced by locating the parking where it will receive significant shading from the building. Trees along the edge of the parking area provide further shading. Hard surfaces employ high albedo materials. Trellises in the community space at the rear offer shade to create microclimate conditions. Outdoor lighting will be provided with dark sky approved fixtures to minimize night sky light pollution. Alternative Transportation Sustainable transportation is encouraged through the provision of bicycle parking and amenities and dedicated Vrtucar parking stations. Bus transit stations are easily accessed at Montreal Road and Den Haag Drive. C) Building Design Climatically Responsive Each façade of the building is designed to be climatically responsive. The south elevation is equipped with a building integrated solar photovoltaic array that will contribute to the Ontario Feed In Tariff (F.I.T.) program (see Figure 4). Window openings are recessed in the walls to reduce glare and heat loss and the glazing properties (i.e. solar heat gain coefficients, low e films) of the windows are tailored to the orientation of the wall. The west elevation has vertical and horizontal architectural fins that are oriented to provide shade from south and west heat gain. Openings on the north and south are minimized to reduce heat loss and heat gain respectively.

6 Figure 4 The narrow depth of the floor plate and a building orientation with the main axis running north-south, allows for good day lighting opportunities for all units. At the ground level operable windows on either end of the interior street of the lobby provide natural cross ventilation. Exterior materials are light coloured reflective and high thermal mass which allows less temperature swings in the building enclosure. Cool roofing materials further reduce heat island effects. High Performance Enclosure A high performance building enclosure consisting of airtight construction with durable materials, energy star rated windows, and enhanced thermal insulation levels using insulated sheathing will be used typically. This will reduce operating and maintenance costs and energy consumption, allow for downsizing of the mechanical system, and increases the longevity of the building. Water Conservation Water efficient plumbing fixtures will be used for all suite washrooms and kitchens. Indoor Air Quality Low VOC finishes are proposed throughout, and a policy regarding the use of natural cleaning products for the base building will ensure a healthy indoor environment for all residents. D) Energy Efficiency Heating and Air Conditioning

7 Heating is provided by high efficiency condensing boilers. In addition, heat pumps absorb or reject all heat via a water loop that is connected to a condensing boiler (add heat) or a rooftop fluid cooler (reject heat). Heat can also be transferred between each floor through the water loop so the operation of the boilers and fluid coolers can be minimized and heat load distribution optimized. Ventilation Outdoor air will be provided by a gas fired roof top unit that includes an energy recovery wheel. Exhaust air will be removed from each suite kitchen and washroom and ducted up to the roof top unit. Before exhausting to the atmosphere, the roof top unit will extract heat from the exhaust air and transfer to the incoming outdoor air which is then distributed to each suite. Electrical Energy star appliances, bathroom fans and lighting will further reduce the energy load. Time of day electrical metering will help shift peak energy loads on the supply grid. Each suite will be provided with power served by an individual 60 or 100amp panel. Plumbing Domestic hot water will be provided by high efficiency water heaters and the design will include solar hot water collectors however, installation will depend on the budget. All required domestic cold water, storm and sanitary piping will be provided. Drain water heat recovery will be installed to capture thermal energy that would typically be wasted down the drain. E) Waste Diversion To promote waste diversion, building wide recycling facilities are located at the ground level. During construction a waste diversion/ minimization program will be in place. F) Social Sustainability The mix of housing types combined with the provision of community amenities and activated public spaces will help foster a special type of sustainability; social sustainability. This social equity is what will contribute to making this a community that people care about. A community that promotes a sense of ownership and belonging, this place will thrive as an example of sustainable urban living.