Smart home features move in
High-tech security, climate control, even parcel deliveries now in GTA condos Ten York, top, in downtown Toronto and Riverview, above, in Markham.
Condominium living just got a whole lot smarter.
Ten York, the first Tridel Connectbranded building and among the first with smart technology in the GTA, is outfitted with fibre optic wiring, ultrahigh-speed internet and its own smart network. Residents of the 69-storey highrise use keyless digital door locks and a tablet-style wall pad for a range of functions including temperature control, security alarm, communicating with the concierge and receiving notifications from the property manager. They can see visitors and let them into the lobby, and also see what’s happening in select common areas.
“We studied what we could do in a highrise condo environment that would make it easier for residents to do things in their home,” says Jim Ritchie, Tridel vice-president of sales and marketing. “This started a number of years go, but Ten York is the first Tridel Connect building.” Aquabella, under construction at Toronto’s Bayside neighbour- hood, will also be a Tridel Connect condo.
Riverview, by Times Group, is to open sales this fall and will be the first smart condo in Markham. Comprised of two 37-storey towers and one 16-storey building, Riverview represents Phase 4 of the Uptown Markham development at Hwy. 7 and Birchmount Rd. Its connectivity features will allow residents to lock and unlock their suite doors with smart phones and use in-suite wall pads or phone apps to control heating and cooling, and their security system, and receive notifications about community events. The wall pads will also allow them to see and speak to guests and allow them in, and to communicate directly with the concierge, says Shadi Aghaei, Times Group vice-president.
Riverview and Ten York will also accommodate the growing online shopping trend with an automated parcel delivery system that works with multiple services, including Fedex, UPS, Amazon and Canada Post. (The system is operating at two other Times Group condos.) The delivery person enters a code and a locker opens. The recipient gets a text about their package and photos are taken of the delivery person as well as the individual who picks up the package as a security measure.
“Traditionally, at Christmas time, the concierge has to become a parcel delivery person and that takes away from his
other duties,” Aghaei says. “We were cognizant that handling all the deliveries takes a lot of time and effort.”
Another high-tech feature offered by both developers is licence-plate recognition that offers access to the parking garage for residents of the building and their registered guests — no key fob or door opener required. (Tridel’s Aqualina on the East Bayfront has automated parcel delivery and licence plate recognition, but not all the full range of Tridel Connect features).
At Ten York, a distributor antenna system, designed by Rogers, provides connectivity for cellphones. In condo buildings exceeding 30 storeys and those surrounded by other tall buildings, cellphone signals degrade, explains Ritchie. Residents also have unlimited WiFi in their suites and in the building, with the cost included in their condo fees.
Times Group’s Riverview will also include unlimited WiFi in suites and common areas as part of its condo fees.
Aghaei says bringing new smart technology to its condo buildings is a natural progression for the company, which has always been an innovator. It was one of the first developers to adopt LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, the most widely used green building-rating system in the world. LEED-certified buildings save energy, reduce costs and provide healthy indoor air quality. The Times Group built Majestic Court, the first LEED Gold building in York Region, and now has four LEED Gold Certified and one Platinum Certified buildings, with four others registered as LEED candidates. (Gold and Platinum are LEED’s top achievements.) River Park Condominiums, Phase 1 of Uptown Markham, was the first building over 10 storeys in Canada to achieve LEED Platinum.
Times Group scrutizines new technologies and products, to ensure they are advanced enough to be proven and will not be outdated quickly.
“Our (smart) products are all North American technologies,” Aghaei says, adding that hard wiring for the system will be done during construction to allow hardware and software to easily connect.
Riverview will include a twostorey amenity platform with gym, yoga studio, games room, rooftop deck with plantings, barbecues and yoga deck. The building-wide WiFi will allow residents to access the internet in all of these spaces.
With unlimited, high-speed internet available at Ten York and Riverview, and virtual assistants, or chatbots, from Amazon (Alexa), Google (Assistant) and Apple (Siri) now available in Canada, residents can add their own smart devices insuite — such as lighting, TVs and window coverings that are voice-activated.
Tridel has its eye on future possibilities for its smart network.
“We are looking at a few other things, such as monitoring of water. If a leak occurs, the valves would shut off,” explains Ritchie.
“The technology exists, but there are monitoring costs — whether it’s done in suites or in common area — and we’re not there yet.”