Carving out green space in Thornhill
Vanguard condo revitalizing the Yonge-Steeles corridor with outdoor spaces, livable unit sizes
Once the Vanguard condominium takes its place in the Yonge St. corridor in Thornhill, finding a green, family-friendly condo will become a walk in the park — literally.
Residential builder Devron Developments has designed the 25-storey Vanguard, at Yonge St. and Grandview Ave., to include three- and four-bedroom units, a children’s playroom and a half-acre park on an adjacent lot, which the company has donated to the city.
It’s all part of Devron’s philosophy of planning for the long term, said Pouyan Safapour, the chief operating officer, who has a background in structural engineering and sustainable design.
He runs Devron with his architect father, Ron, and brother, Safa, the chief development officer, who is also an architect. In adding to the revitalization of the Yonge-Steeles corridor — York Region’s secondary plan states that “building height and density will be increased towards the Yonge and Steeles intersection” — the Safapours also want to contribute to building community.
“We think this area is a good place for families to live,” said Safapour, who lives nearby. “Once you go beyond Yonge St., it’s a neighbourhood with a strong sense of community. We want to be a catalyst for the future by showing that it’s not a compromise to live in a condominium instead of a traditional home but an alternative that comes with different advantages.
“We also thought about what makes sense in the long term and came up with three keys: the outdoor spaces, the size of the units and a building that would stand the test of time.”
The green space — both the 7,000-square-foot terrace and the adjoining half-acre park — are part of Devron’s commitment to livability and to environmental consciousness.
The building — slated to begin construction in 2017 with occupancy in 2019 — has been designed to meet LEED Gold standards and includes a number of other green features, such as a living wall in the lobby, a car wash that uses rainwater, universal and Tesla charging stations for electric cars, a no-energy sauna, treadmills that return electricity to the grid and filtered water in all the units.
“It’s our contribution to reducing greenhouse gases,” Safapour said. “Thirty to 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are due to buildings; it’s significant. There’s a moral aspect and a responsibility on our part.
“When we create a project, we think about what we would like to do and accomplish so that we can be proud and happy with the time (and projects) we spent a big chunk of our life on,” Safapour said.
Landscape architects Strybos Barron King designed the Vanguard’s outdoor terrace, which includes a kitchen with barbecues; a lawn; a fire pit; a community garden for growing vegetables and herbs; and a sanctuary space.
The entire terrace, which is accessed from the building’s third floor, is surrounded by hedges and other plantings for privacy.
“It’s unique for a condo to have so much green space,” said Mathieu Strybos, the company’s principal. “It’s exciting for us to be involved.”
The interior spaces are designed by II BY IV DESIGN.
Dan Menchions, one of the firm’s partners, said the building has “an easy transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces and an overall calming feel.”
“We linked the interiors to the outside environment by using natural finishes and by creating feature elements that speak to the lush landscaping on the property. A verdant living-wall in the main lobby, a yoga room with California doors that open directly onto a private courtyard for indoor or outdoor practice, and, of course, a woodland-themed children’s playroom.”
The common spaces also include an exercise room, a library and a theatre.
The Vanguard offers 197 units, ranging from a 522-square-foot onebedroom condo to a 3,500-squarefoot unit with four bedrooms plus den, rising from a retail podium.
The lower floors will have 12 units per floor, the middle floors eight and the highest floors six; the penthouse level will be home to two units. Prices range from just under $300,000 to about $2.35 million.
Units will contain details that should delight owners, said Charles-Étienne Jaque, the director of Milborne Real Estate Inc., the company handling condo sales: soft-closing cabinets, backlit vanity mirrors, high-end kitchen appliances and finishes, soundproofing under the flooring and concealed sprinklers. Suites larger than 800 square feet will have additional upgraded features as standard, such as solid core doors and custom, built-in closets.
“They’re designing for the end users,” said Jaque.
“Usually, if you want a large condo, you need to look at older buildings or ultra-luxury buildings with high maintenance fees.
Here, you have big suites and low maintenance fees (approximately 51 cents per square foot vs. the current Brookfield standard of 55 cents).”
Devron’s commitment to the long term is also evident in its stone-clad exterior.
“Glass is economical, but for the long term, we chose more natural material for esthetic and practical reasons,” said Safa-pour. “It looks good, doesn’t deteriorate and acts better as an insulator.”