Some of Metro Vancouver’s highest profile developments are attracting customers of Chinese heritage.

CAMPUS ENCLAVE BOASTS CULTURE OF QUALITY

The Wesbrook Village area on UBC’S Point Grey campus in Vancouver may have only gained prominence in recent years, but it’s no flash in the pan; those invested in the area say they’re in it for the long haul. Located at the foot of Wesbrook Mall where it crosses West 16th Avenue, it’s a range of multi- family residential buildings, all conforming to UBC guidelines around sustainability. For many people, it’s the ultimate model community.

“You’re located on a world- renowned university in a natural setting with Pacific Spirit Park, access to the beaches, and proximity to the downtown core and airport,” points out Ralph Archibald, senior vice- president of sales and marketing for Polygon Homes. “Wesbrook Village also has shops and services, it’s the perfect mix of urban village in a natural setting.”

Polygon has built more than 1,000 homes in nine communities at UBC over the past two decades; sales for the latest, Sitka in Wesbrook Village, launched in the spring of 2011. There are just nine homes left, and construction is finished all the way to the roofline. The project is set to complete in the fall of this year. Buoyed by the pace of sales and a belief in the strength of the area, Polygon is already looking ahead to its next development in Wesbrook Village. Academy is an 18- storey tower containing 163 homes, being built next to Pacific Spirit Park. More than a third of the homes will be one- bedroom- and- den apartments, signifying an attempt to offer more affordability in the neighbourhood. It will launch in mid- February. It’s not hard for Eric Andreasen, vice- president of sales and marketing for developer Adera, to see the attraction to Wesbrook Village, either. In fact, he says he’s often contemplated moving to the neighbourhood with his wife and two children.

Adera’s first effort on the UBC campus was the 2004 Journeys project in Hawthorn Place. As development opened up around Wesbrook Village, the company began creating homes in a series of projects there, with the latest, Sail, encompassing 172 homes in two six- storey towers. It is scheduled to be complete in 2013, with the grand opening ceremony for sales to be held on Feb. 11. Over that time, the company has seen the evolution of both the community and the purchasing base interested in being a part of it. With the introduction of banking, restaurants, and grocery shopping, Wesbrook Village has become its own self- contained unit; residents can easily get by without leaving the area for long periods of time. Andreasen says the customer base has grown to include significant representation from people with Chinese heritage, spanning families who have lived in Greater Vancouver for generations to recent immigrants.

“We find that the culture is heavily focused on things of quality. There is a real value seen with having both University Hill elementary and University Hill secondary here, leading you right into UBC,” he says. “Basically, many buyers tell us that living here is like setting their children on the right path for life.”

With many coming from incredibly dense urban areas, having a community set within an old- growth forest comes as a pleasant shock to the system. Andreasen says he often sees prospective purchasers taking the time to stroll around and marvel at the wilderness next door.

“We also see them asking smart questions about sustainability measures in Wesbrook Village, like energy savings and good design. The quality of the community design – including storm water management and pedestrian friendly areas – the lighting, the car coop, everything is top notch.”

However, it’s certainly not a one- way exchange around sustainability.

When Chinese development company Modern Green began looking for its next worldwide location outside of China and Australia, it considered many countries, but ultimately settled on Vancouver. It was drawn by existing commitments to green initiatives, the opportunity to partner with UBC on environmental research, and the chance to bring new ideas to bear on housing.

Well, make that both new and old ideas. Modern Green promptly handed UBC’S Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability a $ 3.5- million donation to help fund research around urban development challenges. It later set up internships for UBC Engineering students to head to Beijing.

When it came to Yu, Modern Green’s 106- home development at Wesbrook Village, the company insisted on using a building shape often seen in Imperial China. The central focus of the project is a courtyard, surrounded on three sides by a U- shaped building.

It allows for innovative cross ventilation and for light to permeate the homes from two separate exposures. Buyers have been responding in droves. Although Yu does not officially launch until Jan. 28, half of the homes have already sold.

“Modern Green, as you can probably tell by the company’s name, has always been driven by sustainability,” says Cameron Mcneill of project marketer Mac Marketing Solutions. ( Part of the project includes a ‘ living lab’ component, which will examine what impact residents are having on the surrounding environment.) “Their commitment is absolute to sophisticated green buildings that also include comfort and luxury.”

Mcneill says the level of attention to detail was incredible. They walked through every aspect of the cross ventilation that they wanted for Yu with an architect, the energy- retention capability of windows for the homes, even the design of window valances to control the amount of sunshine streaming into a home.

“They’re not just about putting geothermal [ energy] in, or dumping in more expensive mechanical systems, or simply satisfying the building code. Sometimes it’s about layout or design. It’s been refreshing for me and many other people to realize that there are different ways to look at green technology – smart and thoughtful things that are just done differently.”

Others in Vancouver appear to be taking note; Mcneill says “every developer in the city” has toured through the show home.

He also believes this is just the start for Modern Green in Vancouver. When the company commits to an area and a city, it tends to do so in a major way.

Mcneill, and many others, see Wesbrook Village as an area with massive potential. As different ideas and culture mix and mingle, the results could revolutionize how we deal with where we live.

It’s said that “it takes a village to raise a child.” In this case, it could be said that “it takes a village to change the world”.