SKY’S THE LIMIT AT HENSLEY
Panoramic views, amenities aplenty big pluses to new West Coquitlam community
The top level of Hensley, Cressey Development Group’s planned new residential tower in West Coquitlam, will accommodate upscale amenities rather than the more typical penthouse suites.
Inspired by the success of the amenity space in the top two floors of its MThree tower, also in Coquitlam, the Hensley amenities are a big part of the buying decision for potential homeowners in the 33-level highrise at 430 Westview Street, says Jason Turcotte, Cressey’s vice-president of development.
Taking advantage of panoramic city and mountain views, the striking triple-volume glass-enclosed space will open to the outdoors and be a big draw for buyers, says Turcotte.
“We expect the buyers to be working professionals. Rapid transit is very important to them, but they also appreciate lifestyle and want extra space for entertaining, leisure and exercise, so the amenities are super important.
“There are social spaces, including a bar area — with a sports-bar feel — a games area with a pool table and Ping-Pong, a formal entertaining space with a fully appointed kitchen and a long dining table that can seat 20.”
The space, named the Hensley Sky Club, will be furnished with a large island in the kitchen with a sintered stone countertop. A fourinch (10-cm) mitred edge and dramatic angled sides will ensure the custom-designed island enhances functionality, while adding an artistic, sculptural element to the space.
But the planning process also considered that residents would be looking for quieter areas away from the hubbub of group get-togethers. Turcotte says that to that end, there will also be “passive areas” where people can relax with a book, he says.
“Sometimes, we can be guilty of trying to over program or over prescribe space; sometimes, the best spaces don’t have a specific use, and people use and experience that space in their own way,” he says.
A second amenity area planned for the ground floor includes a fitness facility with spacious change rooms, a steam room and sauna, an outdoor pool, a covered hot tub, a fire pit, barbecue and picnic area and an outdoor children’s play area. With the highest level in the building devoted to amenities, Turcotte says Chris Dikeakos Architects created 16 double-storey units — dubbed “SkyHomes” — which he describes as “penthouses in the middle part of the building.”
“The design pulls the middle portion — the outer skin — of the building in,” says Turcotte, explaining that four floors of the building are stepped in to differentiate the SkyHomes.
These units have living space on the lower level and bedrooms and bathrooms on the second level.
In total, there are 264 homes in Hensley including one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 550 to 1,410 square feet.
While buyers in new residential tower developments are typically able to choose a colour palette, Hensley homeowners can also select their preferred interior design: Hotel or Home.
“We were thinking about the end user and the variety of people who will be buying the homes; we wanted to give them the ability to tailor their space to their lifestyle,” says Linda Gallo, associate at Insight Design. “The Hotel option is for the person who travels a lot and wants a hotel feel. It’s a little more sleek and contemporary, with the layout more focused on entertaining, while the Home is for someone living there full time who wants lots of storage space.”
The Hotel design is showcased in the two-bedroom unit in the presentation centre at 3355 North Rd. in Burnaby. It also features a Home kitchen and two bathrooms, representing each design plan.
One of the significant differences between the two designs is seen in the Hotel kitchen, where the cooktop is on the back wall and a counter-to-ceiling porcelain slab backsplash gives the space a dramatic flair.
In the Home kitchen, the layout is more traditional, with upper cabinets.
Buyers can select from two colour palettes, Walnut and Driftwood. In the Driftwood scheme, the lighter laminate floors contrast against cabinets painted in a charcoal matte lacquer, while the Walnut option features white cabinetry with Walnut-look laminate flooring.
The porcelain backsplashes in both palettes feature slabs that mimic the look of crosscut travertine. The countertops are quartz — grey in the Walnut palette and white for those who choose the Driftwood colour scheme.
Cabinet door and drawer pulls from Kartners enhance the elegant kitchens and bathrooms.
Gallo says the pulls were specially customized for Hensley.
“We wanted to create a space with consistent lines and notes throughout the space and this hardware was one example of how we were able to achieve that,” she says. The pulls’ square edges and gentle curves echo the lines of the Kohler faucets and sinks.
White 12-by-24-inch (30.5-by61-cm) tiles give the bathrooms in both designs a clean and bright ambience. In the Hotel option, bathrooms have glass-enclosed showers and vessel sinks, while the Home design has a shower in the ensuite and a bathtub and undermount sinks in the main bathroom.
Under-cabinet lighting is a feature in the bathrooms, where recessed pedestals give the illusion of floating vanities.
The Hensley is set to be a landmark in the area with distinctive columns that zigzag up the entire height of the tower. Turcotte also believes the location will be attractive to buyers.
The Westview Street site is close to the Lougheed mall and SkyTrain. “It’s a block off North Road, close to the action without being in the middle of it,” he says.