May 22, 2008

WILLIAM CONWAY/PROGRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

A crew pours concrete on the Downtown Markham job.

Projects

Downtown Markham transformation takes shape

Tight site, high water table obstacles to be overcome

DON PROCTER

correspondent

After years of planning, the $3 billion mixed-use development that proposes to give Markham a heart is starting to take shape.

Set on 243 acres, the massive urban development experiment — simply called Downtown Markham — will house 10,000 people in 4,000 condo units and 175 freehold townhouses in a tightly-knit community. It will also provide almost one million square feet of office/retail space — enough to employ 16,000 people.

Currently, several residential projects are under way by general contractor Remington Group Hi Rise Division, an affiliate of Remington Group Inc., the developer/owner of the massive project. The Rouge Bijou will consist of four residential buildings, including a 10-storey terraced condo stepping down to seven storeys. Two of the four towers are at roof stage, while excavation has been completed on the other two, says Richard Tripodi, vice-president of the Remington’s Hi Rise Division.

Construction was slow out the gate in part because of a high water table that required a de-watering process during excavation. The buildings then had to be installed on piles. Two types of pile systems were used on the four buildings to save money and time, says Tripodi.

Meanwhile, he adds, the past winter wreaked havoc on the construction schedule. “The heavy snows caused significant delays; however, construction crews worked overtime on Saturdays to make up lost time.”

Further complicating the construction process at the development is the tight site, but Remington has minimized scheduling glitches and delivery problems by doing its homework during the complex master planning process, he explains. The first occupancies at Rouge Bijou are slated for next winter with more to follow in the spring.

The buildings will be clad in a combination of precast, brick with Low E energy efficient glazing. Each unit will feature a terrace off the amenity space facing onto the planned community’s central park space, called Simcoe Promenade, says Sheldon Levitt, principal, Quadrangle Architects Limited, the architect for the first four blocks of Downtown Markham.

The only vehicles permitted along the promenade will be public transit. “Essentially it will feel like you are living on a park.”

Levitt says there is no neighborhood quite like Downtown Markham in the Greater Toronto Area. Quadrangle has a tradition of designing buildings in context with their surroundings, but the design firm doesn’t normally start with “a big field.’

“We had to create that context. It’s been very interesting creating something that, in years to come, will be thought of as a positive urban community.”

The residences at grade will have multiple entrances because the buildings will run lengthwise, facing onto the promenade, says Levitt. Breaks between the buildings will connect the green common to a townhouse community behind the highrise towers.

“All of the sightlines and pedestrian ways were deliberately organized to promote pedestrian movement throughout the community,” explains the architect.

“From where ever you are, you have multiple ways of going by foot to other places — to the Rouge Valley and to Birchmount Rd., which will eventually be the high street for most of the shopping.”

Remington is also building two 10-storey residences facing a courtyard and a 14-storey tower — all containing six-storey wings. Called Verdale Condominiums, the 450-unit complex is on a street called Verclair Gate, which leads to the Rouge Valley. Excavation and shoring has been completed.

Another residential complex nearby in the development is Benchmark Town Manors, a townhouse complex. All together the buildings under way will contain 1,100 residences, representing about one quarter of all the units that will complete Downtown Markham in 20 or so years. The development will also feature 30,000 square feet of retail space on Birchmount Rd.

Levitt says the goal for all the buildings is to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

To qualify, the development will combine a number of sustainable elements, including cisterns for rainwater collection, high thermal envelope systems and sophisticated HVAC systems.

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