From parking lot to sustainable condo

BCM Developments supports Edmonton’s Evolving Infill Efforts

Published by New Homes and Condos Edmonton

The City of Edmonton’s Evolving Infill Team wrapped up its engagement period in June and is now preparing its final Infill Action Plan for presentation to City Council later this summer. Evolving Infill is a new project to support residential infill—the development of new housing in established neighbourhoods and may include secondary suites, garage suites, duplexes, semi-detached and detached houses, row houses, apartments, and other residential and mixed-use buildings. This project intends to improve communication about infill, spark a conversation with Edmontonians about change in older communities, build and share the city’s infill story, and identify what we need to do to support new housing in established neighbourhoods.

As the City of Edmonton prepares its final Infill Action Plan for presentation to City Council, there are a number of developments underway, which support the intent of this plan. Included is BCM Developments’ Station on Whyte condo project (formerly known as Fuzion). At 10201 Whyte Avenue, adjacent from the Roots on Whyte building and east of Ironhorse, the space was previously a parking lot. This is being transformed into a four-storey steel-framed building, unique from many of the wood frame units in the area, with ground floor retail running the span.

Built by BCM Developments and Fortis LGS Structures Limited, the latter who specialize in light gauge steel framing systems, the components of the condo project were factory-built. Fortis manufactures all building components such as the walls, floors, and trusses for any project by using pre-engineered computer aided / automated production. All prefabricated components are pre-assembled. Assembling of the walls, floor joists, curtain walls, and roof, trusses, take place in their warehouse. According to Claudio Raimondi, owner of Fortis LGS Structures Limited, the factory-built approach allows for higher quality control. Other benefits of steel-framed structures include:

• Combustible qualities enable a steel framed house to resist such devastating events as fire, earthquakes, and hurricanes.
• Light-steel framing materials are perfectly straight and consistent in quality—structural steel studs, floor joists, and roof trusses do not expand or contract, shrink, warp, or twist over time. This reduces the risks of drywall damage, nail popping, door jambs, sagging windows, and air gaps.
• Steel framing is unaffected by temperature and humidity changes, making your home more stable and durable.
• Steel is free from resin adhesives and chemicals normally present in other framing materials. Steel framing does not off-gas or sustain mould growth, as wood products do, thus promoting better indoor air quality
• Steel roof structures support up to 30% higher snow loads than conventionally framed roofs.

Station On Whyte was also built with a commitment to environmental sustainability reaching a BUILT GREEN® Silver certification with Built Green Canada’s High Density program. As such, residents in the building will enjoy the same benefits as homeowners purchasing a BUILT GREEN® home: reduced monthly operating costs with water, electricity, and gas bills; a more durable home with a lower environmental impact; choices on which “green” features a homeowner wants; and a healthier home—beyond the significant reduction of drafts in the home and a significant cut-down in noise transmission, BUILT GREEN® homes offer a healthier home environment leading to improved health and comfort for your family as there is less stress on the respiratory and immune systems.

With a planned opening for September 2014, Station on Whyte will offer other housing choices in the established Old Strathcona area, contributing to its ongoing community vibrancy, showcasing environmental sustainability, as well as stimulating redevelopment and investment further east along the avenue.