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Posted May 2, 2013, 7:48 PM
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2,229
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Quote:
Going a world away to come back home
by Anita Murray May 2, 2013 in Homes
The past and the future, and the importance of a neighbourhood corner, all came into play when it was time to redevelop the site of a former Pronto store and century-old home at Woodroffe Avenue and Richmond Road.
For John Thomas, that was not to be taken lightly.
“You have to be responsible as a developer,” he says. “You’re a temporary owner of that location and what you build is there long term, so coming in and milking the site for all it’s worth and leaving, I think, does a disservice to the city, quite frankly.”
A lawyer by trade and new to the Ottawa development scene, the 43-year-old cut his teeth with some big players in the Middle East, including working with the crown prince in Abu Dhabi to develop a financial centre for the United Arab Emirates — “really nation-building stuff,” he says. “You get exposed to people from all around the world.”
So how did he end up here, launching a development company and taking on a condo project where there was once a corner store?
He’s merely coming full circle.
Born in India but raised in Ottawa, Thomas grew up around that Pronto store and went to church at Our Lady of Fatima across the street. So, for him, buying the property while on a visit home to see family was merely the lure to bring him back.
But his time away helps explain the international flavour to his flagship project, The Azure, which launches May 5.
The thoughtful building is designed by the London firm PLP Architecture, with which Thomas first worked in Abu Dhabi.
He brought them in as “a fresh set of eyes” and for their innovation. “They took a lot of time assessing the site. I told them what I wanted … they eventually came up with 17 design options.”
They finally settled on a 14-storey stepped building in brick, glass and metal that is layered to look more like a series of joined units so as to break down the scale of the building.
“People know that corner,” says Thomas.
“It was important to take that into consideration and build a building that could stand the test of time.”
Lead architect Karen Cook angled the building so that it faces the corner, creating an open plaza for pedestrians and maximizing the views of the river. She then incorporated shear wall construction — vertical fins, she calls them — for a distinctive look that leaves inside spaces free of columns and flexible enough for units 25 feet wide that span the length of the building, like a “bungalow in the sky,” says Thomas.
About half of the units are the full depth of the building, something “we worked quite hard to accomplish,” says Cook. It’s more expensive to build this way, she admits, but notes that Thomas “really supported the idea of using architectural design to add something new to the marketplace … (It) seemed like such a fantastic way of living, so that you can have your bedrooms facing east and getting the morning sunlight and then your living rooms facing the sunset and the river.”
The height of the building gradually drops toward the homes behind to better integrate with the neighbourhood and to create multiple private terraces on upper units.
“If you can imagine, you have a two-bedroom that’s 1,400 square feet; you have these double doors opening up from your kitchen or your dining area out to the 1,200-square-foot terrace that looks over the river,” Thomas says.
While that sounds like it would have a big price tag attached, “you might be surprised,” he says.
He tells the story of getting a haircut in Westboro and finding out the hairdresser lived in Aylmer because she couldn’t afford to live near work.
“That sort of stuck,” he says.
“We want to make a project that people will want to live in and can afford to live in.”
As a result, there are 57 one-bedroom units that range from $265,000 to $500,000 for 685 to 1,000 square feet. There are also 30 two-bedroom units, two penthouses and four two-bedroom units with terraces that are 1,000 square feet or more.
In keeping with the international flavour, Ottawa designer Tanya Collins created three collections for the decor: London Classic, New York Deco and Paris Moderne. Her aim was to use “classic elements that never really date or are never too trendy, but in the way you put them all together you can make it look more modern or less modern.”
Taking finishes such as Carrera marble and varying shades of hardwood, which are standard, she has created distinct looks that show the attention to detail.
Also key is a focus on maximizing storage and creative floor plans borrowed from overseas that allow for flexibility in the living space.
Both Thomas and Collins, for example, tout the benefits of a main bathroom that can be split to provide a powder room for guests while keeping personal bathroom space private.
And to remember the past, designs have been created to incorporate old-growth lumber beams and the stone foundation from the old home on the site, along with wood salvaged from the store, into features of the lobby.
“I think when you walk in the building you should feel that you’re part of history to a certain extent,” says Thomas.
“It’s old and new; there’s a heritage to this corner.”
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http://www.ottawacitizenstyle.com/ca...ome-back-home/
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