Perhaps the best word to use when talking about how new condominiums coming onto the market are stacking up is innovative.
The sky is not only the limit when it comes to décor, variety of floorplans and choices in finishing but today’s condominium shoppers also have plenty of science backing up their purchase and protecting their investment and quality of life.
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“New owners coming into the condo market are really benefiting from the new products that are available today,” says Douglas Mazureck, vice-president of construction for Cove Properties, developer of such recent projects as the under-construction Sasso.
As many people choosing a condominium lifestyle are concerned about hearing their neighbours, deadening sound is a key priority in the building stages, so a host of materials have become the norm for multi-family construction. |
In addition to concrete, Mazureck says the builder uses a sound mat, as well as a cork-rubber composite material, between the concrete and gypcrete and any hard surface – such as tile or hardwood flooring – that goes over it, to add properties of sound attenuation.
He says the gypcrete, itself is a porous, lightweight material poured over the concrete, to achieve a total of three layers to muffle the sound – concrete, gypcrete, and finally, the composite on top to separate all three from the hard surface or flooring.
But the noise reduction efforts don’t stop at the floor.
“We also have two separate walls with an air space in between them, and both walls are insulated with R-12 insulation and a layer of 5/8 drywall on each side, which compartmentalizes the units so you don’t have a connective structure between the two suites,” he says. |
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Windows are another area where sound, and more importantly energy can transmit, so many builders use glazing, or low-E glass, which help keep the cold out during winter, and prevent units from turning into a furnace on hot summer days, says Mazureck.
Other beneficial features condo buyers reap the benefits of are more advanced systems for heating the building and preventing hot and cold spots.
“Probably the biggest innovation we see now is a forced air system, which utilizes a fan coil, that’s sort of a mini furnace within every suite tucked up into the ceiling for a unit – and it provides both heating and cooling through forced air to that unit,” says Mazureck.
Some developers are going the extra mile for residents’ comfort and the environment, implementing state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems. Dubbed a “geo-exchange,” Resiance high rise Gateway South Centre’s heating system will work by drawing warmer energy from the ground on cold winter days, and likewise, cooler air in summer, and exchanging this with that in the building via a series of bore holes in the ground.
While the system is costly to residents initially, what they’ll save on energy costs – not to mention the peace of mind in knowing they’re putting fewer fossil fuels and transmitting less greenhouse gas back into the air – is worth it in the long run, according to Barry Chow, Resiance’s executive vice-president.
And gone are the days of wiring for the 1950s. Today’s condominiums are created for the tech-savvy resident, sometime even working in capabilities that don’t yet exist.
“One of the things we looked at is where the building would be in three years, and more than that where technology would be in three years,” says Robert Moroto, marketing manager for ProCura Real Estate Services, developer of the Montana and Emerald Stone.
That means including wiring such as Cat-5E for high-speed Internet at a minimum, he says. “We are also putting in two satellites dishes on the roof, fibre optic cable in the riser room, and that pretty well covers all you entertainment needs,” says Moroto.
And since no two condo buyers are the same, he says it’s becoming important to have systems in place to allow residents to change things up in individual units, so they also include “network distribution centres” much like structured wiring in single-family homes which give buyers this ability to use jacks in the wall for a range of purposes.
“We also wanted to make sure when Microsoft comes out with its entertainment package we’ll be ready for it,” he adds.
Since many condo shoppers may be single, security has also key in construction, with cameras and intercoms pretty much a standard across the board, says Moroto. But many developers are taking it the extra mile, replacing keys with swipable cards not unlike those used by office buildings, he says.
“Essentially you have a little wafer, like a keycard that lets you into the building,” says Moroto.
For more hints and tips about buying and owning a condominium in Calgary, watch Shaw TVís Condo Living with Barb Mitchell, every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
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