Dec 5 2012
Ottawa-based residential developer Windmill Development Group has unveiled the condo of the future, a sustainable infill condominium building that marries stringent green innovation with modern design and genuine community improvement.
The Eddy is a six-storey, 57-unit condo development in the heart of Hintonburg, one of Ottawa's fastest growing and hippest downtown neighbourhoods. The low-rise, angle-shaped building makes the most of the limited space of a former parking lot and serves as an innovative model for how developers and community associations can work together to make intensification work.
"Canada's larger urban centres are embracing intensification to address population growth, optimize existing infrastructure and costs, and reduce traffic," said Rodney Wilts, Development Manager, Windmill Development Group. "Our experience is that intensification doesn't have to come at the expense of the community. With The Eddy, we are again proving that we can work within community design plans, while providing the most effective green technologies and visually appealing designs."
"From consultation to design, Windmill's project has helped us achieve our goals of encouraging new buildings that fit into the Wellington streetscape, and promoting an active, creative and involved community," said Jay Baltz of the Hintonburg Community Association. "We truly believe that The Eddy and its residents will contribute to and improve our neighbourhood."
What makes The Eddy the condo of the future?
In addition to being a model for how developers should work with communities, Windmill is using a number of unique and innovative features that meet sustainability targets and appeal to today's condo buyer, including:
- Canada's only sliding puzzle parking system (video), which shuffles cars into underground parking spaces. The system uses 60% less space and keeps emissions out of the building.
- Its rooftop "small pocket park" with a patio, green space, and garden plots for residents.
- One of Canada's only condominium geothermal heating systems, including ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling, and formaldehyde free low-VOC materials.
- European-sized (smaller) kitchen appliances that save energy and are more practical for single owners
- Customizable units based on buyers' preferences, such as merging more than one unit
- A focus on promoting a biking/walking culture, with exterior and interior bike parking spots and, unlike most condos, bicycles allowed in units
Windmill is again vying for the stringent Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating for The Eddy, as well as for its upcoming Cathedral Hill development in Ottawa and for Union Lofts in Toronto. The company is one of only two condominium developers to have obtained LEED Platinum ratings in Canada. In fact, all of Windmill's mixed use projects completed to date have been certified LEED Platinum, including Ottawa's The Currents and developments in Calgary and Victoria.