Work has officially begun on a 164-unit residential complex that aims to become one of Quebec’s greenest.
The SELBY real estate project, which is slated to be built in a Westmount site that once housed offices for the Charles E. Frosst pharmaceutical company and Dawson College, is aiming for LEED certification through the implementation of a series of green initiatives.
Key among them is the use of a geothermal heating and air conditioning system. Through that system, heat during the summer months is channeled from units deep underground. In the winter, heat stored in the ground is then extracted and used to warm the units. Passive solar heating will add additional heat in the winter.
The SELBY real estate project will also be built using cutting-edge materials, with triple-glazed, low-emission windows helping green the building and keep energy consumption low.
As a result of these green measures, it is estimated that residents will see a reduction of up to 70 per cent in heating costs.
“While preserving the original structure’s core components, we designed an innovative project that meets all requirements for LEED certification,” said project engineers Roland and Sami Hakim. “As such, SELBY condo features will include: a system of geothermal heating and air conditioning; central heat exchangers; unique, triple-glazed, low-emission fenestration; and passive solar heating.”
The building, the design for which was inspired by Far Eastern architecture, will also feature an automated 110-unit parking facility.
While the SELBY building has some historical significance – it was built in the Westmount district of Montreal in 1926 – the developers took steps to ensure it did not lose the character that helps it stand out. Rather than replacing the old building outright, he residential development will be built in the old building itself through the repurposing and renewal of many of its features.
Plans for the building have already been well-received by those looking to invest in a property. Before ground even broke on the project, over 60 per cent of the units set to be built in the first phase of the project had been sold according to real estate broker Garo Kazandjian.
With a relatively long-standing place in the hearts and minds of Montrealers, which is part of the reason Roland and Sami Hakim and their team conducted thorough analysis on the site prior to devising completed plans for the SELBY building.
The project is expected to be completed in June, 2013.
