Leader Lane Developments is building what is said to be one of the most sustainable apartment buildings in all of Toronto so far. With sponsorship from the One Planet Living Fund, a fund that focuses on investing in sustainable projects, they are building a nine-story mixed-use mid rise at 230 Royal York Rd. constructed with prefabricated mass timber made by Intelligent City.
Aiming for LEED Platinum, Toronto Green Standards Tier 2
Halsa, the name of the building, is set to be one of the greenest buildings in the whole city. The project has an ambitious plan to target LEED Platinum certification, adhere to tier 2 of the Toronto Green Standards, as well as aim to fulfill all of the principles as set out by One Planet Living.
Halsa is set to have a total of 58 market-rate rental units that have various features to promote an active lifestyle. For instance, the site that the building is being constructed on has been chosen due to its close proximity to bike lanes and public transit, while also sporting a one-to-one ratio of bike to car parking.
The apartment is being made of mass timber, a highly sustainable material that also has great aesthetic appeal. Mass timber allows for this new sustainable apartment to both look good and be eco-friendly.
To celebrate the use of this mass timber, as much of it as possible is being made visible within the units. Intelligent City is the producer of these mass timber pieces, a company that is driven by technology and dedicated to producing high-quality building materials that are both eco-friendly and easy to use.
One of the main points of this project is to not only produce a sustainable apartment building, but also one that is affordable. At this time, there’s a large gap in Toronto that sees condominium developments taking dominance over everything else, and these require long-term financial commitments and large down payments that most people just can’t afford.
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“As we continue to tackle our housing crisis as a city, we are not only looking at the right kind of building mix, that people can actually access and afford, but also making sure that the sustainability piece is front and centre as well,” said Amber Morley, Councillor of Ward 3 who is also involved in the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of Toronto.
Toronto is growing at an incredible pace, and this calls for both sustainable and affordable building solutions, such as Halsa. At this point, it appears that construction will begin within the next several months, as it has received the green light for a variety of variances.
