Home Builder: Innovative Designs For Small Spaces
By NextHome Staff
June 27, 2017
June 27, 2017
Our industry is constantly innovating and working to offer homebuyers design choices they want and at prices they can afford. To acknowledge the importance of these efforts, BILD last year introduced two special innovative-design awards as part of our annual BILD Awards program.The Best Innovative Home Design and Best Innovative Suite Design categories distinguish excellence and innovation in suite design and in the design of single-family homes that increase home choices for entry-level consumers. The suite award is open to suites smaller than 750 square feet in midrise and highrise developments, while the home award is for design of detached or semi-detached houses or townhomes that are part of a new development.Since affordability often comes in smaller spaces, key judging criteria for both categories includes functionality and use of space.Last year’s winners were the amazing 274-square-foot Smart Studios micro condo unit that is part of a project that Building Capital is developing in Oshawa, and Mason Homes’ ingenious Oakwood plan, part of its Courtyard Collection in Peterborough, which was crafted so that it could be built as either a townhome or semi-detached or detached house.
This year there we again had many creative designs submitted for both categories, and our judges did not have an easy job selecting winners.The award for Best Innovative Suite Design went to Laurier Homes for its Kingswood unit at Upper Beach Club, a 41-unit six-story midrise building that the company is developing on Kingston Rd. just east of Victoria Park Ave.Designed by OneSpace Unlimited, the Kingswood is a 705-square-foot, one-bedroom unit that makes the most of every bit of available space. The layout for the corner unit on a compact floor plate is open and airy, with the bedroom off to one side. It has an open kitchenette that has the major appliances neatly dovetailed into a niche created by the structural walls.One of the unique features of the design is the bank of windows that runs the entire length of the unit and looks out on to the unit’s 480-square-foot private terrace. There are two entrances to the terrace, one from the open concept living/dining room and one from the bedroom.This year’s winner of the Best Innovative Home Design was Arista Homes’ the Briarwood unit at Boxgrove Village in Markham, a unique offering that features a commercial flex space and two separate living spaces all within one townhouse.Designed by Hunt Design Associates, the 4,000-square-foot design allows homeowners to have the ability to work where they live. The Briarwood’s commercial space could be used for anything from a hair salon, a dental practice or an office for a lawyer or accountant. Meanwhile, the townhome’s second suite can be used for other family members or caregivers, or it could be utilized as a rental unit. Both openconcept living spaces have two bedrooms and two terraces and the homes come with four parking places.These are just a few examples of how the building and development industry continues to innovate and help provide affordable options for today’s homebuyers.
Bryan Tuckey is president and CEO of BILD (Building Industry and Land Development Association), and can be found on Twitter (Twitter.com/BILDGTA), Facebook (Facebook.com/BILDGTA), YouTube (YouTube.com/BILDGTA) and BILD’s official online blog (BILDBlogs.ca).
This year there we again had many creative designs submitted for both categories, and our judges did not have an easy job selecting winners.The award for Best Innovative Suite Design went to Laurier Homes for its Kingswood unit at Upper Beach Club, a 41-unit six-story midrise building that the company is developing on Kingston Rd. just east of Victoria Park Ave.Designed by OneSpace Unlimited, the Kingswood is a 705-square-foot, one-bedroom unit that makes the most of every bit of available space. The layout for the corner unit on a compact floor plate is open and airy, with the bedroom off to one side. It has an open kitchenette that has the major appliances neatly dovetailed into a niche created by the structural walls.One of the unique features of the design is the bank of windows that runs the entire length of the unit and looks out on to the unit’s 480-square-foot private terrace. There are two entrances to the terrace, one from the open concept living/dining room and one from the bedroom.This year’s winner of the Best Innovative Home Design was Arista Homes’ the Briarwood unit at Boxgrove Village in Markham, a unique offering that features a commercial flex space and two separate living spaces all within one townhouse.Designed by Hunt Design Associates, the 4,000-square-foot design allows homeowners to have the ability to work where they live. The Briarwood’s commercial space could be used for anything from a hair salon, a dental practice or an office for a lawyer or accountant. Meanwhile, the townhome’s second suite can be used for other family members or caregivers, or it could be utilized as a rental unit. Both openconcept living spaces have two bedrooms and two terraces and the homes come with four parking places.These are just a few examples of how the building and development industry continues to innovate and help provide affordable options for today’s homebuyers.Bryan Tuckey is president and CEO of BILD (Building Industry and Land Development Association), and can be found on Twitter (Twitter.com/BILDGTA), Facebook (Facebook.com/BILDGTA), YouTube (YouTube.com/BILDGTA) and BILD’s official online blog (BILDBlogs.ca).