Templeton takes on Passive House principles
By Kathleen Freimond
The condo and townhome project will be built on a 33,000 square feet site at 2204 East 1st Avenue.
As the Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood transforms to take advantage of increasing property values and the Broadway Subway, an extension of the SkyTrain’s Millennium Line, Dimex Group is also looking to the future by applying Passive House principles to its 60-home Templeton development on Vancouver’s East 1st Avenue.
“Currently, the Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood is seeing a renaissance with many single-family homes [being renovated] as property values have risen in the last 12 months,” says Dimex’s managing director Sunny Dhillon. “The announcement of the SkyTrain extension [a 5.7-kilometre extension of the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus scheduled to open in 2025] has also brought many developments and land assembly opportunities along the 1st Avenue corridor. This will open arteries such as Broadway, Kingsway and 1st Avenue to a younger demographic that will breathe new life into this family and sustainability-focused community.”
Designed by Cornerstone Architecture to meet the Passive House standards required for certification by the Passive House Institute, Dhillon says Dimex was motivated to build the high-performance project to produce a better living environment with increased long-term value for Templeton buyers.
As features that will ensure the building lasts longer, is more energy-efficient and produces a comfortable living environment, Dhillon points to the walls with six inches of additional insulation, triple-glazed tilt-and-turn windows, a fresh air system with heat recovery, airtight construction and thermal bridge-free continuous insulation that eliminates cold spots and drafts and maintains a consistent temperature indoors.
“Passive Certified Homes are like the Tesla of homes with maximum comfort, all electric and smart technology focused on creating a low carbon footprint,” he says.
The Templeton condo and townhome project will be built on a 33,000 square feet site at 2204 East 1st Avenue. Dimex has another Passive House development in the area, the 24-home Lakewood project at 2075 East 1st Avenue. These developments signal Dimex’s goal to build more Passive House projects in the future says Dhillon.
He describes Templeton as a hybrid development that includes several types and sizes of homes. These include one-, two- and three-bedroom one level condos (all with flex spaces) ranging in size from 570 to 1,090 square feet as well as three-bedroom, three-storey townhomes ranging in size from 1,255 to 1,360 square feet with two and a half baths and flex space. There is also an option that offers three bedrooms with three bathrooms on two levels with all the bedrooms on one floor. Another popular option is the floorplans with lock-off units that can create a studio or one-bedroom mortgage helper with a separate entrance.
The project also includes traditional three-storey townhouses (from 1,255 to 1,305 square feet) with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms and flex space. These townhouses will be at ground level with no units stacked above them.
Describing the area as one of Vancouver’s most walkable and bikeable neighbourhoods, Dhillon says Templeton residents will enjoy local parks, the plethora of restaurants and shops on nearby Commercial Drive and proximity to eight elementary and secondary schools.
Parking for the two- and three-bedroom homes will be in a secure underground parkade with EV-ready charging stations in every stall and bike storage for all homes.
Inside, buyers can choose from two contemporary colour schemes influenced by the colours and textures of British Columbia’s west coast landscape and created by ValiDesign. Ehsan Vali, principal, ValiDesign, says he looked to pebbles on the beach to inspire his choice of stone and to the forests to guide the wood-look finishes.
The Modern scheme is sophisticated with bold contrasts and is likely to be popular with younger purchasers looking to buy in the area, says Vali.
The upper cabinets are a white matte finish, while the lowers have an off-white glossy finish in the two-tone kitchen. The faucets and door pulls in matte black will provide points of contrast, while dark veining in the marble-look quartz countertop and backsplash support the esthetic.
Floating vanities are designed with built-in sensors to control the undercabinet night lights.
Valie describes the Classic scheme as refined with a slightly warmer tone – more complementary than contrast – for a bright and elegant look.
In this palette, the upper cabinets’ flat panel doors have a lacquer finish, while the lower cabinets and those around the refrigerator are a laminate showing a vertical grain. Vali notes all interior cabinet boxes for both schemes are plywood, a superior material to the more usual melamine.
Major kitchen appliances include a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator in the two- and three-bedroom homes (Electrolux in the one-bedroom units) and a Bosch range and dishwasher (Frigidaire in the one-bedroom units). Both schemes feature luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring, a grey in the Modern scheme and a light oak look in the Classic option.
In the ensuite bathrooms, the floating vanities are designed with built-in sensors to control the undercabinet night lights, while porcelain wall and floor tiles and a frameless glass shower enclosure add to the clean and elegant ambience. Niches in the showers (and in bathrooms with tubs) are useful for shampoos and other bathroom products. Black faucets, towel bars and rings provide the contrast in the Modern colour scheme, while chrome is the choice for the Classic palette.
Construction is expected to begin in fall 2021, and completion is anticipated in spring 2023.
Project: Templeton
Project address: 2204-2276 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver
Developer: DIMEX Group
Architect: Cornerstone Architecture
Interior designer: ValiDesign
Project size: 60 condos and townhomes
Number of bedrooms: One-, two- and three-bedrooms
Price: One-bedroom condos from $655,900; two-bedroom condos from $849,900; three-bedroom condos from $1,049,900; three-bedroom condos with the option for a lock off unit from $1,099,900; three-bedroom townhouses from $1,299,900.
Sales centre: 610-1155 West Pender Street, Vancouver
Centre hours: By appointment
Phone: 604-629-9985
Website: templetonliving.ca
All photos are courtesy of the Templeton website.
Templeton takes on Passive House principles was originally published in the Vancouver Sun.
You might enjoy Can a Passivhaus change your life? Residents at Wootton Wawen tell us.
