Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/124234
LOCATION 1090 Johnson Street, Victoria, B.C. DEVELOPER Alpha Project Developments Ltd. ARCHITECT de Hoog & Kierulf Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR Campbell Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Avalon Mechanical Consultants Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Applied Engineering Solutions Ltd. CIVIL ENGINEER Delcan Corporation GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER C.N. Ryzuk & Associates Ltd. ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT renderings courtesy Alpha Project Developments Ltd. Wakefield Acoustics Ltd. 13-03-06 4:43 PM LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT LADR Landscape Architects Inc. INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANT Heather Kallos legal surveyor McIlvaney Riley Land Surveying GROSS FLOOR AREA 70,000 square feet, excluding underground parking TOTAL COST $22 million The Mondrian by Lawrence Herzog nspired by the now classic modernist works of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, this 10-storey concrete and steel stud building is a playful composition of rectilinear forms and bold primary colours. The mixed-use structure includes 93 residential units above ground floor retail space on 2.5 levels of underground parking with 69 stalls. Located in downtown Victoria in the Harris Green precinct at the periphery of the city's central business district, The Mondrian features a variety of 400-square-foot studios to 850-squarefoot two-bedroom condominiums. The Mondrian is the latest in a string of innovative downtown Victoria residential projects for Alpha Project Developments Ltd. In the early 20th century, Mondrian was part of the De Stijl (The Style) art movement that used squares, rectangles, primary colours and the contrast between black and white as part of its approach to abstract design. The design team found some of its inspiration from Mondrian's later paintings, says Lynn Gordon-Findlay, project architect, de Hoog & Kierulf Architects, but the site itself was the catalyst. "The concept for the building was established initially by site size and zoning regulations that happened to describe a perfect cube for the massing I The Mondrian p94-95Mondrian.indd 95 of the building," Gordon-Findlay says. Once setbacks and height restrictions were calculated, the building was about as tall as it was wide and long. "We used principles of the golden section to break the cube down into interesting proportions, and used colour and material to individually express the different components," she says. The design expresses the three-storey base through a strong composition of horizontal and vertical lines created by the concrete frame and steel trellis. The upper seven storeys form a horizontal rectangle with the proportions of the golden section, she explains. The golden rectangle is further subdivided into a smaller cube clad in white metal Alucobond panels and a vertical golden rectangle at the corner clad in charcoal Swisspearl cementitious panels. A brilliant laminated glass panel in a distinctive primary colour – red, blue or yellow – for each face is inset into the balcony guard of every suite. "The concept is expressed at every detail of the building from the choice of interior paint colour to the pattern inlaid in the suite entry doors, creating a colourful and unique sculptural statement on a large scale," she says. "The modern, clean look appeals to first-time, younger buyers, and that's where the market for this building is," says Bijan Neyestani, president of Alpha Project Developments. "We've kept the residential amenities to a minimum to keep the monthly strata feet low." Each floor has 10 units per floor, and they are the same on each floor for a practical, efficient building. Energy efficiency was also a driving parameter, and while the units are bright, the design team kept window coverage within building code parameters. Neyestani notes that the building has a pleasing vertical articulation. "The facade is broken very nicely and it makes a statement in a very subtle way. The retail use on the ground floor will help create animated life on the street, and that's what the City of Victoria wants." Interior design consultant Heather Kallos says the interior design brief for the Mondrian aimed to fill the units with light and show off clean modern lines. Alpha was committed to quality finishes in the units including gloss or Italian raised grain cabinetry, polished quartz stone countertops, undermount sinks and full height mosaic back- splashes of glass, quartz and marble. "Units with kitchen islands also have pendant light fixtures which are not only modern but add a bit of glamour," Kallos says. "A custom-designed and locally manufactured wall bed will be provided with some of the studio units." Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. used Autodesk Revit software to create a three-dimensional structural building information model for The Mondrian, says Leon Plett, project engineer for Read Jones Christoffersen. "This enabled us to use the model both upstream for coordination with the architect and other consultants, to round-trip with our structural analysis software, and downstream to the contractor and trades who were able to visualize the structure more accurately." Plett says the increased level of detail and accuracy in contract documents meant fewer contractor questions during construction. "It also helped keep the project on time and on budget." Finishing is now underway, and the project is scheduled for completion in June. n april 2013 /95 13-04-05 2:29 PM