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PHOTOS COURTESY KIRKOR ARCHITECTS & PLANNERS San Francisco by the Bay by Irwin Rapoport an Francisco by the Bay, a residential development in Pickering, Ontario in Frenchman's Bay, is part of a growing trend in Canadian architecture and land use – the transformation of declining shopping centres and built-up spaces into housing, which is helping to renew many municipalities and minimize the impact of urban sprawl. The development consists of 120 (varying from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet) townhouses on newly laid-out streets and three towers – the irst being a 227,407-square-foot, $94million, 16-storey rectangular highrise with two loors of underground parking that saw its irst inhabitants move in last January. Located close to the shoreline, it is near a marina on Frenchman's Bay and adjacent to a large nature park. The tower has 235 units (one and two bedrooms), and 14 ground level commercial spaces. The ground loor contains the main and subsidiary entrances – the main entrance will also provide access to second tower, an 18-storey point tower. The second and third loors house the amenities – a pool, exercise rooms, and meeting and party rooms –which will be shared by those residing in the second tower. The residential units begin on the second loor. The three-storey townhouses (with two and three bedrooms, backyards and basements) are similar to those found in San Francisco, California. The beige exteriors – designed by Williams & Associates – combine stucco, square windows, triangular arches and green walls to screen the lat roofs. The developer, Chestnut Hill Homes, understood the city's desire to transform a developed space into residential space for young families – the townhouses and condominiums for people buying their irst homes and empty-nesters looking to downsize. "The site gave us an opportunity to create a new neighbourhood and community in a beautiful, picturesque location by the water," says Ralph Del Duca, Chestnut's vice president of marketing and sales. "It demonstrates how municipalities, developers and a community can work together to combine common goals – creating integrated communities, making better use of shrinking sites for development and designing housing projects that blend in with existing natural sites – in our case, the shoreline and nature park." S 52/ JUNE 2012 p.52-53San Fransisco.indd 52 The goal is to bring West Coast architecture and living to Lake Ontario and emphasize public transportation. (The development is close to a Go Train station.) "Residents can walk to do their shopping within the neighbourhood and easily go into town by foot or car," says Del Duca. "The suburban train means that Toronto is close and accessable. This development helps to reduce traf ic low locally and in the region. Projects like this bene it the GTA and the price point is affordable for many." Kirkor Architects & Planners was brought in by Chestnut to design the tower component and help manage construction. "The exteriors consist of precast accents in a muted brown/grey, a lot of glass, metal panels and glazed balconies," says architect Steven Kirschenblatt, Kirkor's senior partner. "It has West Coast in luences in terms of materials at grade – some stone, a simulated wood look, canopies and overhangs to LOCATION 1215 Bayly Street Pickering, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Chestnut Hill Homes CONSTRUCTION MANAGER TMG Builders ARCHITECT (TOWER) Kirkor Architects & Planners ARCHITECT (TOWNHOUSES)/ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Williams & Associates STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT NCK Engineering Keewatin Group MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT MV Shore Associates INTERIOR DESIGN Mike Niven Interior Design TOTAL AREA Tower – 229,407 square feet Townhouses – 17,007 square feet TOTAL COST $94 million protect against the weather. The slab is oriented on an eastwest line, with southern, western and eastern views overlooking Frenchman's Bay and northern views over Pickering. It's a classic colour scheme that complements the colours of the townhouses." "Because it's on a larger piece of property, there is an access off of St. Martin and another off Bayly," he adds. "There is one entrance to the underground parking, along with drop offs close to the interior parking court and the street front. There is a public rooftop terrace that is accessible for everybody in the building, with lounges, barbecues and a small indoor space, which takes advantage of great views of Lake Ontario." The main entrance, which leads people to the tower's three elevators, is off the interior parking court. "It's very grand – a two-storey space with high-end inishes," says Kirschenblatt. "It has a great feel and great look and complements the West Coast style of architecture." The interior inishes and materials for the main entrance, hallways and amenity areas are varied. The lobby has a tiled loor and the hallways are carpeted, while the amenity areas are a mix of tile and hardwood. The loor plate for the residential loors is based on single corridors, with 16 units per loor. Interior materials and inishes for the units consist of drywall, a mix of laminate looring and carpets, and for the kitchen and washrooms, ceramic and porcelain tiles, granite countertops and wood cabinets. The second tower, a point tower on the same podium, will be similar in style – externally and internally. The inal design for the irst tower matches the building that stands on the site. "It's a handsome building and is exactly what we designed," says Kirschenblatt. "We're very happy with the quality of the construction and the colour and material selections. It's a great example of a suburban highrise development." TMG Builders began work on the tower in the summer of 2010, which was completed in May, 2012. "It was standard construction," says Ivan Rak, TMG's construction manager. "We had an accelerated construction schedule – the delivery date was quicker than you would typically have for a building that size, but we were able to overcome that by strategic planning and thorough organization, and follow-up during the construction process." Once the shell was enclosed, the interior work began. TMG's suggestions concerning the design were accepted. "We evaluated the bene it of reducing and replacing the amount of stucco," says Rak. "Our inal recommendation led to using a precast panel instead of EIFS. This change effectively maintained the intended look of the building, while reducing construction schedule and enhancing the structure's overall durability." ■ San Fransisco by the Bay 5/25/12 11:56:02 AM

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