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DECEMBER 2017 | 47 1075 Pandora RENDERINGS COURTESY COX DEVELOPMENTS LTD. 1075 Pandora by ROBIN BRUNET W ith the completion of 1075 Pandora, Victoria in B.C. obtains what many say is long overdue: a badly needed addition to the city's apartment rental pool. But equally importantly, the 134-unit purpose-built complex has already been credited for raising the bar with regards to what rental units can be. The complex, owned and developed by Cox Developments, consists of three buildings and ground floor commercial space, with each structure linked by bridges over a lower-level podium. Despite being a rental complex, 1075 Pandora is finished with all the luxuries one would expect in a moderate to high- end condo: every suite has a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. Cox Developments ensured that the design would result in a home for everyone, including families with children; accordingly, there is a secure second floor playground with a closed circuit camera. Extra wide courtyard corridors open to the outside, allowing for residents to walk their bicycles to their doors (each of the 134 suites has its own front door bike rack). The concept for 1075 Pandora evolved through necessity, according to Cox Developments' president Dan Cox. "My father, Steve Cox and I have owned several rental buildings, and in 2011, while identifying a market need for more units, we came across a 23,000-square-foot site containing an old 7,000-square-foot office in Victoria's downtown core and realized it would be the perfect location for our next development," he says. The rezoning process took longer than usual but resulted in 1075 Pandora being the first project to be approved under the city's downtown core development plan. Cox adds that he and his father had a distinct idea of what the project should consist of, and when they retained HDR/ CEI Architecture Associates to further develop the site, "we literally drew the rough shape of the buildings on a napkin, and they took it from there." Cox adds that the reason the three buildings would be connected by inner walkways "was because we hate hallways: they require cleaning all the time. Plus, without corridors there would be no heating and less lighting required, which would greatly reduce operating costs." Three buildings rather than one would mitigate a "monolithic" apartment effect and provide a more intimate living experience. Two of the buildings would each consist of four suites, with the third consisting of five suites. "We decided that each building would face a different street, with the walkways being protected by overhead glass canopies," says Cox. "This would be augmented with oversize elevators for residents and their bicycles." The developer says of HDR/CEI, "they immediately understood our vision and ran with it," and architect Curtis Knichel notes that in addition to dividing the project into three blocks, the blocks "are separated by a T-shaped breezeway to provide for natural ventilation of the common areas and cross ventilation of the individual units – a primary program requirement of the developer." He adds that voids between the suspended walkways "allow for visual connection between floors." HDR/CEI created two separate outdoor gathering spaces for the residents in addition to the children's play area: an 11th-floor, south-facing patio with views of the Olympic Mountains, the harbour and the ocean; and an art lounge on the second floor with a stair leading directly to the street and green space along Pandora. HDR/CEI also created something that is increasingly uncommon for the B.C. rental market. Windows on both sides of each of the two bedroom suites were incorporated into the design, in order for the second bedroom to have glazing and increase the value of the property overall. Interior finishes included sandblasted ceilings and columns, exposed and painted sprinkler pipes and high lacquer white kitchens, while concrete floor hallways would do away with carpet maintenance. "All these elements are LOCATION 1075 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Cox Developments Ltd. ARCHITECT HDR/CEI Architecture Associates, Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Farmer Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL/ BUILDING ENVELOPE CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT AME Consulting Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT WSP Canada Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT LADR Landscape Architects TOTAL SIZE 104,000 square feet TOTAL COST $40 million

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