This project is an enhancement and update to the common element spaces of a 1960s multi-residential rental building to add value for clients within an increasingly competitive market.
Due to the boom in condominium construction, investors are inundating the rental market with newly constructed units attached to attractive amenities. To remain competitive, the fresh design and value added features at 45 Balliol have enhanced the building’s desirability and increased tenant applications. The renovated facilities have seen a dramatic increase in use and there are more satisfied and stable tenancies. Additionally, the upgraded infrastructure will reduce operating costs.
Lobbies: Inspired by the original 60s qualities of the building, materials and clean restrained lines were used to create a contemporary yet classic design ambience. A redesigned entry vestibule increases visibility and tenant security. New travertine floors and walls brighten the lobbies and corridors under a suspended wood slat ceiling. This screened ceiling permits access for maintenance, behind which fluorescent fixtures are used with a great diffuse effect. Integrated glass tile accent panels organize room identification and a renovated stair connects parking to public levels and a renovated mail room.
Pool and Gym: Amenities include a drastically renovated pool, change rooms and a new work-out area visible to and from the pool. The vibrant tile pattern is both fun and classic and the large red cross denotes a clear station for emergency signage and equipment which is fluidly integrated with the design. Additional safety signage and custom decals are installed on the glazed partitions which surround the work-out area as a safety vision-strip on the glass.
Residential Corridors: Carpet tiles are used in random, multi-coloured and pattered iterations to create unique identities for each floor level. Additionally, this application allows property management to maintain the corridors in the event of floor stains. The tiles can be replaced at will with no concern over continuity of pattern, colour or dye-lots. Ceilings are comprised of floating acoustical discs and suspended lighting to great effect while the elevator lobbies at each floor re-state the material palate of stone, wall tiles and mirrors that are found in all other public lobby areas.
Management Offices: The Leasing and Management offices undergo a similar makeover giving the sense that the landlord “shares” the qualities of the residents. This create both aesthetic continuity and brand identification but also acts as a type of “model” for perspective new residents who are visiting management and leasing agents.
The building has been retrofitted to meet or exceed barrier free conditions in all areas including the basements, pool, work-out area and change rooms. The aim was to create public spaces which felt open, safe and secure through improved lighting, sight-lines and way finding. It is as pleasurable to come into the building from the underground parking as it is the main entry; to access the mail room as it is the pool and change rooms.
The design takes both a strategic and common-sense approach to sustainability including: automatic faucets, low flow fixtures, efficient lighting, robust lasting materials, an efficient use of space and a new mechanical system which recycles energy to heat the pool.
Full credit is given to the clients who, from the outset have made a commitment to go beyond the “bottom line”. The design is not only transformative, but it delivers a message of good environmental and social health which has clearly added to the value and experience of the tenants. It reinforces that, from a design point of view, our responsibility goes beyond the photographable moment or the seduction of fleeting design trends, to instead create conditions that are only fully appreciated in the day to day experience of a place and to the importance of those design qualities
