Promenade pavers fuse mixed spaces in Ontario's emerging 30-block transit oriented development

Fusing residential, commercial, retail, and service properties creates an engaging environment with things to do day and night. Walkable neighborhoods bring people together, create life on the streets, and make good neighborhoods, not just good buildings.

Transit oriented developments (TODs) are emerging as vibrant urban neighborhoods, with strong gateways that ensure connectivity within and through the surrounding areas while ensuring streets, parks, and open space are "placemakers." In Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, the expansion of the VivaNext bus network and addition of a new subway station created an opportunity to transform this area into a dynamic urban hub.

Among the many design principles of high-quality design to create spaces with distinct character, is the directive to use unique, characteristic and high-quality materials that will harmonize with the architectural design and reduce long-term maintenance and life-cycle costs. The high-quality materials used for streetscapes, parks, and open spaces set the precedence for the quality of built forms within the community.

Unilock® Promenade™ Plank Paver was chosen for its shape, lending to trendsetting patterning, while the Series™ finish was chosen for its outstanding surface durability. Unlike standard thru-mix pavers, the Series finish will only look more beautiful as it wears, exposing more of the product’s natural granite and quartz aggregates.

Although the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is in the early stages of its planned 30 city blocks, the first building features an elongated public park that will stretch across the heart of the area. Its stunning paving pattern has set the stage for future phases, and will serve to visually knit together the new downtown.

For more information, visit unilock.com.

The line separating hospitality and residential living keeps getting thinner. Multifamily developers are attracting renters and owners to their properties with hotel-like amenities and services. Post-COVID, more business travelers are building in extra days to their trips for leisure. Buildings that mix hotel rooms with for-sale or rental apartments are increasingly common.

MFPRO+ New Projects | Aug 10, 2023

Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward gets a 21-story, 162-unit multifamily residential building

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Senior Living Design | Aug 7, 2023

Putting 9 senior living market trends into perspective

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Affordable housing multifamily development with artistic exterior at night

Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2023

6 multifamily housing projects win 2023 LEED Homes Awards

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Eagle + West tower, Brooklyn, by OMA, Beyer Blinder Belle Photo: John Cole

MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 27, 2023

OMA, Beyer Blinder Belle design a pair of sculptural residential towers in Brooklyn

Eagle + West, composed of two sculptural residential towers with complementary shapes, have added 745 rental units to a post-industrial waterfront in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rising from a mixed-use podium on an expansive site, the towers include luxury penthouses on the top floors, numerous market rate rental units, and 30% of units designated for affordable housing.

Designed by Gensler to feel like a college campus, The HAY Center includes 50 efficiency-style apartment units with full kitchens as well as washers and dryers. Rendering: Gensler

Affordable Housing | Jul 27, 2023

Houston to soon have 50 new residential units for youth leaving foster care

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Adaptive Reuse | Jul 27, 2023

Number of U.S. adaptive reuse projects jumps to 122,000 from 77,000

The number of adaptive reuse projects in the pipeline grew to a record 122,000 in 2023 from 77,000 registered last year, according to RentCafe’s annual Adaptive Reuse Report. Of the 122,000 apartments currently undergoing conversion, 45,000 are the result of office repurposing, representing 37% of the total, followed by hotels (23% of future projects).