READ AT THE LONDON FREE PRESS
It may resemble a grass-covered spaceship that landed in a west London field, but a developer believes a proposed townhouse project is the future of home construction.
Eve Park at 1395 Riverbend Rd. now has the green light from London city hall. The 80-unit project in Sifton’s West 5 development will feature an earth- and skylight-covered roof that curves to the ground, giving it an other worldly appearance.
Its futuristic design also extends to a unique mechanical lift parking garage with 84 spaces. The tower stacks vehicles in a lift system, which brings them to ground level for drivers. The tower design reduces the footprint of the building. It will include electric vehicle charging stations.
“We are so excited. We have been watching this area for a while,” and the time is right to build, said Ashley Hammerbacher, Eve Park project lead for developer s2e Technologies, which has its Canadian office in St. Jacobs.
“We want this to be sustainable. The entire project is net zero (energy),” meaning it will balance greenhouse gases caused by the development with greenhouse gases reduced and not adversely impact the environment.
The project features four circular buildings from one to five storeys tall. Its solar panels will make its energy use 100 per cent renewable. The fifth level will be a community amenity space.
“We wanted to see what a neighbourhood would look like without celebrating cars, roads, driveways and garages. What will a home look like if we moved away from that? And our architects gave us a circular design that is unique,” said Hammerbacher.
S2e Technologies has not yet built a residential tower but has developed two large solar panel projects in Ontario with Samsung Renewable Energy.
Hammerbacher has heard rumblings some in London’s development community believe the group will be challenged to build Eve Park.
“We have heard that,” she said of criticism the project will be too costly to construct, the company has not pre-sold any units and is not an experienced residential builder.
“We are working hard to break the misconception that different is expensive. We are determined to work with partners to show what is possible. It is achievable,” she said.
If Eve Park is built, it will receive $2.4 million from the federal government for the unique garage as part of a program to support its green initiatives.
Hammerbacher declined comment on what the building will cost.
