HKF Construction’s Post

Second phase of our Arbors project

This is an excellent article. There is much to agree with in Create Streets' message: prioritising active travel and pedestrian movement, higher density development and increasing urban greening and tree cover for example. However I think the profession and the Labour Party should be wary of their arguments around style and the insistence that 'people' prefer traditional architecture and urban spaces. An argument which is underpinned by some questionable surveys and studies (https://lnkd.in/ejNVf4qJ). Good architecture and placemaking is multi-faceted and basing policy on responses to visual imagery alone is a superficial approach to a complex issue. https://lnkd.in/es7R-MkA

Great to see our work still going strong after more than a quarter-century in the Midlands! Matthew Montague Architects spotted this investment property at 1–4 Market Place, Cheadle for sale last week. This site, where we secured listed building consent 21 years ago, continues to deliver substantial returns, now offering an impressive 8.93% yield—a solid return on investment. Marketed by our friends at OMEETO, the property combines commercial shops and residential maisonette-style units. Achieving nearly 9% on a property valued at £800,000 highlights a favourable rental market in Cheadle and underscores the enduring appeal of properties with this mix of historical character and modern function. We believe well-preserved listed buildings preserve architectural character and bring sustainable robust investment potential. This Cheadle property showcases how the right blend of historic preservation and design can attract strong, stable returns in today’s market. Christopher Wright Matthew Montague #architecture #investment #listedbuildings

Huge day as the #BCGov announces FREE standardized housing design plans to residents of BC. The plans are modular (choose your base! choose your roof!) and allow for aesthetic variety within a neighborhood, ensuring we avoid 'cookie cutter' aesthetic pitfalls. They are also energy modelled to meet Step 4 or 5 in climate zone 5. Oh, and did I mention they are FREE? Still, more work remains. Challenges remain in financing these projects, particularly when builds are modular. Home owners will also need to weigh the pros and cons of stratification, and whether to sell or rent units on their lot. At the same time, it's crazy to think how far we've come on the housing file in the last few years. Housing targets for municipalities, standardized municipal finance tools, provincial upzoning, STR regulation, single egress stairs! These designs are one more sign that #BritishColumbia is a North American leader in addressing the housing affordability crisis. I encourage everyone to check out the Small Housing Gentle Density toolkit (linked below). Whether you are a builder, planner, designer, homeowner-developer, or general housing nerd. The toolkit is the ultimate resource for those interested in addressing the housing affordability crisis, no matter your expertise or political perspective. #residentialconstruction #housingaffordability #newhomes #stepcode

The next series is about affordable housing over the last thirty years of Rietveld Architects New York. This is an old one. A very low key, pedestrian friendly infill project of 64 row- and courtyard houses. Half of which are in the "Social housing" catagory. A left over triangular piece of land between housing from the 60's, 70's and 80's.... 1

Enjoying the architecture and craftsmanship of historic homes may be enticing. But ownership often comes with a hefty price. Check out the pros and cons. #historichomes #realestate #Realtor #homebuying #history

49-Storey Waterfront Tower Proposed at Spadina and Queens Quay Prominently positioned along Downtown #Toronto’s Central Waterfront, Arkfield Development is proposing a 49-storey mixed-use tower at 10 Lower Spadina Avenue. Designed by BDP Quadrangle, the #condominium would include ground-floor commercial space, with architectural gestures intended to represent Lake #Ontario’s waves and a height that would bring a notable addition to the city’s Waterfront skyline. The design incorporates a distinctive “notch” at the southeast corner, intended for public art as part of the pedestrian realm. Goldberg Group has submitted Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Control applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of Arkfield following the developer’s acquisition of the site in August, 2024. The proposal envisions a tower rising 163.26m, with a 5-storey podium fronting Queens Quay West and a 3-storey podium along the northern property line. The building would house 511 residential units, predominantly one-bedroom layouts (73%). Five residential elevators in the tower would result in a ratio of approximately one elevator for every 102 units indicating just above optimal wait times. Source: Urban Toronto #BASTET #CANADA #BRITISHCOLUMBIA #ONTARIO #TORONTO #OTTAWA #LONDON #GTA #MANITOBA #ALBERTA #HAMILTON #QUEBEC #NIAGARA #VANCOUVER #CALGARY #RICHMOND #BURNABY #SCARBOROUGH #SURREY #BRAMPTON #COQUITLAM #TORONTO #MISSISSAUGA #ACBIM #ADABIM #ACPBIM #COORDINATION #VALUEENGINEERING #PEERREVIEW #CONSTRUCTIONPLANNING #PROJECTMANAGMENT #REALESTATE #DEVELOPMENT #CONSTRUCTION #DESIGN #RISK #PROJECT

Exciting milestone for infill development with the Province releasing their new standardized designs. Looking forward to seeing how this is received in the industry. The Province also released some interesting costing metrics for the designs and BC Regions (found via the same news release link below). While the assumptions are clearly stated on page 1, the excluded costs are often the most significant areas where cost fluctuations significantly impact the viability of this housing form. A few examples on the excluded items. - Soft Costs: Design & Engineering costs can fluctuate with various municipal or region requirements. Project Financing costs typically fall into this area and are highly variable depending on the borrower's financial strength and the deal metrics. There are some new products coming online to help here. - Utility Connections: We've seen costs range from $8k to $275k for utility connections for similar sized projects, depending on the location and utility company's required upgrades (this isn't always know at time of permit submission) - Existing House Removal: The main goal of this housing form is to redevelop existing suburban neighbourhoods. House removal can be significant cost if there are hazardous materials and potentially stringent recycling requirements for demolishing buildings, depending on the Municipality. It's an exciting time and great to see the efforts in cataloging costs here, but it also highlights the need for more collaboration and programs to reduce risk and incentivize this form of housing for larger uptake. If you're interested in building and have questions - reach out! We've been working with homeowers, developers, and municipalities to develop feasible infill and #gentledensityhomes across BC.

BC takes the lead again on policy for small housing by standardizing small home designs… Standardization of ADU designs is a cornerstone that all participating parties require to move this housing solution forward…#smallhousing #housing #microliving #ADU #BC #offsite #CMHC #jobs #economicstimulus #innovation #energyefficiency #scale

Gordon Wilson Flats is a residential building in central Pōneke / Wellington, completed in 1959. The building was owned by Housing New Zealand and housed 131 people. It is currently owned by Victoria University of Wellington and is unoccupied pending a decision on its future. The flats were renamed in honour of government architect Gordon Wilson who died in its final year of construction. The flats exist as a simulacrum, a story about modernist architecture, about social housing, about the inability to build something new, about heritage, about questions of re-use and embodied carbon and about the impossibility of agreeing. In this age of social media, where we have to take a side, you’re either for them being knocked down or for them being saved. You’re either progressive or reactionary. But isn’t real life a bit more nuanced? All these arguments have to be carefully balanced before any decisions end up being made. The NZIA is having a Pōneke festival of architecture later this year where we’d like to discuss remembering, preserving, heritage, saving, re-using, re-building and all the other ways that old architecture can move forward.