DIGITAL DOWNLOW Wearable health technology
E CHESTERMER
OPEN HOUSE PARADE
A4
IF A TREE FALLS IN THE FOREST, YYC CARES
SAT. FEB. 11 1-5 PM A6-A7
Calgary’s urban forest is ripe for renewal A10
FREE feb 10 to feb 16 2017 issue 07-05 editorial 403-781-1324 advertising 403-263-4940 crebnow@creb.ca
real estate news from industry experts
THINKING INSIDE
Local company eyes future shipping container developments in Calgary
THE BOX
MARTY HOPE
For CREB®Now
T
hey travel across the ocean from Asia all the way to Canada and, until recently, these steel shipping containers were considered surplus. If a local company gets its way, however, these repurposed shipping containers could provide part of the solution to affordable and special needs housing demands in Calgary. “We are currently looking at a couple of different projects in Calgary,” said Rhys Kane, director of business development for Ladacor
PHOTOS COURTESY LADACOR ADVANCED MODULAR SYSTEMS
Calgary’s Ladacor Advanced Modular Systems is turning unused shipping containers into affordable housing solutions.
1644 931
947
1227
1483
1567
1923
2028 1746
1588
C
763
879
1127
1263
1421
1764
1995 1448
1217
CREB® STAFF
JAN15 FEB15 MAR15 APR15 MAY15 JUN15 JUL15 AUG15 SEP15 OCT15 NOV15 DEC15 JAN16 FEB16 MAR16 APR16 MAY16 JUN16 JUL16 AUG16 SEP16 OCT16 NOV16 DEC16 JAN17
880
CMLC ANNOUNCES DESIGN TEAM FOR VICTORIA PARK REVAMP
MLS® TOTAL SALES* JAN ’15 – JAN ’17
2184 1643
1782
1957
2190
CITY OF CALGARY
*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity. Includes detached, attached and apartment.
Advanced Modular Systems. “They would be multi-family apartments and seniors’ independent-living projects of six- to eight-storeys.” While this would be a first for Calgary, Ladacor has designed and built detached homes, multi-storey hotels, multi-family structures, and seniors’ facilities from decommissioned containers in smaller centres and First Nations communities in Alberta, in Edmonton, and other locations across Canada. Unless you know they are former shipping containers, there’s really no way to spot these developments with the naked eye. “All finishes are typical of any similar conventionallybuilt project from insulation to drywall and from flooring to millwork,” said Kane. “By the time they are finished they look like any other conventional building.” And, he adds, there are benefits from going the container route. “Ladacor is able to provide a cost-effective housing project that can compete with the cost of a conventional wood building, go up in half the time, and offer
algary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the organization responsible for breathing life back into Calgary’s East Village, has announced the design team responsible for the development of a master plan vision for Victoria Park. The plan includes a cultural and entertainment district in downtown Calgary’s east end.
all of the benefits of steel, non-combustible, life-cycle costs,” he said, adding that the structures are built inside Ladacor’s 28,500-square-foot Ramsay facility and delivered to the building site for final assembly. Stephen Pearce, a planner with the City of Calgary, says issues with using shipping containers as housing are primarily related to the building code and other safety codes. “The Land Use Bylaw regulates the form and the location of a building, but does not regulate how it is constructed,” he said. “Where a shipping container is used to construct a home on a permanent foundation, it is treated like any other house constructed on a permanent foundation. The land use bylaw does not regulate the construction material.” Ross McDougall, chief building inspector with the City, says using shipping containers for residential purposes “has come up in the past and will most likely continue to come up.”
CONTAINERS A3
CONTENTS NEWS BRIEFS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 BUYER PROFILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 TRANSPORTATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Walkable communities
FOREIGN BUYERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 The lure of the West
MONTHLY STATISTICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Excess supply
COMMERCIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Suburban market
MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 OPEN HOUSES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19
VICTORIA PARK A3
LOCATION! LOCATION! $1,399,000 LOCATED ON THE SOUTH MACLEOD TRAIL – 1 ST SE CORRIDOR LEAVING DOWNTOWN CALGARY This character brick and sandstone building offers over 3288 sq. ft. on 4 developed levels. There is 2519 sq. ft. above ground and over 900 sq. Ft lower level development. This two and a half storey building was built with double brick and sandstone construction. The interior space offers a main reception area, 7 offices, 2 conference rooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, extensive storage and work areas, plus a top floor residential apartment option. There are 4 entrances/exits. Substantially upgraded over the past 5 years. The city mixed use district allows for commercial, residential uses. Situated one block from the LRT station, close to the Stampede Convention Centre, Saddledome, Lindsay Park. Parking for 4 cars, additional 3 could be added. MLS®C4090798
@crebnow
CREBNow
@crebnow
www.crebnow.com
LESLIE KISS
403-861-4035
lkiss@sutton.com sutton.com/sg/lkiss