Optima Condo Development in Sherwood Park Sets Standards for Sustainable Urban Design and Construction

Sherwood Park, Alberta. Phase 1 of Salisbury Village's sustainable urban neighbourhood has officially commenced with the construction of Optima at Wye Road Crossing condos in Sherwood Park.

With neighbourhood density and sustainability being hot button topics for urban planners across Canada, construction of Optima Condos at Wye Road Crossing brings new standards for sustainable residential development to Sherwood Park. Breaking new ground in design and construction, Optima Condos takes Sherwood Park a step towards becoming a center of excellence for sustainable development.

The first development in Phase 1 of Salisbury Village, Optima at Wye Road Crossing is an innovative 3-storey, 50 unit condominium property in Sherwood Park. Featuring contemporary, sustainable urban design and advanced building technology. Designed by Ziola NewStudio Architecture and developed by Sherwood Park's Core Developments in partnership with ReSol Financial Group, Optima Condo's stylish urban flats are constructed with enduring, energy efficient materials; taking the lead in implementing Strathcona County guidelines for sustainable urban neighbourhood development.

As land absorption for development in Sherwood Park is nearing capacity, Strathcona County Government adopted a sustainable urban neighbourhood model last year, incorporating key criteria similar to BuiltGreenTM Canada and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Canada. These criteria would eventually make up Bylaw 18-2010 (as related to the approved development plan for Salisbury Village).

"With the County's sustainable urban development model being relatively new and only adopted on paper (thus far) by other developers, we saw that Optima was going to break ground first and end up becoming the actual pilot project," said Optima Condos Managing Construction Partner, Norm Toddington. "We happily accepted the position as it gave us the opportunity to bring a lot of clarity to the bylaw and guidelines in terms of what was realistic, achievable and of most benefit to the community and the home owner."

During the concept development and planning of Emerald Hills - a sustainable urban neighbourhood in Sherwood Park that has yet to commence residential construction - Strathcona County's Infrastructure and Planning Services created the SUN (Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood) Design Team to work closely with property developers.

"The SUN Design Team was originally set up to provide support for urban village property developers during the planning stages along with overseeing development to ensure that Strathcona County guidelines and standards for sustainable urban development we're being met," said Sarah Feldman, Senior Advisor, Sustainable Infrastructure and Planning.

The Optima team seized the opportunity to create the benchmark for what will become new standards for residential property development and construction in Sherwood Park. Optima Condos invites you to view a comprehensive breakdown of Optima's sustainability standards in relation to Bylaw 18-2010 for their new condos in Sherwood Park.

"This is new territory for all of us," said Toddington. "The Optima team, along with Strathcona County, have done a massive amount of planning to achieve as many criteria as possible, and during the process we found an opportunity to take many areas of our design, materials and construction to higher standards than were originally envisioned without adding to each condo unit's price tag - which is a win for everyone," he remarked.

Materials such as low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) -emitting paints, floor coverings and adhesives ensure healthier indoor environments while east-west building orientation, pitched roofs, balcony design, larger windows and higher ceilings promote passive heating/cooling, adding to the energy efficiency of each condo unit. Durable building materials including HardieBoardTM fiber cement siding, 3-part stucco and stone have been selected to achieve a long-lasting building envelope with DupontTM Thru-Wall Flashing maximizing moisture resistance.

With the sales office officially open and construction moving ahead of schedule, Optima at Wye Road Crossing anticipates completion of their Sherwood Park condos in August of 2012.

About Optima
Optima at Wye Road Crossing is the pilot property of Phase 1 in Salisbury Village, Strathcona County's first- and only- sustainable urban neighbourhood. Designed for forward-thinking homebuyers seeking an alternative to standard residential properties in Sherwood Park, Optima at Wye Road Crossing is an innovative 3-storey walk-up condo complex comprised of 50 stylish urban flats featuring contemporary and sustainable urban design and enduring, energy efficient building materials.

Optima at Wye Road Crossing
279 Wye Road, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada T8B 0A4
Sales Centre: 780 499 9170
Web: www.optimacondos.ca
Email: info@optimacondos.ca