It may not reach the heights of Willy Wonka’s everything-is-edible room, but The Plant, a new mixed-use community planned for Toronto’s West Queen West neighborhood, puts an emphasis on surrounding residents with food.
It is this focus on food that differentiates The Plant from other mixed-use projects. “It might seem extreme, but we orientated this entire project around our connection to food,” says Gary Eisen, Partner at Curated Properties, in a release.
The majority of the building’s amenities are food centric, such as an internal greenhouse to cultivate seeds and act as a nursery for starting up plants and an industrial style kitchen designed to host seasonal preparations of food and host social events.
Each unit comes with custom micro-garden beds for fresh herbs built into sidecars in the kitchen. The units also all come with balconies or terraces with space for plants, furniture, and a barbeque. Angular construction enables sunlight to flow into the suites to aid in growing plants indoors.
Rendering courtesy of Curated Properties.
“The balconies and terraces at The Plant are really more like an 8-story porch,” says Jonathan Westeinde, CEO of Windmill Developments, in a release. “They have their own structure, with railings and lattices, as well as a thermal break. So not only are they large and spacious, but they’re orientated to work with the sun and encourage plant life to take hold.”
In addition to the residential aspect, the mixed-use community will offer ground floor retail and office space on the second floor. It is the hopes of the developers that the business and tenants that rent out these spaces will share the same ideals of sustainability and social responsibility.
Curated Properties and Windmill Developments have teamed up on the 10-story building that will offer units ranging from one-bedroom suites to four-bedroom townhomes. The main goal of The Plant is to work towards a self-sustaining, self-reliant residence and be a beacon for “agri-tecture.”
A total of 77 units will be included in the project with prices starting at $500,000.
Rendering courtesy of Curated Properties.
Rendering courtesy of Curated Properties.
Rendering courtesy of Curated Properties.
Related Stories
Affordable Housing | Nov 16, 2023
Habitat receives approval for $400 million affordable housing redevelopment
Chicago-based Habitat, a leading U.S. multifamily developer and property manager, announced that its $400 million redevelopment of Marine Drive Apartments in Buffalo, N.Y., has received planned unit development (PUD) approval by the Buffalo Common Council.
Laboratories | Nov 8, 2023
Boston’s FORUM building to support cutting-edge life sciences research and development
Global real estate companies Lendlease and Ivanhoé Cambridge recently announced the topping-out of FORUM, a nine-story, 350,000-sf life science building in Boston. Located in Boston Landing, a 15-acre mixed-use community, the $545 million project will achieve operational net zero carbon upon completion in 2024.
Retail Centers | Nov 7, 2023
Omnichannel experiences, mixed-use development among top retail design trends for 2023-2024
Retailer survival continues to hinge on retail design trends like blending online and in-person shopping and mixing retail with other building types, such as offices and residential.
Condominiums | Nov 6, 2023
Douglas Elliman launches its first Metro D.C. condominium project
Douglas Elliman, one of the largest independent residential real estate brokerages in the United States, announced last week that the firm will be handling the sales and marketing for Ten501 at City Centre West.
Mass Timber | Oct 27, 2023
Five winners selected for $2 million Mass Timber Competition
Five winners were selected to share a $2 million prize in the 2023 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon. The competition was co-sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board and USDA Forest Service (USDA) with the intent “to demonstrate mass timber’s applications in architectural design and highlight its significant role in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment.”
Affordable Housing | Oct 20, 2023
Cracking the code of affordable housing
Perkins Eastman's affordable housing projects show how designers can help to advance the conversation of affordable housing.
Luxury Residential | Oct 18, 2023
One Chicago wins 2023 International Architecture Award
One Chicago, a two-tower luxury residential and mixed-use complex completed last year, has won the 2023 International Architecture Award. The project was led by JDL Development and designed in partnership between architecture firms Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.
Mixed-Use | Oct 17, 2023
Long-gestating entertainment district may get started in Orlando later this year
The DeVos family, who own the Orlando Magic pro basketball team, has chosen two development partners.
Office Buildings | Oct 16, 2023
The impact of office-to-residential conversion on downtown areas
Gensler's Duanne Render looks at the incentives that could bring more office-to-residential conversions to life.
Mixed-Use | Oct 9, 2023
A coastal California city reawakens its downtown
The Prado West mixed-use redevelopment gives Dana Point a new look.