Fusing residential, commercial, retail, and service properties creates an engaging environment with things to do day and night. Walkable neighborhoods bring people together, create life on the streets, and make good neighborhoods, not just good buildings.
Transit oriented developments (TODs) are emerging as vibrant urban neighborhoods, with strong gateways that ensure connectivity within and through the surrounding areas while ensuring streets, parks, and open space are "placemakers." In Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, the expansion of the VivaNext bus network and addition of a new subway station created an opportunity to transform this area into a dynamic urban hub.
Among the many design principles of high-quality design to create spaces with distinct character, is the directive to use unique, characteristic and high-quality materials that will harmonize with the architectural design and reduce long-term maintenance and life-cycle costs. The high-quality materials used for streetscapes, parks, and open spaces set the precedence for the quality of built forms within the community.
Unilock® Promenade™ Plank Paver was chosen for its shape, lending to trendsetting patterning, while the Series™ finish was chosen for its outstanding surface durability. Unlike standard thru-mix pavers, the Series finish will only look more beautiful as it wears, exposing more of the product’s natural granite and quartz aggregates.
Although the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is in the early stages of its planned 30 city blocks, the first building features an elongated public park that will stretch across the heart of the area. Its stunning paving pattern has set the stage for future phases, and will serve to visually knit together the new downtown.
For more information, visit unilock.com.
Related Stories
| Oct 18, 2013
Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal
When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread.
| Oct 7, 2013
10 award-winning metal building projects
The FDNY Fireboat Firehouse in New York and the Cirrus Logic Building in Austin, Texas, are among nine projects named winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Award by the Metal Construction Association for outstanding design and construction.
| Oct 7, 2013
Reimagining the metal shipping container
With origins tracing back to the mid-1950s, the modern metal shipping container continues to serve as a secure, practical vessel for transporting valuable materials. However, these reusable steel boxes have recently garnered considerable attention from architects and constructors as attractive building materials.
| Oct 4, 2013
Sydney to get world's tallest 'living' façade
The One Central Park Tower development consists of two, 380-foot-tall towers covered in a series of living walls and vertical gardens that will extend the full height of the buildings.
| Oct 4, 2013
Mack Urban, AECOM acquire six acres for development in LA's South Park district
Mack Urban and AECOM Capital, the investment fund of AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE: ACM), have acquired six acres of land in downtown Los Angeles’ South Park district located in the central business district (CBD).
| Sep 24, 2013
8 grand green roofs (and walls)
A dramatic interior green wall at Drexel University and a massive, 4.4-acre vegetated roof at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center in Kansas City are among the projects honored in the 2013 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence.
| Sep 23, 2013
Six-acre Essex Crossing development set to transform vacant New York property
A six-acre parcel on the Lower East Side of New York City, vacant since tenements were torn down in 1967, will be the site of the new Essex Crossing mixed-use development. The product of a compromise between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and various interested community groups, the complex will include ~1,000 apartments.
| Sep 20, 2013
August housing starts reveal multifamily still healthy but single-family stagnating
Peter Muoio, Ph.D., senior principal and economist with Auction.com Research, says the Census Bureau's August Housing Starts data released yesterday hints at improvements in the single-family sector with multifamily slowing down.
| Sep 19, 2013
What we can learn from the world’s greenest buildings
Renowned green building author, Jerry Yudelson, offers five valuable lessons for designers, contractors, and building owners, based on a study of 55 high-performance projects from around the world.
| Sep 19, 2013
6 emerging energy-management glazing technologies
Phase-change materials, electrochromic glass, and building-integrated PVs are among the breakthrough glazing technologies that are taking energy performance to a new level.
