Sustainability key to the draw of Duet

Vancouver Sun by Simon Briault

The sales centre for Duet in Burquitlam Plaza at 552 Clarke Road features a demonstration of Adera’s noise-reducing technology. Potential buyers can compare noise levels in specially constructed rooms built either to standard code or using QuietHome.

Adera has been in operation for 50 years and the company is celebrating the milestone with the launch of Duet, a 72-home project that will be noteworthy for sustainability in multi-family residential living. Eric Andreasen, Adera’s vice-president of marketing and sales, says the quality of the building is set to be a big selling point.

“We’ve always been a leader in sustainability and we’ve only built in wood in 50 years,” he said. “We’re taking that concept to the next level with ‘SmartWood’, which will allow us to beat code when it comes to sustainability. Financially, it’s cheaper to operate on a monthly basis and it’s also helping the planet.”

“Duet will also incorporate what we’ve trademarked as QuietHome,” Andreasen added. “This is a propriety system of floor design and dividing walls that means our buildings perform better than the competition when it comes to the acoustics. Sound transmission is significantly reduced.”

The sales centre for Duet in Burquitlam Plaza at 552 Clarke Road features a demonstration of Adera’s noise-reducing technology. Potential buyers can compare noise levels in specially constructed rooms built either to standard code or using QuietHome.

Duet also features cross-laminated timber — or CLT — in the floors and elevator shafts of the building. A carbon-sequestering material that uses wood from sustainably managed forests, CLT performs as well if not better than concrete in numerous ways, according to Andreasen. Adera has installed an example at the Duet sales centre so that visitors will be able to experience it for themselves.

Andreasen said the location of the six-storey residential building less than three blocks from the Burquitlam SkyTrain station on the boundary of Burnaby and West Coquitlam is also likely to prove popular with a wide range of buyers. In its neighbourhood plan for the area, the City of Coquitlam envisioned a walkable, complete and transit-oriented neighbourhood with a mix of housing types and access to shopping, jobs and amenities. Duet is part of that transformation, according to Andreasen.

“It’s a very attractive part of the greater Vancouver area right now in terms of the value it offers and the accessibility it provides to downtown,” he said. “Duet will give people an affordable place to live, but also allows them to go anywhere with the SkyTrain or West Coast Express very easily – rapid transit on your doorstep.”

“In times when people are getting a bit more discerning about where they spend their money, they want to make sure they’re buying from somebody who’s been around and has the experience they can count on,” Andreason added. “Over 50 years we’ve worked with the very best trades and consultants in the industry and we’re confident in the product that we’re going to build.”

As for the homes themselves, kitchens will feature quartz slab countertops with porcelain tile backsplashes and single-handle faucets with pull-down sprays in matte black finishes. The appliance packages are a combination of KitchenAid and Fisher & Paykel.

Homes at Duet come in two colour schemes, but there’s plenty of opportunity to customize. Adera’s I.D. By Me program allows buyers to personalize kitchens, bathrooms and living areas according to their liking. Options under the program include custom millwork, upgrades to the kitchen appliances, swapping out the tub for a shower with pivoting glass door and adding space-saving custom closet organizers.

Duet will include a common kitchen and lounge, secure bike lockers, a storage locker for every home and electric vehicle-charging stalls. The interior designer for the project is Cynthia Florano Designs and the building was designed by Integra Architecture Inc.

“One of our architectural influences has always been West Coast modern design and we’ve also leaned on natural materials like cedar,” Andreasen said. “You’ll see from the renderings that Duet has a feature corner with extensive use of natural materials that makes the building look really quite impressive.”

Homes at Duet have one to three bedrooms, range in size between 479 and 1,050 square feet and prices start at $394,900. Andreasen said he expects buyers from a wide range of demographics.

“A lot of people grew up in Burnaby and West Coquitlam and have maybe since been living in Yaletown or Kitsilano,” he said. “Many we’ve spoken to are actually coming back to the area or still have family there. Our demographic is going to be people who work downtown and need easy access to it but also want to be able to afford a home in this marketplace where it’s very expensive to own real estate.”

“We’re also seeing moms and dads who are looking at Duet on behalf of their kids, who may be students at SFU, which is very close by,” Andreasen added. “We’ve had a significant amount of interest already and there’s only 72 homes to choose from. We expect people will get in pretty quickly.”

Duet

Project location: 707 Como Lake Avenue, Coquitlam

Project size: 72 homes with one to three bedrooms; 479 —1,050 square feet; prices starting at $394,900

Developer: Adera

Architect: Integra Architecture Inc.

Interior designer: Cynthia Florano Designs

Sales centre: #106 – 552 Clark Road Coquitlam

Sales centre hours: noon — 5 p.m., daily

Sales phone: 604-937-9688

Website: Adera.com/Duet

 

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