The tallest towers at Yonge and Eglinton were born in
controversy, as tall towers in well-loved neighbourhoods tend to be. But, as if
to make it up to the community, Minto Midtown applied for and, just this month,
received its
LEED Gold certification. At 891 suites in two towers, the
development is now the largest condominium to get LEED Gold.
"It's a landmark," says Andrew Pride, who heads up the
10-person Minto Green Team. "Its green certification is a testament to where
condominium development is going in Canada."
He's right. Minto itself has two other LEED certified condo
buildings. Radiance@Minto Gardens (at Yonge and Sheppard) was the first
multi-unit high-rise to achieve any sort of LEED certification in Canada, and
the Minto Roehampton (near Yonge and Mt Pleasant) was the first multi-family
building in Canada to get Gold.
But it's not just Minto, Tridel is also pinning much of its
public image on its greenery. And in the commercial realm, on Oct. 1, Cadillac
Fairview opened its 1.2million square foot RBC Centre at 155 Wellington, which
was also built to LEED Gold standards (though it's not yet been certified).
As part of its certification, more than half of the building
materials used to construct the two towers came from less than 600 km away,
including several significant ingredients, like concrete and fill, coming from
the GTA itself. The towers also collect and redistribute rainwater, have Zip
cars available onsite for sharing, and have 5 bicycles per tower for owner and
tenant use.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Minto Group Inc