This morning, a crowd formed on the site of a recently-demolished retail plaza at Yonge and Grandview Avenue—just across the Toronto boundary in Thornhill—gathering at the future site of Devron DevelopmentsThe Vanguard, a 25-storey Kirkor Architects-designed condominium tower. With construction equipment waiting in the wings, an event tent was onsite to host a crowd of purchasers and representatives of the various companies working together on the project, all eager to celebrate the start of construction.

Ground breaking for The Vanguard, image by Jack Landau

Before the ceremonial shovels hit the dirt, some time was taken for remarks, including a welcome to the neighbourhood from Devron COO and Grandview area resident Pouyan Safapour. Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti also addressed the crowd, telling how the project's boost in density for the area factors into the local aspiration to see an extension of the Yonge subway bring rapid transit into Thornhill.

Pouyan Safapour, COO of Devron Developments, image by Jack Landau

Following remarks, Chairperson of the Grandview Area Residents Association, Ricardo Mashregi,  Scarpitti, Safapour, President of Devron Ron Safapour, and Chief Development Officer at Devron Safa Safapour (L-R in the image below) all posed for a ceremonial soil-turning, marking the official start of construction at The Vanguard.

Ground breaking for The Vanguard, image by Jack Landau

The project is notable for its extensive use of environmentally-conscious features, which include a building-wide water filtration system, exercise bikes that feed power back into the building’s grid, 4 Tesla charging stations, 6 universal charging stations, and a rainwater car wash system. Locally sourced materials will also be used during the construction process, further reducing the development's carbon footprint.

The Vanguard, image courtesy of Devron Developments

Additional information and renderings can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.

Related Companies:  Devron Developments, II BY IV DESIGN, Quest Window Systems, RDS, SKYGRiD, Snaile Inc.