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With new construction underway on the second phase of development at the master-planned Mount Pleasant Village community in Brampton, the site is primed to receive a diverse typology of new housing through a project that also achieves industry-leading standards for sustainable design and building operations. Continuing The Daniels Corporation’s efforts in the development of the community’s first phase, the 26-storey tower now approaching completion a few hundred metres to the east, the second phase, dubbed Daniels MPV 2, will see the construction of two mid-rise buildings standing 11 and 14 storeys, as well as seven 3-storey stacked townhouses, all crafted by sustainable design specialists, Lemay.
For Lemay, the project’s design began with the firm’s signature Net Positive approach, which frames the design process around three factors: health, the environment, and carbon emission reduction. Operating within this framework, the designers worked with sustainability lead RDH Building Science Services to come up with a plan that would not only minimize operational carbon emissions of the various buildings, but would also reduce the emissions generated through the production and maintenance of the material components as well; this is what’s known as a whole-life carbon commitment.
Beginning with a look at the site plan of Daniels MPV 2, the project maximizes its irregular site with a mix of built structures and a network of pedestrian paths in order to deliver density in a way in a way that balances livability. The mid-rise component delivers 314 units and fronts the main street, while the townhouse component, made up of seven small clusters of 3-storey stacked townhouses positioned back-to-back, adds another 120 units to the area directly behind the taller buildings, enjoying some separation from the main road. In terms of massing, the mid-rises employ a long, rectangular footprint, and the facades are broken up into four quadrants to add visual interest, with copper-toned accents bringing dashes of warmth and colour.
While the structures occupying Block B are to be constructed with concrete as the primary framing material, sustainable operations are achieved in other ways, beginning with fully electric systems; heating and cooling is handled by a geo-thermal system that works in concert with electric heat pumps, eliminating the need for gas-powered climate control, while all appliances also run exclusively on electricity. Interestingly, the townhouses have also been treated with rooftop photovoltaic arrays, allowing them to supplement energy consumption through an off-grid solar power supply.
Lemay is also working with Daniels on a second project right next door, that will expand the community further with the development of a parcel of land currently referred to as Block A. Lemay’s design for this block contemplates the creation of two long and narrow mid-rise buildings constructed with mass timber, each standing six-storeys and joined by a central single-storey volume, to offer a total of 158 units. With heights just above 25 metres, the buildings are well scaled for Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction, and feature a simple rectangular massing that is augmented slightly by a projecting volume on the outside edge of both buildings. An offset cladding treatment on the two long elevations of each building also works to break up the continuous condition of the street-wall.
Both buildings will be built to meet the standard of Passive House design, a voluntary standard that represents one of the highest levels of building efficiency. Passive House buildings can operate on extremely low amounts of energy, largely through the employment of a sophisticated building envelope that not only insulates the building from external temperature changes, but also stores energy from interior forces like body heat. For Block A, this is accomplished through the use of Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS) cladding, which incorporates insulation and vapour barriers into a single panelling system, providing the building with a tight and efficient envelope that also offers continuous insulation.
Returning to the Net Positive design framework, the various sustainable building technologies employed in the construction of both communities are also coupled with an overall site plan that minimizes vehicle use. Internally, the design boasts a pedestrian-oriented streetscape featuring landscaped walkways that draw heavily on native plant species to populate spaces like shared gardens. Meanwhile, beyond the community borders, the site’s immediate adjacency to Mount Pleasant GO Station positions the entire project within a transit-oriented scope.
With construction getting underway to bring these projects to life, Lemay’s designs reflect an effort to plan ahead for the long term viability of this project as a sustainable and livable community.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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