On December 1, Quadrangle Architects submitted a building permit application to the City of Toronto for a six-storey wood-frame condo to be located at 1884 Queen St. East. The application for Heartwood the Beach Condos takes advantage of the provincial Building Code increasing the permitted number of storeys of a wood-frame residential building from four to six on January 1, 2015.

“This is a huge step forward for low-impact density in Toronto,” said Quadrangle principal Richard Witt. “We hope that it will lead to very different living environments, defined by loft-like interiors with exposed wood beams and floors but rendered in a contemporary language.”

Fieldgate Urban and Hallmark Developments brought on Quadrangle to design the residential building for the northeast corner of Queen St. East and Woodbine Ave., located in Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood, due to Quadrangle’s advocacy for the potential of wood construction.

Wood-frame construction allows for a high-quality, safe product to be delivered faster than a typical development with reduced environmental impact. Much of the wood components in this development, such as floor and wall slabs, as well as the building’s exterior, will be prefabricated and then assembled onsite, reducing costs.

The Quadrangle team, led by principals Richard Witt and Caroline Robbie, designed the architecture and interior design of the building to showcase the wood construction. Expansive glazing will showcase the building’s wood features, such as exposed wood ceilings and walls. Heartwood the Beach Condos will house about 40 units, ranging from 740 to 1500 square feet and about 6,000 square feet of retail space.

Construction on Heartwood the Beach is expected to start by March 2016, with a delivery date slated for early 2017.