Design & Architecture

Tridel, Canada’s largest developer of condos, claims that it’s 24-storey Element building in Toronto’s Entertainment District offers “luxurious and environmentally friendly suites.” To back up the claim, the suites are fitted with Energy Star appliances, the building is cooled with deep lake water from Lake Ontario, and walls are painted with low-VOC paint. Bathrooms have low-flow fixtures and dual flush toilets. They’ve used local materials where possible, and the roof is a light, reflective color to better control temperature (there’s a landscaped terrace on the roof, too). All sounds great. But the “luxurious” side has a few not-so-enviro elements to it: oak staircases and floors, marble window sills, nylon carpet (only the corridor carpet is listed as environmentally preferable). Tridel may not realize that sustainable finishes can be luxurious, but they do realize that being green is a selling point. The more companies that recognize that, the greener they’ll have to go to compete for the eco-dollar from increasingly aware consumers. ::Tridel Element [by KK]