sneak peek inside the modbox

Here's a sneak peak of a standard Mechanicsville Lofts unit. You really get a good idea of the loft feel and how nice and open it will be. I really like the heated concrete floor. It's such a great feature. This is a great opportunity to increase the amount of beautiful modern interior design in the city. Definitely something I'd love the get my hands on :)

Photos : Linebox Studio

new modbox homes in Ottawa

ModBox is a boutique property development company focusing on building modern residences in select Ottawa neighbourhoods. The brainchild of modern architectural firm Linebox Studio and builder The Lake Partnership, this joint venture is currently working on a new loft-style condos in Mechanicsville called Mechanicsville Lofts.

This building project is their response to the lack of hard lofts in the city of Ottawa. Though their project is not an actual loft conversion from an existing industrial building, it said to include "five main features that define a true hard loft; high ceilings, open spaces, exposed building materials, large windows and an urban location" with the added benefit of comfort and energy efficiency. 

This will definitely upgrade the current look of this area which, in my opinion, looks old and not very  practical for modern living. You can see from the screen captures from Google Street-view what will surround the new building.  

I'm not a big fan of the little houses like the one on the right of the new building below. Let's hope this  new project will encourage more updates in that area. 

Looking through the specifications and floor plans currently available online, there are definitely some key features that give this building a true loft feel : 11 foot ceilings, 1200 square foot open spaces, polished concrete floors with radiant heat, exposed timber columns and beams, floor to ceiling windows, a small scale building (only four floors and 6 units) and a private elevator accessing each unit directly. This is pretty much as close as you can get to a modern hard loft in Ottawa right now.

The ground floor features a large open space that includes a garbage/recycling area, a mail room and two lobbies (one in the front and one in the back), as well as a ground floor unit. I assume the stone gardens will be spectacular, based on Linebox studio's previous work. 

It's unfortunate that the back of the building is used for five cars when there are six units. I personally would have opted for common enclosed backyard and an underground parking instead. That way, each unit would have a parking spot and there would also be space for extra storage (bikes, winter tires and other seasonal items), and visitor parking.

Although, some consider Mechanicsville to be an "urban area" in Ottawa, it's not quite there yet. Residents will greatly benefit from a car to do their grocery shopping and to got out to pubs, movies, restaurants, etc., especially in the winter. The building is mostly be surrounded by houses, a church and a park. 

The proposed layouts on the floor plans look nice. My favorite is the penthouse (of course!), with the extra private deck and green roof. 

The residents will also have access to a common rooftop terrace, perfect for parties and gatherings. 

All in all, it's a great upgrade for the area. 

Source : ModBox

Beautifying Ottawa one lot at a time

I recently met one of the architects from James Colizza Architects Inc who are currently finishing a really neat modern project in Hintonburg consisting of four singles homes and a semi-detached building. I believe most, if not all, are already sold too. I added some pictures from the architects with some street view images for comparison. What an improvement! The ugly brown fence and poorly maintained sheds are gone and the lot will now house six families as opposed to one car. I'll have to go check it out myself at some point, in the mean time enjoys these photos!






photos: James Colizza Architects Inc | Google Map

Modern Green and Affordable

I was recently made aware of a neat new building development project by Centertown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, a non-profit social housing provider. Located between the museum of nature and the 417, this rental housing complex, called Beaver Barracks, is a multi-phase / multi-building project on the site of a former air force barracks, demolished in the early 90s after which the lot was left vacant.

The two-phased project includes several energy efficient and green features such as a geothermal heat pump system (said to be the largest residential geothermal unit in Canada to date), low-flow water fixtures, energy Star appliances, energy efficient lighting systems, a community garden, a green roof, composting and recycling stations.



Argyle apartments

Catherine Mixed Use Building

Catherine Mixed Use Building

Stacked Townhouse Building B

Metcalfe Mixed Use Building

There's even photo blog updating readers on the construction process. The Metcalfe building is almost ready and the foundation for the stacked townhouse has already been poured. CCOC is planing to be handing over keys to 160 units at the end of this year and is currently accepting applications.





It’s great to see such projects in the city, and it's definitely a nice add-on to the area. Based on Loom's knitnut, a former tenant of CCOC, the landlord is really good and caring too, which makes a huge difference in the sustainability of this kind of project. It will be interesting to see the completed project with the green roof.

photos: Beaver Barack | ottawa.ca | ccoc