"There are beautiful green aspects that encourage people to enjoy nature."

"There are beautiful green aspects that encourage people to enjoy nature."

The Jetsons, one of the most iconic cartoons capturing life in the future, was set in 2062 and though we are four decades from reaching that point in history, some of its features are in play thanks to a forward-thinking developer.

Carousel parking, instead of traditional paved lots, provides more space for green space and enhances the eco-friendly vibe of this development.

A Canadian technology firm, s2e Technologies, has conceptualized a complex of 84 condominiums with futuristic features. Construction is scheduled to start this spring. Though s2e is the type of company you’d associate with Silicon Valley, its head office is in St. Jacobs, Ontario, with satellite offices in California and Mexico. Touted in the media for making Canada’s first near net-zero grocery store possible in Stouffville, Ontario, in 2018, s2e worked with Sifton Properties as its technology partner bringing the sustainable community of West 5 to life; this where EVE Park, s2e’s project, is located, as well.

Though originally conceived to promote community spirit among homeowners who share a sustainable living consciousness, the homes also work well to stay apart, with separate entrances and HVAC systems.

EVE stands for electric vehicle enclave – because sustainability in housing and transportation is its goal – but, according to Ashley Hammerbacher, the idea of it being a housing development set in a beautiful garden-like setting is also one reason for the name. “There are beautiful green aspects that encourage people to enjoy nature,” she says.

All building products meet sustainability thresholds and buyers pick their fittings and finishes from an array of eco-friendly products.

Lush green space isn’t the only thing you notice right away about EVE Park. The buildings will look quite different, too. Slated for completion by the end of 2021 (barring pandemic-related delays), the project will feature round buildings. “We wondered what a community would look like if you didn’t have to have parking lots, driveways and roads going to them,” explains Hammerbacher, who is project lead. She describes the concept as “community facing” and “allowing people to interact with neighbours more easily by having more points of intersection.”

In light of how restricted our interactions with others currently are, Hammerbacher is also quick to point out that the units will have separate HVAC systems, as well as separate entrances, with no shared elevators or hallways.

“It works both ways, you can be completely private at home, but in better times we are building a feeling of community,” she adds.

Because of the buildings’ unique configurations, the one-, two-, and three-bedroom condos have distinctive floor plans, with lots of large windows. The one-bedroom units, with 743 square feet of living space, are all on one floor; the two- and three-bedrooms, with living space ranging from 1,486 to 2,229 square feet, are on two and three floors, respectively. Keeping with the green theme, all of the models are named after varieties of vegetation. The Ironwood is a three-bedroom unit that may appeal to families with a university student living at home or those that need a ‘granny suite’ arrangement, as it has a second floor with its own entrance, living area, bathroom and bedroom – almost creating a separate apartment within the home.

Phase one breaks ground this spring, with the completion of the 84 units expected by the end of 2021, barring pandemicrelated issues arising.

The buildings will offer homeowners a much smaller carbon footprint, says Hammerbacher, with a net zero energy consumption because of the solar panels on top of the buildings. In addition, “the homes will be built using materials that meet sustainability thresholds. Nothing has been chosen that would be environmentally harmful,” says Hammerbacher.

Heating/cooling and water usage will also be done in an environmentally friendly fashion.

Some three-bedroom, threestory condos feature a separate entrance and living spaces, providing a granny or student suite within the home.

Since s2e is a technology company with one of its offerings as carousel parking, this is a feature that they have included at EVE Park. Hammerbacher says that this type of structure saves 85 per cent of the land occupied by a traditional parking lot, saving money on land and “just makes good sense.” They were partners in constructing a stacked parking structure in Hamilton, Ontario.

EVE Park is centered on living sustainably, yet comfortably now and in the future.

In future, because the parking may be a bit further from one’s home than usual, s2e plans to have “utility robots to follow you from the parking towers to your unit to carry groceries,” explains Hammerbacher. Now that does sound a bit like the Jetson’s helper, Rosey the Robot. As another longer-term goal, the developers plan to have autonomous valet parking. “You’ll summon your vehicle to your doorstep and then it drives you to the edge of the property,” she adds. “From there you take over.”

With sustainable transportation being a major focus for s2e at EVE Park, featuring autonomous vehicles as part of the rideshare program is another goal. When the project is completed at the end of the year, the ride-share program will start with Tesla cars and will be exclusively available to homeowners there. Homeowners will also be encouraged to purchase electric vehicles because the parking structure will be equipped with plug-in ports for them.

Though this development offers out-of the- box living options, some tried-and true aspects are built into the homebuying process. For instance, new homeowners will be able to pick their own fittings and finishes as they usually do – but from an array of sustainable offerings.

Prices for these luxury condos range from the $400s to the $800s and several have already been sold.

Hammerbacher says the demographic of people buying at EVE Park is centred more around a mindset – that of wanting to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle – rather than an age group. “Our buyers range from millennials to downsizers,” Hammerbacher says.

That’s probably because s2e’s company philosophy is that their projects must have a positive effect on the environment and climate change. EVE Park’s catchphrase is ‘live in a park, not a parking lot,’ so it is capturing the imaginations of future-thinking homebuyers of all ages.