Common Issues

December 16, 2021 Published by Grand River Chapter - By Laurie Reed

Tech Savvy Condos

Sustainable, Smart, Eco Friendly and Ahead of the Class What do you think about when you think technology? Most likely your thoughts immediately go to smartphones or computers. But do your thoughts ever travel to Condominium Living?

Sustainable, Smart, Eco Friendly and Ahead of the Class

What do you think about when you think technology?  Most likely your thoughts immediately go to smartphones or computers.  But do your thoughts ever travel to Condominium Living?

No matter their location or accommodations, the fact is Canadian condo seekers are favouring accommodations with high-speed connections, cutting-edge entertainment, and the tools to connect with friends, family, and co-workers across the globe. So wouldn’t it be amazing if you could control every aspect of your home from your smartphone?  Through a few simple touches, you could lock your doors, change your heat settings, turn your lights off and on, manage your energy consumption, and even call for your car. These dreams are becoming a reality with the implementation of high technology hard wired into your condo. 

For example, a new condominium being built in the Riverbend subdivision of London, Ontario, a neighbourhood dedicated to clean energy initiatives, will demonstrate the advancement of tech-savvy condominiums and environmental considerations possible in the new build condominium market in Ontario. 

As we continue to move in the direction of tech-savvy condominiums, the transition to clean energy is also well underway. Our cars are becoming electric, and wind and solar energy generation are higher than ever. 

A stacked parking carousel is an amazing feature of this new London community, saving 85 percent of the land that would normally be occupied by traditional parking lots. Simply drive your vehicle to the entrance of the carousel and the doors raise for you to drive in and park your vehicle. Exit your car, retrieve your items, and punch in your code as you leave. The carousel will store and charge your vehicle and have it ready for your next adventure. A few simple swipes on your smartphone will have your car rotate to the bottom of the carousel fully charged and ready to go. The car share program will reduce the need for car ownership within the community. Future upgrades are planned where the vehicles will dispatch themselves (without a driver) and wait for you just beyond your doorstep. The control system will demonstrate the integration of several innovative charging technologies and will address the lack of high-density EV charging in parking-restricted urban environments: streamlined technology and ecologically friendly Smart Home Energy Monitors are installed in every suite.  

The condominium owners will own a share in a solar energy micro-grid. What is a micro-grid? In this case, it is a combination of the power-production system (solar panels and inverters) and the metering equipment and interconnections that link the grid to a community-scale battery and to the London Hydro power grid.

Energy use in our homes is typically highest in the morning when we wake and prepare for our busy days, and at the end of our workday when we come home and prepare our meals, enjoy family time, maybe watch a movie or do a load of laundry.

The energy achieved from the sun comes at a different time.  We all know the sun shines at high noon, and this is when the sun’s rays are the strongest.  This means we can collect more solar energy at times of the day when our energy consumption is lower: not well matched to the energy we are receiving. 

Integrated technology with Smart Home energy monitoring allows for data to be collected in real-time, wirelessly, measuring the current flow through circuits at the breaker box allowing homeowners to monitor energy use through an app on a wireless device. The Smart Energy Management System will use this information to show you how you can shift your energy use by adjusting your connected smart home devices, making your home more energy-efficient, and saving you money. 

With a smaller carbon footprint, this new project provides net-zero energy consumption.  From the solar panels on the buildings to the smart home energy monitoring and electric vehicles to the parking carousel that reminds us of a life-size Mattel car elevator, we played with as kids.  These helical condominiums will also be built with materials specifically selected to meet sustainability thresholds and will all be environmentally friendly.  

Other features:

Smart locks - secured with 128-bit encryption which is industry proven to be one of the most secure encryption methods available within today’s leading connected devices.  With regular innovation and updates to their proprietary cloud technology services, they protect against picking, bumping, hacking and other common forms of lock break-ins.  “Lockly” provides security that even 007 can’t crack.  

With the recent Coronavirus pandemic, homeowners can breathe a little easier knowing that each HVAC system is unique to their home and that they are not sharing the air with surrounding units. Keeping your home fresh and safe is important to everyone.  To take this one step further, the homes will include a quality air sensor and filter.  Keeping your home’s air clean is as easy as a tap of your screen. The air quality app allows you to monitor your indoor air quality right from your smartphone. Tracking your filter lifetime and knowing the right time to change them is very important, not only for the well-being of your family but also for the longevity of your HVAC system.  Having technology remind you in your busy life about the little things that are so important is a game-changer. 

“SmartONE Solutions” is a Toronto-based company that develops and integrates leading-edge digital solutions backed by Samsung and Bell to allow builders and developers to advance digital living by offering customers secure, sustainable, and convenient next-generation smart communities. Their technology-agnostic approach supports collaboration with a variety of partners and enables solutions that are selected as an integral part of the next-generation community experience. 

This London community is slated to be complete by mid-2022 (depending on delays due to the pandemic) and includes features that look like no other.  Imagine living in a park, not a parking lot: your living space with no driveways or parking lots and only just enough road.  Just a lot of natural green space to enjoy nature, and technology at the touch of your fingers. 

For a great view of the future visit www.evepark.ca 

Disclaimer – Trademark Property Management will be managing the new London condominium to be known as Eve Park on completion; Trademark Property Management has no interest in it’s sales.

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Laurie Reed – R.C.M.; O.L.C.M. 
Sr. Property Manager, Trademark Property Management
www.trademarkltd.com