Designed for life, designed for people

Courtyards to play a key role at Cortel Group’s Abeja District

Torontosun.com
November 17, 2020
Paul Barker

Once built, a new community in Vaughan close to the city’s developing downtown core will have a unique and distinct connection to Barcelona, the cultural hub of Catalonia.

Located at the intersection of Jane St. and Rutherford Rd., phase one of the Cortel Group’s Abeja District involves construction of three towers that are 26, 27 and 30-storeys in height with a total of 831 suites ranging in size from 415 sq. ft. to 1,560 sq. ft.

Romina Cortellucci, the firm’s head of sales and marketing, said the architectural design was inspired by aerial views of the iconic city: “Barcelona is made up of intricate city blocks woven together to create a mosaic of buildings and streets reminiscent of honeycomb in a beehive. which allow for densification, while maintaining a shared interior courtyard.

“We elevated the ‘Barcelona blocks’ by opening them up to provide a better, brighter internal space below. The blocks will be an urban blend of retail, commercial and residential, designed to create and foster a sustainable, social, environmental, and economical community -- just like a beehive.”

Replicating a honeycomb pattern inspired the brand “Abeja” -- the Spanish word for bee, she added

The Abeja courtyard, meanwhile, is known as Verde -- the Spanish word for green -- and according to Cortellucci, is meant to be a hub for culture, connection and creativity year-round.

“The concept of an elevated park as a privately owned public space transforms the residential block typology,” she said.

“The traditional concept of a private courtyard is turned into a shared park between residents and the public. This park-like space will provide greenspace for all residents and visitors to access, complete with gardens, children’s play area, an amphitheater, and a community centre.”

There will also be two outdoor terraces for resident-only access on the fifth-floor amenity spaces overlooking Verde.

As for the remaining development, that is still being worked on. Abeja District is in an area known as Vaughan Mills Centre, which the city has described as a midtown urban centre for commerce, tourism, entertainment and gathering.

“Vaughan is transforming into a smart city with rapid urbanization and expansion of public transit,” Cortellucci said. “Cortel is still in the process of working with the city to develop the remaining blocks of Abeja District. The approach to the masterplan of the site began with the notion that we are designing for an end user. We are designing for people. We are designing for life and activity.

“We want to have a continued approach of elevating what a community can be and achieve, with innovative designs and cutting-edge architecture.”

A key partner on the project is Toronto-based architecture and interior design firm Quadrangle, whose primary role, said Cortelluci, is to “help shape the vision of what Abeja is and will be. From the master plan to the design of each individual suite and interior amenity, they have executed optimal space designs.

“Our goal is to create communities that integrate increased density and affordability, the environment, economic development, connectivity, arts and culture, and digital innovation. Re-imagining public and private multi-use spaces to drive entrepreneurship and enable social collisions, interactions, and inclusiveness.”

With an estimated completion date of 2025 for all three towers, pricing at Abeja District starts in the $300,000s for a studio and sell for upwards of $1 million for a luxury three-bedroom suite.