Hearthstone Manor Opens

You may have been following the development of Hearthstone Manor, the City's 40 Unit affordable housing complex. My previous posts mentioning Hearthstone can be found here.

Today was the building's grand opening and I have to say that I am very proud of it. Not only is it addressing the need for quality affordable housing, its also built to a LEED Silver standard, meaning it is very environmentally friendly and over time it will realize significant operational savings over conventional construction.

There were of course a few speeches and a ribbon cutting but talking with residents of the building was the real thrill of the day for me. Many people played an important role in realizing this vision, of course not all of them were in attendance today but they can all be proud of what they helped to achieve.

Here's a little picture tour for you:


Hearthstone Manor



A detail view looking up from the main entrance. Even though the construction looks simple it's certainly not boring.



One of the great things about the building are the outstanding common areas. The units are modest in size but the building feels open and comfortable. This is on the first floor.



Of the 40 units 9 are fully accessible to those who maybe in wheelchairs. Notice the stove with knobs on the front, the sink that wheelchair can roll under and (if you look closely) the lowered peep-hole in the door.



Again in the accessible unit... notice the unique design of the shower that allows a chair to roll in over the little rubber seal at the bottom.



Some residents gather in the multipurpose (MP) room. The MP room is adjacent to a common kitchen and will be available for residents to book for birthday parties or family gatherings. It will also be available as a meeting space for community groups or for on-site courses or programs for residents.



From left to right; MLA, Wayne Drysdale, Brian Hillaby from Grande Spirit, Ald. Gustafson & Ald. Radbourne listen as Felix Seiler describes details of the building's construction.



And, as a look back here we are at the sod turning for the project....



... and here's most of the group back at the grand opening.