This is a 65 Acre, previous Greenfield site that was conceived in the 1990s planning process by the town of Markham.
The communities were built with central amenities and a vision to contain suburban sprawl. In total Q4A’s team provided architectural services for 1000+ low rise units, 275 mid-rise units, 12 commercial suites at grade with Gross floor area in square feet of 2,439,860.
Cornell Village
Cornell was seen by the Markham Town Council as a way to deter the ongoing uncontrolled growth by encouraging responsible residential density over a multi-phase 20-year implementation, design and construction plan.
The site plan was executed with special attention given to the impact on construction, noise and other considerations to the occupied areas of the site as new phases were opened and occupied.
The community was designed to include affordable housing within the site and various typologies of housing over a multi-phased approach of integration.
Cornell Village is one of the first, and most well-regarded New Urbanism communities in Canada.
Planned by DPZ (Duany Plater-Zyberk) in the early 1990’s, Cornell Village was envisioned as a vibrant, self-sustaining community and town-centre with highly connected access to shopping and public amenities.
Q4 Architects has been involved in the development of Cornell Village for the better part of the last 25 years.
Cornell Village is highly regarded as one of the most desirable communities in Markham and is a precedent setting example of increasing density in the suburban context.
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Each home is designed with a distinct architectural style which creates unique pocket neighbourhoods and vibrant streetscapes. This architectural variety is intentionally diverse and ranges from homes inspired by the historic visual language of the surrounding towns to modern bold expressive designs.
The different communities within the greater Cornell Village speak to one another yet allow each to have a language and personality that is distinct. This approach allows the scale of the plan to not be overwhelming and “sprawl” to occur. Rather, the final design is a curated collection of neighbourhoods each sharing some commonalities and goals, but visually unique with their own character.
The community planning of Cornell Village is also unique in its extensive use of rear-lane access and detached garages which provides homeowners with a high-level of private exterior space and increases street walkability. This was central to Q4A’s vision of a community that was inviting, human scaled, and not intimidating. The rear-lanes at Cornell also feature some of the first secondary-suite laneway housing in Ontario.
The community created thousands of homes.
The visionary aspect of this project cannot be understated, as it represents a living example of how different typologies and densities can coexist.
The community, particularly Cornell Village, is designed as a walkable neighbourhood with a variety of housing types and retail. An affordable housing component was added to design through the incorporation of additional living spaces on top of rear lane garages.
These suites are completely detached from the primary home and hence can be used for multi-generational living or for rental income.
The community displays an evolution of design styles over a span of 20+ years from traditional units to contemporary style homes.
The final village is comprised of Rear Lane Singles, Rear Lane Towns, Stacked Townhomes, Semi Detached Homes, Live-Work Units, Mixed Use and two, 6 Storey Buildings.
The community of Cornell in Markham, Ontario received the prestigious Markham 2006 Design Excellence award recognizing and promoting excellence in urban design.
Cornell Centre Midrise Community
Cornell Centre Midrise is comprised of two, six story contemporary buildings that bring respectful, missing-middle density to the Cornell Community. The main challenge of this project was to infuse the space with a community spirit that would facilitate connections among residents.
Cornell Centre forms a strong “corner” marker, a gateway to the low-rise townhouses of Cornell Village. The design address projected growth directions in the area, promoting connectivity to transportation and community facilities, open green space, increased pedestrian use, and the enhancement of public spaces, for a more livable Markham.
To promote this livability, a connection to Bur Oak’s public side encourages connections to public transit and walkable networks leading to ground floor common areas.
The building façades evoke the scale and vocabulary of the adjacent townhomes, incorporating graphic and material qualities which make the mid-rise project distinctive. The units include Lum on glazed balcony enclosures, creating secondary living spaces and extending the seasonal use of balconies, an important consideration for maximizing usable areas of the units year-round.
Phase 1 is the first six-storey wood frame building in Markham and one of the very first in Ontario. Its design addresses several fundamental criteria but particularly the making of place where no place existed before. This building is designed to form a strong place-making marker as it incorporates ground floor commercial units along Bur Oak with distinctive window treatments, fully accessible storefronts and signage band that blends into the overall facade design.
While the Phase 1 building provides a beacon on adjacent Highway 7, the Phase 2 building standsas a landmark for the greater Cornell community.
The siting of the project compliments Phase 1 in overall scale and architectural design. The building gives a connection to Bur Oak’s public side, giving access to shared common areas that include main lobby, building amenity spaces (a fully accessible party/multi-use room plus a fitness room), and an accessible outdoor street-facing semi-covered patio area, with sitting and BBQ areas.
