Minto Group - Building and Construction Canada

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Greening Toronto
“For decades, Minto has committed
to delivering healthier, more efficient spaces that benefit our customers as well as the environment.”
> Michael Waters, president of Minto
Communities – Ontario
+ Minto Group Inc. continues its tradition of building and
developing quality, energy-efficient structures with the
WaterGarden project in Old Thornhill.
Minto Group Inc. – WaterGarden
www.minto.com
Location: Toronto
Employees onsite: Four
Scope: Six-storey condo structure with 213 units
and unique water-feature courtyard
tagline of the Minto Group is “be
> The
inspired.” That is the promise the
builder and developer puts to its customers but it makes it easy for them with
the reputation for excellence Minto has
built since its inception in 1955.
Dedicated to providing communities in
Canada and the United States with
“unsurpassed quality, integrity, innovation, commitment and value” – the ideas
that have inspired Minto – the company
strives to inspire its customers by blending excellence in design and construction with a respect for each customer’s
quality of life.
Based in Ottawa, Minto is a family
owned and operated business that has
grown from small homebuilder to fully
integrated real estate development, construction and management operation.
Maintaining high standards in all it does,
Minto strives to create the kind of highquality homes, communities and workplaces that its associates would want to
work and live in. The company’s portfolio includes custom homes, masterplanned communities, high-rise condominiums, rental apartments, furnished
suites, executive offices, seminar and
meeting rooms, and a luxury suite hotel.
Minto focuses its projects in Ottawa,
Toronto and London, Ontario, as well as
Calgary and Florida. To date, the company
has built more than 70,000 new homes,
manages more than 17,000 residential
rental homes and apartments, and carries
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a commercial portfolio of more than 3 million square feet of office, retail and industrial space. In all of its markets, Minto
strives to set the standard for the real
estate development and property management industry through its leadership
in improving the environmental, energy
efficiency and technical aspects of its new
homes and rental properties.
In the GTA, Minto is building a variety
of styles – low-, mid- and high-rise homes
– in Toronto, Durham and Brampton,
The Minto WaterGarden condo
development has been designed to bring
nature to residents in downtown Toronto.
Ontario. One of its current developments is Minto WaterGarden, a six-story
condo building inspired by nature and
surrounded by trees and water.
Waterfront Living
Located in Toronto’s Old Thornhill
neighborhood, WaterGarden aims to
bring nature to its residents with highend finishes, unique layouts and tranquil
interiors, set against a courtyard unlike
any other in the city. WaterGarden will
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be a U-shaped structure with a water-feature courtyard and
raised planted and sitting areas for residents to relax and
enjoy the peaceful setting.
Minto is the project’s developer, and construction of the
WaterGarden project got underway in April 2012 with targeted completion in spring 2014. The six-storey structure
will have 213 condominium
R ES ID EN Tunits
IA L comprised of one-, twoand three-bedroom suites that range from 552 to 1,620
square feet, with most units having additional outdoor space
in balconies or terraces. WaterGarden also features unique
two-storey garden homes with waterside terraces.
LEED Leader
The design and construction of the WaterGarden development is targeting LEED Gold certification, and that level of
sustainability in a project is characteristic of Minto’s
approach to its work. It is part of the company’s dedication
to inspiring the residents of its structures, as well as the
communities and industry as a whole.
With Radiance at MintoGardens in Toronto, for example,
Minto delivered the first LEED-certified, multi-residential
condominium structure in Canada. Radiance is LEED Silver
certified and recognized by Natural Resources Canada for
being 33 percent more energy efficient than the standards of
the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. The reduction
in energy use saved Radiance’s residents $200,000 in common-area costs during the building’s first year of occupancy.
Minto also boasts having the largest LEED Gold-certified
condominium in North America with MintoMidtown, also
in Toronto. This development consists of two towers and
features a rainwater-fed fountain, recycled-steel chairs and
LED lighting in the large courtyard between the towers.
Energy-efficient features have saved more than $1 million in
utility costs during the first year of occupancy, which comes
to about $1,100 in savings per suite.
Since 2009, Minto has certified more than 1,400 units
under LEED programs, and the company has the most LEED
certified residential projects in Toronto. Additionally, as of
November 2012, more than 2,220 Minto homes in Ontario
have been Energy Star qualified.
Industry Recognition
As a result of its commitment to environmentally friendly
practices, Minto was recognized as EnerQuality’s Leader of
the Year and Ontario Green Builder of the Year in 2011 and
2012. These are the top two prizes of the Awards of
Excellence from EnerQuality, which is recognized as
Canada’s foremost provider of green building services.
EnerQuality partnered with the Ontario Home Builders’
Association to bestow this honor on Minto.
The Green Builder of the Year award “recognizes the
builder that raises the bar for the rest of the industry
through its leadership in improving the environmental,
energy efficiency and overall technical image of the industry,” according to EnerQuality. The group explains the
Leader of the Year award is given to a member of the industry who exhibits “commitment, advocacy and leadership in
driving the growth of energy efficient and green new housing in Ontario.”
Minto was recognized for exceeding voluntary technical
certification requirements in new home construction, going
above and beyond in marketing and sales programs to drive
awareness, and for effectively integrating green into its
internal culture through a dedicated division of sustainability professionals, a body of green employee volunteers and
company-wide initiatives.
“For decades, Minto has committed to delivering healthier, more efficient spaces that benefit our customers as well
as the environment – and we are truly honoured that, year
after year, our industry peers
continue to recognize that,”
BC/S
according to Michael Waters, president of Minto
Communities – Ontario. x
BC
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