I was in Vancouver last week, checking out the high-rise condo development scene in advance of a pending housing study tour by Toronto condo developers, designers and marketers.

The selection of Vancouver as the tour destination was no accident, considering that it is the second most active high-rise market in North America and the fourth most active housing market overall (the GTA is tops on both counts).

If there is one project in particular that drew us to Vancouver, it’s The Village, the 1,200-unit community built for the athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics and now on the market.

With the Pan-Am Games set for Toronto in 2015, it’s worth learning from Vancouver’s experience, especially since we need over 2,000 units here (yes, the Pan-Am Games are bigger than the Winter Olympics).

Another factor that drew us to Vancouver is the number of sustainability features built into their condos, which our builders are always keen to study. I was surprised at just how much geo-thermal heating/cooling is tapped there, not to mention the ubiquitous green roofs. We even saw a net-zero energy consuming building at The Village, which is the ultimate expression of green building.

A fourth reason to check out Vancouver is their allowance of six storey wood frame construction, something Ontario is considering, and which our association is encouraging as a mid-rise building alternative. Our builders are always looking for ways to reduce construction costs and very anxious to talk to the Vancouver builders about this option. 

There’s one area where Vancouver does come first, and that’s in price. Those mountain views come with a hefty price tag, but that’s one idea we’ll do our best to leave behind.

Stephen Dupuis is the President and CEO of the Building Industry & Land Development Association.