EllisDon recently completed a new, 61-unit affordable housing development in London, Ontario. The apartment building is one of the first projects successfully completed under the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI).

The four-storey apartment complex consists of one, two, and three-bedroom units along with common-use support spaces on each floor aimed at providing Londoners at risk of experiencing homelessness. The completion of the project was a team effort between multiple departments within EllisDon along with the city of London. EllisDon Community Builders (EDCB) led the combined effort in close partnership with EllisDon Construction.

From the onset, EDCB worked closely with the city to confirm the project’s feasibility and compliance with the federal funding requirements, particularly the achievement of substantial completion within the timing conditions of the RHI program.

EllisDon’s Energy & Digital Services (E&DS) team was brought on to the project to assist with maximizing the efficiency of the building design and construction execution. E&DS involvement expanded to include the procurement, implementation and configuration of the integrated security system and the supporting network.

E&DS implemented a converged building network that supports the integrated security system, the in-building Wi-Fi solution, and property management systems. The construction team was able to simplify the site’s installation, operation, and management and E&DS was able to value engineer the solution and deliver cost savings to the project by reducing infrastructure costs and space requirements.