Build well but know your market: Urbania boss

LAVAL, QUE.—Builder Sebastien Lessard has no delusions of grandeur with his Urbania 2 housing project currently underway near Le Corbusier Boulevard in Laval, Que.

The former apprentice carpenter, later a university economics grad who worked his way to the top of a small family construction business, understands the demographics of his potential customer base. He says he will not add to their costs by seeking unnecessary LEED certification or otherwise taking steps that might raise prices of the condos he is trying to sell to them.

The first homes in Urbania 2 are expected to be ready for occupancy by next December. The $270-million project will eventually include a total of 1,150 condominiums in six buildings maxing out at 32 storeys. Urbania 2 follows Urbania 1, a similar medium- to high-density project that recently wrapped with 750 units.

"Urbania 2 is a price-point project," said Lessard. "We know that people who use the subway station are people with limited incomes, so we can’t go with only high-end units," he said. "It is not a service to the community to propose that kind of product."

Urbania is marketing to young urban professionals who cannot afford the prices of downtown Montreal, he said.

"Two-hundred-thousand dollars will get you a one-bedroom with an interior parking garage," he said. "If you compare costs with the downtown core, you will spend $450 to $550 per square foot there; here in Laval, it’s $150 cheaper per square foot."

Being shrewd about costs starts with the architect, Lessard said. He used Montreal’s Giasson Farragut for Urbania 1 and will continue the collaboration with phase 2.

"Giasson Farragut has been involved since the beginning. They are very sensitive to bringing architecture to market. What does that mean? It means that design must be done according to budget. When we establish a price point we have to design a building so the market can absorb it, price-wise. So they are very in tune with that. I have seen projects where it is a monument to the architect."

Asked about energy efficiency, Lessard said Urbania follows the principles of the LEED program but does not necessarily seek LEED certification.