Options abound at Thind Properties’ Lumina Brentwood
Michael Bernard
The Vancouver Sun
Lumina Brentwood
Project Address: 2425 Beta Ave., Burnaby
Project Scope: Lumina will bring almost 1,000 new homes to the Brentwood neighbourhood. Its first tower, Waterfall, features one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites. Close to rapid transit, a revamped Brentwood Mall, grocery stores and restaurants, parks and schools.
Prices: Starting in the $380,000s
Developer: Thind Properties Ltd.
Architect: Chris Dikeakos Architects Inc.
Interior Designer: Bob’s Your Uncle Ltd.
Sales centre: 2463 Beta Ave., Burnaby
Centre hours: Coming soon
Sales phone: 604-435-8088
Website: www.luminabrentwood.com
Occupancy: Completion of the first tower, Waterfall, expected in late 2020
With some new developments, coming up with a design theme for a project can be a challenge.
But for architect Richard Bernstein, the design theme for Lumina, a four-tower development to join the Brentwood town centre neighbourhood in Burnaby, the answer was literally right in front of him.
“Our site just happens to look over a future 13.3-acre park and we are taking advantage of that,” said Bernstein, who is with Chris Dikeakos Architects. “Nature has generated a lot of the theme for our design.“
The Thind Properties development, initially of three highrise towers ranging from 28 to 39 storeys on five acres facing Beta Avenue, and a fourth tower on Alpha Avenue, will add almost 1,000 suites and townhouses to a cumulative six-acre site located about a seven-minute walk from the Brentwood SkyTrain station.
The ambitious all-residential development will replace an area of low-level industrial offices with a highly livable complex that includes an indoor-outdoor open space podium above an underground parking area.
The podium will also serve as the base for a great hall dining and lounge area with landscaping that will lead the eye to the parkland beyond, he said. On the podium will be space for barbecues for the residents, plus room for garden plots where homeowners can tend their vegetable gardens.
The nature theme has also been incorporated into the design of the first tower, dubbed Waterfall because of a three-storey-high structure of mullioned panels and blue-tinted glass adjoining the lobby over which water will continually flow, he said. In later phases, some of the 61 townhouses will have rooftop spaces that will access the podium.
The first tower has a mix of different-sized suites unusual in the area five years ago, he said. Waterfall has a total of 67 studios, 65 one-bedroom-and dens, 131 two-bedrooms, seven two-bedroom-and-dens, 17 three-bedroom units and two three-bedroom-and-den homes.
“I would say there is a higher percentage of bigger units. For a while, all the developers were embracing the small units, but I think they are finding there is a good market for larger two-bedroom-and-den and three-bedroom homes.
“People moving out of downtown Vancouver want a little bit of a larger unit. We are seeing a stack in these buildings of three-bedroom units, which is interesting. You would have thought the price point would have been too high, but there seems to be a market for larger units.”
Bonnie Leung, sales and marketing manager for Thind Properties, confirmed that the mix of suite sizes is changing, especially with new developments outside Vancouver’s downtown core.
“A lot of people are either downsizing or starting families in today’s market,” she said. “You do need larger spaces for newlyweds or couples trying to start a family, we do have quite a number of two-bedrooms and three-bedrooms. We are definitely trying to hit a family market.”
Nature also influenced the thinking of the development’s interior designers, Bob’s Your Uncle Ltd.
“When we first approached the design for the interiors of Lumina, we were inspired by the architect’s core concept of nature driving the design of the project,” said company principal Cheryl Broadhead. “Both the suites and the common areas of the project have natural palettes and nature-inspired finishes. In the common areas of the Waterfall building, the rippling organic flow of water is reflected in the finishes from the natural stone and patterned carpets to the artwork.”
Broadhead noted styles have changed over the last five years, with much more emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency today. “We are using Euro-inspired cabinetry with internal drawers, and integrated appliances such as the dishwasher and fridge helping kitchens appear seamless.”
The presentation centre features three show suites: a two-bedroom unit measuring 783 square feet with a 113-square-foot balcony; a 648-square-foot two-bedroom junior suite with a 119-square-foot exterior space; and a one-bedroom unit of 582 square feet with 125 square feet of exterior space. A giant podium-mounted model gives potential buyers a clear idea of the development’s layout and future buildings and the location of the park. They can also get a precise idea of the views from particular suites by checking a special wall-mounted screen.
All homes have durable laminate flooring throughout the entry, kitchen, living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms with custom-milled baseboards throughout. Heat pumps provide both heating and air conditioning. Space is emphasized with nine-foot ceilings and balconies measuring at least 100 square feet, enough for a table and chairs. Homes also come with energy-efficient LG front-load washer and dryer.
Amenities also include a dog walk and an outdoor theatre, a fitness facility including yoga room, kids play area, meeting rooms, 24-hour concierge and library-study area.
Kitchens have full-sized stainless steel Bosch appliance packages, including a four-burner gas range, integrated fridge and dishwasher, Venmar hood fan, Panasonic microwave, quartz countertops and matching backsplash, and a single bowl stainless steel undermount sink.
Bathrooms have a ‘floating’ mirror cabinet with ample storage for all bathroom essentials, quartz countertops, wood grain cabinets with undermount lighting, oversized porcelain tiling and frameless glass showers in all master ensuites.
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