The Construction Source

“In Vancouver, you have days where the temperature drops 10 degrees,” Abo explains. “You have days where the north side of the building is at least 10 de- grees hotter or cooler than the south side of the building be- cause of the sun. One day you might have to wear a jacket, the next you wear a t-shirt. That’s why we think it’s important to give residents the option to heat their homes in the sum- mer or cool them in the winter.” “That’s an expensive system, but it was the right system for the experience and benefit of the users,” he adds. “Their ex- perience is what we think of first. That’s what quality is all about.” Denna Homes also provided quality by making the choice to triple-glaze their windows, which is above and beyond the traditional Vancouver standard of double-glazing. Abo esti- mates that choice has saved residents up to 15 to 20 per cent on energy costs, in addi- tion to providing other benefits, such as reducing noise. Furthermore, at the Compass tower, Denna Homes success- fully experimented with smart glass tinting technology, which shield residents from the sun without having them resort to using blinds or curtains. They intend to utilize the same tech- nology on their final tower. As a result of forward-think- ing features like those, Denna Homes has consistently earned the satisfaction of their buyers. Abo can attest to that person- ally. He lives in one of the tow- ers himself, so he interacts with residents frequently, and he says that all the reviews he re- ceives are glowing. “Every time I get into an eleva- tor, somebody tells me ‘Thank you,’” he says. “That’s a great feeling. I’m even more proud of that than the awards.” Further evidence of client sat- isfaction is the fact that 20 of the people who bought into the first tower went on to buy into the second. “We’re very proud of that, too,” Abo says. “That shows that they’re happy with the quality, and they are happy with the val- ue we provide.” Abo’s choice to live in his own building also “speaks real vol- umes,” he says – especially be- cause he’s not the only one, as half of the office personally lives in Seylynn Village. Many of their consultants also pur- chased units. “I’ve been in this business a long time, and I can’t say that I know of any other developers where half their team chooses to live in their building,” he says. THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA