Gananoque, Townhomes

Overview

Nestled in the heart of the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River, Gananoque, ON, is a vibrant community bustling with life and opportunity. Like many other communities in Ontario, Gananoque needs new housing.

To that end, Horizon Legacy is developing the first and largest housing development in Canada using onsite robots. Located at 425 Fourth Street in Gananoque, the project will feature 26 stacked townhouse units. This project aims to increase the local housing supply and improve affordability by using smarter tools and building methods. 30% of the units - eight - are designated as affordable rentals. The end result will also give the buildings a unique layered concrete look to the bottom level; the wall assembly will also deliver an insulating value of R30, allowing residents to live in comfort throughout the year.

Horizon Legacy is acting as the designer, developer, construction manager, owner and operator. The project received unanimous approval from the Planning Committee and Council of Gananoque.

Challenges and Solutions

The deployment of the first and largest neighborhood in Canada using onsite robotics faced numerous technical, regulatory, cultural, design, and integration challenges. Having no previously defined path, the team faced and overcame numerous problems, including:

How to design a robotic system that can work in outdoors in a construction environment;
Integration of software, hardware, materials, design;
Working in a multi-disciplinary team, for the first time integrating architects, engineers, robotics and construction experts;
Development of new standards and procedures for testing and certification;
Addressing cold climate building requirements in accordance with Canadian building code standards;
Integration of new robotic processes with traditional design, development and construction processes;
Health and safety protocols and procedures for the first deployment of a robot on a construction site;
Introducing the culture of innovation, experimentation, technology development, to the traditional construction culture which is incentivized to be risk adverse.

Building Size

The project includes 26 townhouse units, designed with various unit sizes to accommodate different housing needs.

Key Features

Affordable Housing: Eight units are designated as affordable housing, aligning with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)’s definition of affordable rentals.
Diverse Unit Mix: A range of bachelor, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units is offered to meet various residential needs.
Innovative Construction: The development will be the first in Canada to use onsite robotics
Approval: The project has been approved by the Gananoque council, recognizing its role in addressing local housing challenges.

Outcomes

Horizon Legacy is leveraging its extensive experience in construction and real estate to ensure timely completion and adherence to the highest quality standards. The use of robotics is expected to streamline the construction process and ensure precision, offering a solution to the current labour shortage in the construction industry.

Execution of the first and largest neighborhood in Canada using onsite robotics;
Delivery at an average cost of under $300K per unit; a very affordable price point (this price excludes land, site servicing, soft costs which are unique to each site);
Successfully demonstrating that all design, engineering, deployment of robotic construction can meet and exceed the Ontario Building Code;
Delivering 26 units of rentals, 30% delivered as affordable rentals; a very high % compared to industry standards;
The project is achieving a 20% decrease in energy intensity and 67% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions relative to the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB);
The robot is creating wall assemblies that exceed building code requirements, achieving a thermal performance of R-30, compared to current residential standard of R22;
Delivery of an all electric building, with no green house gas energy consumption;
The portion of the work the robot is doing is successfully consolidating 3 trades into 1 trade, directly demonstrating how robotics can be used to address the labour shortage problem in construction;

Our Impact

Horizon Legacy is revolutionizing the construction industry with the first and largest neighborhood in Canada built using onsite robotics.

Cost Efficiency

Our approach delivers an average cost of under $300K per unit (costs exclude land, servicing, softcosts) showcasing that robots can be integrated affordably while meeting and exceeding the Ontario Building Code.

With 26 rental units, including 30% affordable, we surpass industry standards.

Our project achieves a 20% reduction in energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions, and our all-electric buildings ensure zero greenhouse gas energy consumption.

By creating wall assemblies with R-30 thermal performance and consolidating three trades into one, we effectively address the labor shortage, demonstrating the transformative potential of robotics in construction.