Garden Court Condos, Catherdraltown

Monarch’s Garden Court is a condominium project in the heart of Cathedraltown, a 1,200-home sub-division in Markham, Ontario. The community exemplifies “New Urbanism” design, which promotes walkable, livable neighborhoods containing a range of housing and job types. This master-planned community gained its name Cathedraltown because it is landmarked by the still incomplete Cathedral of the Transfiguration, a Slovak Byzantine Rite Roman Catholic Church.

The building was conceived and by Stephen Boleslav Roman, a Slovak immigrant and mining engineer who had built up the Denison Mines Corp. Roman both funded and designed the building, modeling the structure on the church in the Slovak village he was raised in. Roman died in 1988, and did not see the cathedral built. It became the first church in North America to be consecrated by a Pope, when John Paul II blessed the cornerstone during his trip to Canada.

Garden Court’s four-storey, 186 condominium units, featuring Georgian style architecture and wood-frame construction. Though seemingly low-rise it is actually considered to be a high rise according to the Ontario Building Code Part 3. HGC Engineering provided acoustical consulting and Tarion Builder Bulletin 19R testing/certification on the project. The high-rise designation and Tarion Builder Bulletin 19R requirements initially created some uncertainty with Markham municipality planners whose primary experience and knowledge was with low-rise residential approvals where Tarion Builder Bulletin 19R compliance is not required. As a result, HGC Engineering was asked to meet with the municipality and educate them over several meetings on high-rise acoustical requirements and the role and responsibilities of an acoustical consultant with regards to Tarion Builder Bulletin 19R testing and certification for high-rise residential buildings.

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