41 RIVER STREETAn Unconventional Design to Put “People First” and the Execution to Make It Happen“Developers and condo owners have failed miserably at treating people as if theymatter. Change needs to happen on this level.” – James Burton, Percy Ellis
In 2019, tragic life events led James Burton (50% owner of Percy Ellis) to start a journeythat changed the trajectory of his life and the way that Percy Ellis treats projects, andpeople, in a very different way.
After the death of both of his parents only 1 year apart, James embarked on a period ofreflection on what was important in life and how work and life intersect. He started tofeel that the current model of work was a grind and that there could be a different way ofdoing business that was more fulfilling; one that was more people oriented and centeredaround listening. Part of his journey included reading over 30 books about life, purpose,people, meditation, and urban design…all of which led him to one conclusion; valuing
people – in both life AND work - was of primary importance.
James Burton (Co-Owner,Percy Ellis) inside a newly
completed suite“It became clear to me that promoting good in the world is the only way to derive
satisfaction in life. I was particularly influenced by Charles Montgomery’s book “HappyCity: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design1” which helped me see that tocontribute to community, you need to contribute to individual happiness. This personal
revelation changed how I acted with employees and flipped tenants from being at thebottom of the priority list, to the top.”
When talking about the world of development, Burton explains how challenging thebusiness can be. “Development is a difficult business. You have continual confrontation withneighbours, tenants, and contractors. It can become an angry business if you’re not careful.”“Previously, we had always seen the neighbors (of construction projects) as people thatwere getting in the way of us being able to accomplish our work. Our internal narrative
wanted to say: “Get out of my way, stop complaining, this is life, this is progress.” In thatmodel, the end game was a completed project and people were the bystanders who weretaking up our time.
Once James started to see development in terms of people, his whole outlook shifted.
“When you start to understand this, they way I see it now, it becomes clear that you
have to actually listen and care about what people say to you - ACTUALLY care, not just
PRETEND to care. People have real feelings that matter. If you listen and care, that in andof itself, is transformational in terms of the relationship.

Jeff Wilkinson (President,Wilkinson Construction r.),Denny Racine (River St SiteSuper.: Wilkinson), and James He was determined to flip the conventional elements of development on its head andto treat people in a different way; one where their opinion is valued and where even thetiniest elements of project design where geared to make them happy.

1. Montgomery, C. (2015) Happy
City: Transforming Our Lives
through Urban Design, Anchor
CanadaThis shift led to a new paradigm around the development/resident relationship and
how Percy Ellis embarked on building, managing, and initiating their work as well as theelements and vision that they wanted to integrate in their projects.

The challenge was in figuring out ways to take a BIG vision and execute it in a tightdowntown Toronto space, while putting the needs, and desires, of people, theenvironment, and the neighbourhood first.

THE VISION and THE EXCECUTION: Finding the balance
When Jeff Wilkinson, of Wilkinson Construction and the builder at 41 River Street, met
James and Emery for the first time, he was impressed with their ideals for the project andthe intricate details that they wanted to include in their 5-storey mixed-use infill project in
the Corktown area of Toronto.
Many of the technical challenges that the project faced were in finding cost-effectivesolutions for a mid-sized project on a tight site, while delivering exceptional design and
41 River Street – in progress meeting high environmental standards.

“James and Emery are visionaries and forward-thinking guys. In my opinion, this type of project is
a positive counter point to the massive, “big-box” type rental buildings that are commonplace inToronto, and especially this neighbourhood. Percy-Ellis is very focused on the resident’s experienceand the overall community. Our company resonates with that philosophy, but we knew it was going
to be tricky to execute all the pieces they wanted and to bring that vision to reality.”– Jeff Wilkinson, Wilkinson Construction

Building Lean: Rejigging the original design to meet the constraints of the site and budget
was paramount. 41 River is a very tight infill site, which is tough to execute from a logistics
perspective. Wilkinson was able to recommend an engineer that specialized in coldformed steel (CFS) design. The superstructure of the building is CFS construction, so it isvery efficient and worked well for a tight site. The right engineering was able to simplify
the structure to save on costs and constructability.
Jeff recalls, “When we got involved in the project, it had a very challenging below-grade
shoring and foundation design for the site. We simplified the shoring and foundation andused shotcrete for the walls, which worked well on this tight site.”“There is no room to be inefficient in a mid-rise building of that scale. The design has tobe really, really lean, and you need the right consulting team that get’s that. Right off thebat, we challenged the soil engineer on the original design and were able to simplify thefoundation design, resulting in cost savings that could go back into the important elementsthat Percy Ellis wanted to incorporate for a people-first building”.
A TIGHT fit between theproject and the neighbour!

“We also had to be creative with the neighbouring properties about how this could bebuilt…the neighbour on one side was only 16” away! In order to avoid large exteriorscaffolding systems, we were able to prefabricate complete exterior walls on the floor anderect them in large sections with a mobile crane.”Unconventional Design:
Percy Ellis was committed to integrating untraditional, people-forward design elements –like an amazing SmartOne control centre in each suite that allows residents to talk to thecommunity of tenants, control the digital entry system, call the elevator, coordinate digitalparcel pick up, and control their in-suite HVAC unit remotely. These high-tech elements
were new territory for some trades, and that “education gap” took extra effort.
“It was difficult for some of the trades to navigate the innovative and forward-thinking
design changes. Communicating and integrating the pieces of work to bring the project
to fruition was a welcome challenge…but one that didn’t come without some significant
roadblocks along the way!”According to James “…the construction business is all about relationships in the industry
and Wilkinson knows the trades inside and out. They convinced us to work with sometrades that may not have been the lowest price initially, but it paid off by going really well.
Wilkinson was instrumental in assisting us with the technical details of implementation.
They brought their experience and knowledge to the table and yet allowed us to stickhandle the project where we felt very strongly as well, so it felt like a partnership.”Environmental Considerations

Jeff Wilkinson (President,Wilkinson Construction r.),James and Denny Racine(River Street Site Super l.)at the newly installed
SmartOne control center.

Percy Ellis chose to build 41 River as a Toronto Green Standard - Tier 2 building with thehighest level of sustainability. According to Wilkinson, “They did a great job of efficiency.
The internal mechanical and technological systems that they have implemented are very
smart systems for Toronto and will result in low maintenance costs for the owner over thelong term, and convenience and comfort for the tenants. In my opinion, a huge plus for theindividual tenants is the year-round on-demand heating and cooling. The in-suite HVAC
units connect to a geothermal system installed underneath the building. Temperatures
can be programmed and controlled from residents’ phones…this type of efficiency andcustomization is almost unheard of in a mid-sized rental unit”.
“We had already decided on geothermal heating/cooling quite early in the project”,
comments Burton. “We were already leaning towards it for the environmental benefits,
but we also did a deep analysis on the financial side. I couldn’t agree with the general mass
belief that it was more expensive and when we weighed the pros and cons, it was clearthat it was the right moral choice, so that tipped the balance towards doing it.” Wilkinson
was supportive of Percy Ellis’ decision to go Geothermal, having had experience with it inother projects and agreeing that it was the right choice for River Street.
Other environmental commitments included spaces for electric vehicles and bikes, theintegration of biophilia with a view for bringing nature in, and the water recycling, whereexcess wastewater that would typically be pumped into the storm sewer, gets pumped tothe roof and reused for their green roof.
Burton stresses, “We really liked the challenge of building a greener building that has
reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental sustainability and meeting Tier 2
before the trend hit, is something we are proud of.”“At the end of it, this building is a labour of love. We’re the property manager and longterm owner so it’s a person, not an organization that the tenants are dealing with. We’re
Click here to hear Jeff chattrying to stop being presumptuous and give people legitimate control over the place thatabout the environmentallythey live. As soon as building is occupied, we’re having a party!
sustainable Green Roof.
https://www.youtube.com/
shorts/g5NfFBSUp3U

Click on video link below tolisten to James comment on
the exciting Tesla car share!
https://www.youtube.com/
shorts/FNsu3w4CdlE