Young Condos Wins Urban Design Excellence Award
Young Condos at City Centre has received the Urban Design Excellence Award in the High-Rise Category at the City of Kitchener’s Great Places Awards.
Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Andrin Homes, Young Condos redefines downtown living through the seamless integration of heritage, sustainability and community-focused design. The 25-storey condominium transforms a former surface parking lot into 316 new homes with retail at grade, vibrant amenities and direct connection to the ION LRT.
A defining feature of the project is the meticulous reconstruction of the historic John Forsyth shirt factory façade, reassembled brick by brick and meaningfully embedded along Duke Street. This sensitive heritage intervention preserves Kitchener’s industrial character while enriching the pedestrian realm.
Amenities such as a rooftop running track, fitness studios, dining terraces and pet care spaces promote wellness and inclusivity, while sustainable strategies - from raised parking levels that reduce embodied carbon to extensive bicycle infrastructure - support the city’s goals for transit-oriented growth.
Young Condos demonstrates how thoughtful, context-driven design can enhance both the skyline and the street life of downtown Kitchener, setting a new benchmark for urban housing in mid-sized Canadian cities.
Congratulations to our project team and our client, Andrin Homes, on this recognition.
