Panoramic views a draw at North Van's Orizon

When Jesse and Samantha Godin bought their first home in the North Shore’s Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood 10 years ago, it was the panoramic view that attracted them.

They purchased their two-bedroom suite in the “Lo-Lo” neighbourhood — as it’s known to locals — just before there was a surge in construction and real estate prices. Now they are looking forward to mid 2014 when they will move a few blocks east to their new home in Orizon on Third, a new residential project from Vancouver developer Intracorp that will offer some of the most spectacular water and skyline views in Metro Vancouver.

“We like the ‘hood” said Jesse, a 34-year-old drummer who grew up in nearby West Vancouver and fell in love with wife Samantha while taking band class together at Sentinel secondary. “We had actually planned to live in our current home and to look around in a couple of years.”

But when their son Bowie — yes,Promotional custom keychain at ePromos Promotional Products. he’s named after the pop star — arrived four months ago, they knew they needed to find something larger than their 800-square-foot apartment.

Bowie was born at the time Intracorp was cranking up the marketing of Orizon. When the couple saw the view was even better than the spectacular vista they already had — coupled with the fact that they got more space — they didn’t hesitate.

“We liked the open floor plan and huge deck overlooking the city because we love to entertain,” says Jesse, who paid $564,900 for a 930-square-foot home with two bedrooms and a den. The deck, at 92 square feet, provides ample room for a barbecue and a table and chairs.

One of the prime features of Orizon is its views of the Vancouver harbour and city skyline. They may well explain the project’s appeal to buyers, who have snapped up 30 of the first 40 homes released.

But the North Shore offers more than views, as Intracorp has cleverly pushed in its “North Shore True” marketing campaign. Residents have quick access to three ski mountains, numerous parks and marinas, and, in the case of Lo Lo, an easy walk to nearby markets, shops and restaurants and the 12-minute SeaBus ride to work and play in Vancouver.

Intracorp has been a major force in transforming the area, a neighbourhood where some 4,500 workers assembled Victory ships during the Second World War. In July 2011, it announced a deal with Anavets, Canada’s oldest veterans association, and the provincial government to redevelop an adjacent site and construct 76 affordable apartments for seniors. The buildings are being completed this fall.

In return, Anavets transferred to Intracorp two remaining parcels of land, which had been home to 58 aging, smaller suites built in the 1960s. With the new Anavets building completed, Intracorp will soon begin demolishing the two old buildings to make way for Orizon.

Architect Doug Ramsay,Carlo Gavazzi offers a broad range of ultrasonic sensor and ultrasonic transducers for level detection and process monitoring. whose firm Ramsey Worden has been doing a number of residential buildings throughout Metro Vancouver, says Orizon is different from other projects in that it develops the theme of indoor and outdoor space flowing together, one evident in many North Shore homes.Offering lowest priced printed lanyard in Canada.

It is evident in the design of the ground-floor suites on the building’s south side. The level of the yards above the rear lane was raised by about four feet, which provides up to 392 square feet of patio and yard space on the larger suites. The design enhanced privacy by erecting a four-foot fence, meaning residents don’t have to see the cars moving through the lane, but still can conveniently access it through a gate.

The extension of living space to the outdoors is incorporated at roof level as well: a terrace with a barbecue area, firepit and furnished lounge is available to owners, allowing them to take in views of the harbour and Vancouver’s skyline.

Ramsey says the building exudes a “crisp” modern feel in everything from long horizontal rooflines to a mix of wood, stone and glass in the building’s lobby. At the same time,You'll be able to spot your bag from a mile away with these elegant and colorful leather luggage tag. the firm also broke the horizontal lines out of consideration to preserve the views of neighbouring buildings above Orizon and permits the creation of light wells that bathe the lobby entrance and corridors in natural light.

The show suite also presents a pleasing blend of wood, glass and metal detailing. Kitchen cabinets feature uppers in frosted glass and brushed aluminum with stainless steel lowers in real wood veneers. The balconies have coffered ceilings and bevelled siding on the walls, and Malaysian wood duckboard and wood-grain and glass railings, giving the space the feel of a detached home.

Suites are equipped with solid quartz countertops and those with kitchen islands feature a deep 29-inch square Julien stainless steel under-mount sink. A gourmet appliance package includes an LG stainless steel range, refrigerator and dishwasher. A Faber slide-out hood fan has been installed with provision for a self-standing microwave in another cabinet.

Bathrooms include a deep soaker tub and 12-by-24 inch porcelain tiles, a Duravit high-efficiency toilet and undermount sink. The metal and glass theme continues with wood veneer cabinets with stainless steel detailing. Two bathroom suites include glass shower surrounds.

Orizon also is one of several new buildings on Lower Lonsdale to connect with the Lonsdale District Heating system, a publicly-owned utility that provides heat through a series of inter-connected gas-fired boiler plants. The hot water is distributed underground to the buildings, where owners enjoy the cost-effective (and quiet) benefit of radiant heating piped under the laminate wood flooring.

Orizon boasts the equivalent of Leed silver standard building specifications that include Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs) in every suite. These vents capture heat from the bathrooms and kitchens to preheat the air in the suites, further reducing energy costs. The city of North Vancouver also requires developments like Orizon, which cover more land than the predecessor buildings,Find the best iPhone headset for you at Best Buy. to make use of bio-swails, vegetative natural filter systems that clean water from the street and other hard surfaces and return the water to the environment.