New in Homes | Make a Smart Investment at University Towns in Oshawa!

OSHAWA - Rolling off the unprecedented success of University Studios, Podium Developments and Building Capital are getting ready to launch University Towns, a new collection of SmartTowns™ and large condo units in Oshawa.

University Studios sold so quickly due to the strategic location minutes from Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), and the innovate design of the SmartStudios™ that featured appliances, furniture, and fold-up beds that doubled as dining/work surfaces.

New in Homes | University Studios Sells Out Quickly Thanks to Smart Investors

OSHAWA - At the beginning of this year, we announced that investors were showing a high amount of interest in Building Capital and Podium Developments’ new condo, University Studios in Oshawa, thanks to the innovative SmartStudios™. Well, it seems like the interest was even higher than we thought because the condo is completely sold out!

When Phase 1 opened, it only took two weeks to sell out. Then Phase 2 opened and it sold out in just two days! So why would a mid-rise, contemporary condo sell out so quickly in Oshawa? Because of the rising land values and the building’s close proximity to two post-secondary schools.

Livabl_ | Strong Demand for University Studios in Oshawa Leads to Quick Sell Out

OSHAWA - University Studios, a student-focused condo development with investor appeal in the higher-learning hub of Oshawa, has sold out within months of the project’s launch.

“The quick sales result comes from the nearby campuses,” said Saqib Qureshi, a partner at Building Capital, which alongside Podium Developments is bringing University Studios to the market.

Urban Toronto | University Studios Sells Out Quickly in Oshawa

As a testament to the pressing demand for student housing in proximity to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Durham College in Oshawa, units have completely sold out for Podium Developments and Building Capital's University Studios. The first phase of the 8-storey Wallman Architects-designed student residence sold out in just two weeks, followed by the final phase, which sold out in an astounding two days.

Urban Toronto | University Studios Introduces New Student Housing Model to GTA

The 8-storey Podium Developments and Building Capital project uses the (trademarked) SmartStudios concept to provide exceptional spatial efficiency for students. From the layouts and amenities to individual pieces of in-suite furniture, elements of the design are geared specifically to meet students' needs. Recently becoming popular in areas where space is at a premium (including New York and San Francisco), Wallman's design now introduces the concept to the GTA.

Livabl_ | Buzz Talk with Saqib Qureshi, Managing Partner at Building Capital

Saqib Qureshi has found his niche in real estate with Building Capital.

As Managing Partner at the boutique developer based in Markham, Ontario, he draws on his educational background as a London School of Economics PhD grad to provide housing solutions for the next generation of students and investment opportunities for homebuyers.

Among the projects Qureshi is currently involved with, Building Capital is working alongside Podium Developments on University Studios, a forthcoming student-focused condo community opposite the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa.

Recently, Qureshi found the time to chat with us about University Studios, the GTA condo market and more.

The Star | Success in the Learning Curve

Life lessons have a way of inspiring results.

For Bernard Luttmer, 36, and Oskar Johansson, 38 — founding partners of Podium Developments — their housing experiences as Olympic competitors in sailing, and as university students, have helped hone the vision they have for their buildings.

Urban Toronto | A First Look at University Studios' Space-Saving Interiors

OSHAWA - Located near the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Durham College, Podium Developments and Building Capital's University Studios is introducing a new student living typology to the local market. The Wallman Architects-designed project's suites are specifically configured to meet the needs of upper year post-secondary students, with the spatially-efficient suites designed to provide a multifunctional living space.

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Windsor Star | Student Housing Gets a Rethink

“It’s an opportunity to own a piece of real estate that is revenue-generating from Day One and we expect it will be occupied for all time,” says A.J. Keilty, president and CEO of Varsity Properties of purpose-built student housing.

Livabl_ | Investors and Tenants to Benefit from University Studios’ Smartstudios in Oshawa

“Priorities change as students move through University,” Wallman discovered. “In the first few years social life is a high priority. During this time, it makes sense for students to live in accommodations that have shared living, dining, kitchen and bathroom spaces with the only private space provided by bedrooms,” he explains.

Wallman Architects

New in Homes | University Studios: Investors very interested in SmartStudios™ concept

Located near Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), University Studios will feature what the developers and architect are calling SmartStudios™. To our knowledge, there is no other condo in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) quite like this. We’ve seen new condos popping up next to college and university campuses, but none that have specially designed studios for students.

Urban Toronto | University Studios Residence Brings Urban Character to Oshawa

Though Oshawa doesn't exactly have a long-standing reputation as a university town, things are changing quickly in the city east of Toronto. Since its inception in 2002, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) has been one of the province's fastest growing universities, with enrolment now totalling over 10,000 students, a sharp increase from approximately 1,000 in 2003.

The university's rapidly expanding main campus in Oshawa's north end has injected economic activity and cultural vibrancy to the city through a continued influx of students. A modern campus has also brought a new architectural presence to Oshawa, with the recently announced University Studios set to join the growing cluster of buildings surrounding the university.

Livabl_ | Affordable Investment Opportunity Coming to Oshawa at University Studios

A convenient location usually comes at a big premium, but not at University Studios, a new condo development from Building Capital andPodium Developments in Oshawa.

The community — which has units starting at just $149,990, nearly 200 per cent below the average price of a new high-rise home in the GTA — is centrally located in Durham’s education hub, just steps from Durham College and the University of Ontario.

Toronto Sun | University Studios Bringing Condominium Living to Oshawa for Under $150,000

Imagine the opportunity for condominium living anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area for under $150,000, unheard of residential value in one of the hottest condominium markets in the Western World.

That is what is being presented by Podium Developments and Building Capital’s new University Studios condominiums in the heart of Durham’s education hub, adjacent to the campuses of Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa.

Podium Developments Build Luxurious Detached Home Enclave in Toronto's Exclusive "South Hill"

Two generations of Canadian Olympic sailors have collaborated to build a luxurious home enclave in Toronto's exclusive South Hill neighbourhood. After four years of development, the project on Glen Edyth Drive is now complete and families have moved in. Located just east of Casa Loma, the development consists of four luxury detached homes on the escarpment overlooking Toronto's skyline. Once the site of the famous Nordheimer Estate, it was the first severance of a lot in this area in more than 60 years.