Recently recognized with the prestigious Award of Merit for Healthy Communities by the Canadian Institute of Planners, the Brightwater master-planned community launches by setting a new benchmark for waterfront communities and shaping the future of master-plan design in Canada and around the globe. To ensure success for this ambitious vision, a carefully crafted team of Canada’s leading developers, the Port Credit West Village Partners – comprised of Kilmer Group, DiamondCorp, Dream Unlimited, and FRAM + Slokker – have come together to reimagine the 72-acre site at Lakeshore Road W and Mississauga Road.

The Brightwater community, whose masterplan was designed by award-winning architectural firm Giannone Petricone Associates and acclaimed design and planning firm Urban Strategies, will bring a much-needed mix of housing typologies to Mississauga that includes 2,995 new residences through a mix of condominiums and townhomes, as well as 150 affordable housing units. A wide array of urban and community amenities will also be introduced with over 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, office space, as well as a future new elementary school and proposed community centre.

The cornerstone of the development is its 18 acres of new green spaces, including a new 9+ acre waterfront park. With walking and cycling promenades, pedestrian mews and public plazas that weave throughout the site, Brightwater will create new urban connections to the waterfront and the rest of Port Credit.

Introducing one of the first bioswale systems in Canada, award-winning landscape architect Public Work has envisioned sloped naturalized channels to facilitate water movement on every street within the site. Stormwater management strategies, designed by Urbantech, and dynamic ecologies such as rainwater harvesting and bioretention strengthens Brightwater’s resilience, ensuring a healthy shoreline and meadow communities for the future.

“When we started our work on Brightwater more than five years ago, we were so motivated by our vision of what the future of Port Credit Village and the waterfront could be,” says Bob Blazevski, President and COO of DiamondCorp. “We have assembled an exceptional team of top talent across real estate, architecture, design and planning. We put our heads together to push the boundaries within our fields. The result is a world-class community and that will be a legacy for generations to come.”

“We are thrilled to be welcoming Brightwater to Mississauga’s waterfront. Brightwater will help redevelop and reanimate our waterfront into a hub for innovation, culture and tourism,” says Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga. “Most importantly, it will bring 150 much-needed affordable housing units to the Port Credit community. I look forward to seeing these former brownfield lands revitalized into a vibrant waterfront destination that will attract residents from Mississauga and beyond.”

Brightwater I and Brightwater II, both designed by globally acclaimed Diamond Schmitt Architects (DSA), are the first phase to be released from the master-planned community and include condominium residences and retail spaces at grade, forming an entryway to the new development on the north east parcel of the site along Lakeshore Road W.

With cantilevering upper levels creating a striking geometric shape and brick cladding, Brightwater I offers a modern village aesthetic while paying homage to the heritage charm of Port Credit. This boutique building sits at 5 storeys, with its faceted showcase of bay windows of the retail space at grade seamlessly knit into Port Credit’s pedestrian-oriented main street.

Continuing south, Brightwater II creates contrast with its sister building with a series of curvilinear balconies creating a soft, undulating façade that embodies the movement of water. With its podium in a classic red brick combined with a modern and metallic copper-like cladding to complement Brightwater I, the remainder of the building features a modern white cladding facade, relating to the brightness of the water’s edge. The building is tiered and continues to lower in height at its edges, with a base of two-storey townhouses that visually echo the single-family homes in the surrounding neighbourhood.

The crowning centrepiece of Brightwater I and Brightwater II is a single-storey retail building with a dramatic, curvilinear green roof that creates a rolling living landscape in the village square. Envisioned by DSA, the building was inspired by heavy-timber design, and is a welcome change from traditional industrial roofing and provides a natural warmth to the new neighbourhood, a habitat for birds, and helps consume carbon. Together, all three buildings are connected by an expansive outdoor square, the jewel of the new public spaces offered in the first phase of the development. Framed by beautiful trees and outdoor seating, the Brightwater Village Square provides the perfect setting for a range of community events from local farmers’ markets to pop-up celebrations.

“We were greatly motivated by the Brightwater team’s vision to bring exceptional, sophisticated design to this site. We challenged ourselves to create unique architectural forms that dialogued with each another yet stood striking on their own. Every detail, from the materials to the variation of colours were all reviewed at length with the partners to ensure we were setting the right tone and bringing Port Credit’s character through to the future,” says Donald Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects.

Designed by Truong Ly Design, Brightwater I and II’s interiors offer a modern nod to the historical character of Port Credit. The lobbies of Brightwater I and II feature architectural wood structures that mimic the movement of water, with details carved of natural stones.

“Our designs were inspired by the reflecting and refracting interaction between light and water.  Then we chose a natural, rich and fresh material scheme to pay homage to Port Credit,” said Truong Ly, Founder of Truong Ly Design.

With a focus on creating spaces that reflect how people live, how they work, and how they spend their leisure time, careful attention and details were implemented in the design of the amenity spaces,  including a co-working space that opens onto a landscaped terrace, a state-of-the-art fitness studio, modular party spaces that provide flexibility for gatherings, and more. The buildings’ amenities support residents’ lifestyles and the long-lasting community legacy that will thrive in Port Credit. In addition to the robust amenity program, residents of both Brightwater I and Brightwater II will benefit from smart home technology features designed to simplify the everyday. These features include a virtual concierge, unlimited internet data, master lighting control, WiFi through amenity spaces, keyless entry, programmable thermostats, a community app, and more.

Creating a gateway to Brightwater, and located at Lakeshore Road W. and Mississauga Road, a prominent commercial building with its anchor LCBO extends the vibrancy that is Port Credit’s main street.  Designed by Turner Fleischer architects, the LCBO’s façade features horizontal white slats, reminiscent of shipbuilding techniques, and metal and glass elements as a nod to the industrial past of the site. Bookending the building will be a modern grocer, featuring a façade that uses wood tones with an expansive canopy, further animating the lively streetscape.

About

Brightwater I is a boutique 5-storey residential mixed-use building, with 76 suites, offered in 1 and 2-bedroom layouts. Brightwater II is a 14-storey residential mixed-use building with 235 suites, offered in 1, 2 and 3-bedroom layouts and townhouses. Prices start in the low $400s.

www.experiencebrightwater.ca