York Heritage Properties acquires, renovates, retrofits and manages architecturally interesting older buildings in Toronto to provide a dignified, sophisticated alternative to costly, conventional office space. When Michael Cruickshank, Robert Eisenberg and their team take on a new building or a restoration/remodel of one of their existing properties, they use good sense, an eye towards aesthetics and their highly tuned intuition to make choices in materials. The lighting is a key component of any space and they carefully choose the type of fixture based on the look, the cost and the efficiency. York Heritage discovered Foresight Lighting in 2010 and has been putting Foresight architectural fixtures like the stylish Amsterdam in their buildings throughout Toronto ever since. “Foresight has been great to work with. When I call, I get immediate attention from Adam in inside sales, and Juergen and the rest of team provide me with everything I need to make lighting decisions and get the job started. I can quickly take the numbers to leasing which keeps our business moving,” praises Marc McKenzie, Senior Property Manager for York Heritage.
161 Liberty is one of York Heritage’s recent acquisitions in Liberty Village, Toronto’s most wired community. It’s a three storey, brick and beam structure with towering operable windows and high ceilings. When YHP decided to turn the lower level into a prime office opportunity, they were faced with a complete remodel and restoration. The space offered great natural daylight so their lighting solution was designed around the optimal use of that natural light. 
There was no existing lighting to speak of so the lighting layout was wide open. “The space has great wood beams in the ceiling, and features like that are always a focal point for the York Heritage group,” states Marc McKenzie, Senior Property Manager at YHP. “So we knew we wanted a lighting solution that provided an up-light component to highlight the beauty of the wood, while providing an urban/industrial look that is consistent with the style of the building and the area.”York Heritage had installed the ForesightLighting Hong Kong fixture in a space on one of the upper floors. The lighting layout and fixture were well received by tenants and offered a cost efficient solution for the restored lower level space.
10 Alcorn is a stylish building in a safe, residential environment. Located near the Summerhill Subway Station in Toronto Midtown, the property offers lots of space and an open atmosphere. When nearly 20,000 square feet were vacated, York Heritage property and leasing teams had some decisions to make. “The vacated space was very institutional with drop ceilings and bland open spaces where cube-farms once stood,” commented McKenzie. The YHP team decided to divide the space. They preferred dry-wall ceiling over the drop ceiling but found they had to maintain the drop grid to accommodate wiring and networking for the new tenants. In a 7000 sq ft space, they were able to get rid of the grid 15-ft in from walls and windows around the perimeter of the space. This added 3-ft to the ceiling height.
The goal with their lighting selection was to create a modern look, and to have bright cool light shining up to reflect off the newly white drywall ceiling. The Foresight Lighting Amsterdam fit the bill. The Amsterdam offered contemporary styling with the up-light component. As a T5 fixture, the Amsterdam is also an energy efficient solution that allowed York Heritage’s energy rebate specialist to apply for utility rebates on the project.
Overall the Amsterdam was used in over 15,000 square feet of the remodeled space with an average per square foot cost of $2.25.
3 Church Street is a carefully restored building, constructed in heavy timber at the turn-of-the-last-century featuring the warmth of wood columns and beams, with brick feature walls, operable windows and high ceilings in a lively environment. The building has not seen much turnover in recent years, so when the top floor tenant vacated 3000 sq ft after 35 years, a complete overhaul was required. The new tenant, a high-end clothing importer, had their own decorating concepts that reflected a modern flair and high-end styling. For this space, York Heritage again chose the Amsterdam to compliment the proposed new décor. The up-light of the Amsterdam highlights the high ceilings and the glare-free down-lighting is in perfect harmony with the new glass entryway and other elements added by the tenant.
“We have the choice of any major brand on the market, but when you find a fixture that works great, is economical and the supplier provides great customer service, you stick with it,” states Marc McKenzie.
