Nuera and Alura

Builder's web site: http://www.aluraliving.ca

Construction wrapped up in mid-2010 on Nuera, the first of two 33-storey towers atop a one-storey retail-space podium with roof-top gardens, and pre-sales started in mid-2012 for the second tower, Alura. I combine these buildings because they are to operate as a single condominium corporation when Alura is complete.

Nuera and Alura are sisters to the condominium towers a block south: Sasso, completed in 2006, and Vetro, completed in 2008, all built by Edmonton's Cove Properties (see my Condo Directory entries for each). The Nuera and Alura towers will be offset rather than side-by-side, with the completed first tower set back, east of First Street SE, so all faces of both towers will have more open views.

Nuera has 220 suites ranging from 650-square-foot one-bedroom homes to 985 square-foot two-bedroom corner-set homes and penthouses in the 1,400-foot range that each have at least one double-height wall of windows. The top eight floors are wrapped in continuous glass with one face sloping back as it reaches the roof. The developer promotes the Nuera and Alura towers as having a higher standard of energy and water-use efficiency than prior buildings. As was the case with Sasso and Vetro, Nuera and Alura are age-restricted to those over 18. While Sasso and Vetro allowed no dogs from the outset, these later towers allow each suite owner to keep a small well-behaved dog.

Alura was redesigned in 2010 to provide a larger number of smaller suites, bringing down their prices. Floor plans start with one-bedroom suites of 470 to 590 square feet.

The two towers will share amenities including an in-house gym with steam room, a party room and a boardroom, and also offer common-area wireless internet service. The exterior windows and doors of both towers are all low-e glass and are common property for maintenance and replacement. Under both towers is a 3.5-level garage with titled parking stalls. I have on file the floor plans and the finishing-standards specification sheets for both Nuera and Alura, and the condominium plan for Nuera. The condominium plan for Alura will be registered after the building's completion, perhaps late in 2013.