Residential · Apartment Build of the Year
St. James
Greg from Old Oak called Alfonso: a permit-ready site in front of him, 48 hours to decide. Alfonso reviewed it. On paper it was a full condo built on ICF, chosen because it was thought to be cheaper. From the drawings, Alf identified serious structural problems and sub-optimal suite layouts. He led a full redesign: ICF out, cast-in-place shear walls over hollow core slabs in, vendor deals renegotiated on a brutal timeline, and every suite reconfigured with big island kitchens and walk-through closets into the ensuites. The deal was closed in 48 hours. Execution won the development the London Home Builders' Association Apartment Build of the Year.
Healthcare · P3 Design-Build-Finance
Groves Memorial Hospital
Groves Memorial was a P3 design-build-finance job with a lot of moving parts. Late in the process, Alfonso made a $3 million call. Based on pricing from comparable projects, he swapped the main electrical contractor at the last minute. It caused grief, and he will tell you so. But he also knows on a P3 you cannot take a low price from someone without the experience, and you cannot win the job without the right number. The grief of the swap didn't compare to the grief of choosing the wrong contractor for the build. Knowing which gut call to make, and when, is what thirty-five years buys you.
Residential · Modular Pre-Cast
Aurora Condos
Aurora was a complex residential build with significant site constraints, specifically its close proximity to sensitive wetlands. Traditionally, the project was slated for cast-in-place concrete, a method that would have exposed the timeline to significant risk given the site's environmental conditions. Alfonso identified these risks early in the planning phase and made the decision to pivot the structural approach, swapping traditional concrete for a modular “stubbies” pre-cast system. While this required a major mid-stream adjustment, it successfully mitigated the risks associated with the wetlands and ultimately saved the project valuable time. Knowing when to abandon the conventional build path in favour of a modular solution that better fits the site reality is the type of call that thirty-five years in the industry buys you.
