Timbre & Harmony

60 years after the first affordable seniors housing was erected on the site, Brightside is working to continue the legacy of providing affordable and accessible homes for seniors and people with disabilities. Improved accessibility features and amenities such as elevators will help support seniors living independently to age in place. Building to Passive House Certification standards means higher efficiency and lower costs, and contributes to Vancouver’s Greenest City vision.

Adding approximately 157 new homes to the site will help keep seniors within their communities and near their social supports. All residents currently living at 1425 and 1451 E 12th Avenue will be offered the chance to move into the new building once it is ready for occupancy and will continue to pay rents calculated according to their household income.

All of Brightside’s residents, staff and Board, and select stakeholders had the opportunity to first provide thoughts and suggestions on possible names for the new buildings. The names were then shortlisted and put to a vote in the Brightside Community. The community chose the names Timbre and Harmony to represent the new buildings.

Timbre refers to the tone, colour and quality of sound that distinguishes instruments or singers from one another. Harmony refers to the sounding of two or more notes at the same time. Together, these two terms play off each other to suggest both uniqueness and togetherness, a reflection of both the buildings and the community. Musical terms are generally universal and easy to remember.

We are grateful to all of the Brightside residents, staff, and Board members that took place in our community engagement process, and are truly excited to see these new names adorn the entryways of our new buildings once complete.