As Canada’s major urban centers continue to grow upward rather than outward, the realities of real estate development are changing fast. Land is scarce, demand is high, and expectations are evolving. For developers, that means balancing scale with livability and building vertical communities that feel intuitive and efficient.
At the heart of this challenge is Shannon Adams, Senior Director of Project and Development Services at Canderel. Adams has made a career out of navigating the complexities of high-rise construction while keeping one thing top of mind: people.
From Fine Arts to the Forefront of Urban Development
When Shannon Adams stepped onto her first construction site at 20 years old, she never imagined she’d one day be leading significant high-rise developments across Toronto. With a background in abstract oil painting and sculpture, Shannon took an unconventional path into real estate, giving her an edge in visualizing and managing the complex world of vertical development. “I went to school for Fine Arts,” she says. “But I didn’t want to be a conventional artist or an art teacher… I followed a boy to Newmarket, painted houses, commissioned murals, worked at a gym, and eventually landed a job on a construction site as a site clerk. From there, I just kept moving up.”
That early hands-on experience led Shannon to her current role at Canderel, where she leads Toronto’s construction team and oversees major residential projects like the three tower, 1,300-unit Foret development and the modern, mid-rise midtown addition at 908 St. Clair. Both exemplify what she sees as the new standard in Canadian urban development: high-density, highly functional vertical communities.
Rethinking Density: Building Up with Intention
But building tall isn’t just about stacking floors, it’s about shaping spaces that adapt to the evolving needs of modern urban life. From affordability and land scarcity to lifestyle changes like working from home, developers are being pushed to rethink how communities are built in the sky.
Urban density isn’t just a design challenge, it’s an economic and social necessity. “In city living, vertical communities are really all that’s left,” says Shannon. “There is no downtown space to develop single-family homes; and townhouses are neighbourhood infill or specifically going up in the outer edges.”
But building up doesn’t mean building bland. Shannon is passionate about making high-rise living both practical and personal. That requires a clear-eyed view of what flexibility means. “People think ‘flexibility’ means customizing everything. But we are mass production builders, we’re not building 500 custom homes. What we’re doing is finding adaptable, scalable solutions that work for different types of humans.”
Rather than offering dozens of layout and finish options, Shannon and her team streamline the process to maximize quality and efficiency. “We might offer a studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom with small variations that work well across user types,” she explains. This clarity of design simplifies construction, reduces the risk of mistakes, and makes it easier to deliver a consistent, high-quality product that benefits both the builder and the homeowner.
Where Smart Design Meets Smart Technology
Beyond intelligent layouts, today’s residents expect technology to be seamlessly integrated into their homes—and Canderel is meeting that demand with systems that make life easier, safer, and more connected. “Technology is helping with accessibility,” Shannon says. “You can register a visitor parking spot on your phone, control your smart home systems, or even unlock your front door remotely.” Canderel has embraced this evolution with platforms like Okkto, which combine everything from smart home controls to amenity reservations in a single app-based interface.
“There are also smart home packages that allow you to control your temperature, lighting, speaker or sound system. Or if you think about seniors living perspective, or if someone is elderly and living in a regular condo, you can add operational assistance or emergency assistance, or something that accommodates their needs in the space at the time.”
Designing for Connection
Technology aside, the physical environment remains key to encouraging community in dense developments. For Shannon, thoughtful shared spaces—like terraces, gyms, and lobbies—can make all the difference.
“It’s really in the mechanism of the common element design and shared space amenities. Ultimately, it’s not up to us as the developer to facilitate community gathering and connection because a property manager will manage it. We step in, build the building, occupy the units, and then we’re done. But if you’re creating and building thoughtful community spaces for them to use in the future, I think that’s what matters.”
She continues, “For example, ensuring that the multi-purpose party room has a great outdoor terrace space so that people can rent that both personally and professionally, and have either community events for the building or for personal birthdays, etc. Another example is ensuring that the gym is filled with the most popular equipment so that everybody feels like they have everything they need within their home base and they don’t have to still pay for a gym membership outside.”
Even something as simple as lobby seating can help foster connection. “We need to think about what’s being implemented for future use for their purposes. Like what the seating is like in the lobby—is it conducive for somebody to comfortably sit and meet other people living in the building?”
Seamless Handover: Aligning Development and Property Management
Delivering a high-quality residential building doesn’t end when construction wraps. Creating a seamless transition from construction to occupancy requires close collaboration between developers and property managers, something Shannon and her team plan for from the earliest stages of a project.
“At the beginning, it’s important to coordinate efforts between development, investments, construction, and property management to create a first-year condo budget,” she explains. “That’s where we dictate the cost for future homeowners once they move into their units—what their common element fees will cover. So we want to make sure that there is open and effective communication at the beginning of how the building will be served, what the expectations are from both a human and a technology perspective and ultimately, what those costs are going to be because we have to communicate those when we sell—way before we build the building.”
Canderel also involves the property management team well before interim occupancy begins. “We start to bring in the property manager maybe four to six months before we know we’re going to start occupying that building because as soon as someone moves into that building, that is property manager mandate, and they need to be ready to serve the building and community.”
Shannon emphasizes the importance of collaboration during this phase, ensuring that all teams are aligned on the operational and service expectations for the building. “When we start to engage with the property manager early on, it’s not just about making sure they understand the physical space, it’s about walking through the building together, understanding shared spaces, and pointing out the specific operational and maintenance features that will support the property management team once residents begin moving in.”
This process allows Shannon and her team to ensure that the building is handed over most efficiently, allowing property managers to transition into their roles smoothly. “We work to maintain open and effective communication. This is how the building has been built; let’s walk around and show you all the common areas, the maintenance and operational requirements, access points, and homeowner needs. By the time the building is ready for occupancy, the property manager will have all the tools to take over the building successfully.”
Navigating the Balance Between Vision and Practicality
Shannon confronts the challenge of balancing visionary urban planning with the practical realities of construction daily. As cities like Toronto continue to densify, the demand for high-rise developments will only increase, but that comes with a complex set of challenges—financial constraints, zoning laws, and, of course, the human need for a livable, adaptable space.
“There’s an ideal of the perfect plan, but many financial and design challenges prevent us from achieving that vision,” she says. “Municipal planners have their vision, but it’s not always collaborative. It doesn’t always mesh with what we can realistically build. But that’s part of the job—we figure out how to bring that vision to life within the practical constraints we face”. Despite these challenges, Shannon remains focused on what she can control—delivering well-designed, functional, and sustainable communities that meet the needs of urban residents. “You have to care about what you do and who you’re doing it for,” she says. “At the end of the day, we’re building homes. That has to mean something.”
Designing for the Future of Urban Living
Building high-rise communities isn’t just about maximizing space, it’s about creating homes that feel personal, adaptable, and connected within a dense urban fabric. From the earliest stages of budgeting and design to the final handover to property management, every phase is rooted in intentional collaboration and thoughtful execution.
In a city where land is limited and vertical growth is inevitable, Shannon sees each development as an opportunity to raise urban living standards. Through innovative design, integrated technology, and a focus on resident experience, her work at Canderel reflects a broader shift toward cities that are not just taller—but more innovative, inclusive, and more human.
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