Category Archives: Architecture & Construction

Crane to be removed from Burano condo tower

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Burano Condo tower

This red and white crane has been a familiar sight above the Burano Condos construction site since the fall of 2009 …

 

Burano Condos cranes

… but it will soon be disassembled and removed from the top of the 50-storey tower. The portable grey jib crane behind it will finish off the remaining construction work on the building.

 

Job done: A familiar sight will soon disappear from the city skyline.

The red and white construction crane that helped build the 50-storey Burano condo tower is about to be disassembled and removed from the site, as signalled by the installation of a temporary jib crane atop the building during the past two days. Now that the heavy lifting is done, the big crane will be moved to another construction site, and the smaller jib crane will finish the work that remains on Burano.

 

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Garrison condos get cozy with the Gardiner

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Garrison at the Yards condos Toronto

March 14 2012: Construction has reached 7 floors on the Garrison at the Yards condo building, seen looking east along Fort York Boulevard

 

Garrison at the Yards condos Toronto

March 14 2012: Windows and cladding have been installed along the first level of residential units. This is the building’s northwest side.

 

Garrison at the Yards condos Toronto

March 14 2012: Garrison at the Yards construction progress viewed from the northeast at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Fort York Boulevard

 

Garrison at the Yards condos Toronto

March 14 2012: The southeast side of the building is practically spitting distance from the Gardiner Expressway

 

Garrison at the Yards condos Toronto

March 14 2012: Looking toward Garrison at the Yards from Bathurst Street, on the south side of the Gardiner Expressway

 

Close quarters: Even though my condo is set back about 100 feet from a busy 4-lane downtown street, the traffic noise is sometimes almost deafening, while often very distracting and disrupting. If we keep the windows and balcony door open, we can’t hear the television or the stereo, and it’s often difficult to carry on a conversation or speak on the phone. So I can’t even begin to imagine what the noise levels must be like in condos overlooking the Gardiner Expressway from only a few meters away. I certainly couldn’t live in one.

But proximity to a busy expressway isn’t discouraging people from buying units in the steadily growing number of new buildings being constructed just spitting distance from the Gardiner, like Garrison at the Yards.

 

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City Scene: Taking in an ÏCE view

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ICE Condos west tower

March 7 2012: A construction worker gazes at downtown Toronto from the curved west building of the 2-tower ÏCE Condos complex currently under construction at the southwest corner of York Street and Bremner Boulevard. Construction of the oval-shaped tower has reached more than 11 levels so far, on its way to 57 storeys. A project of Lanterra Developments, ÏCE Condos was designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.

 

ICE Condos Toronto

March 7 2012: Looking south from Bremner Boulevard towards the ÏCE Condos construction site. At left, construction of the 67-storey east tower has reached 3 levels while its sibling, center, has already climbed 11 levels on its way to 57. A 31-storey office building will eventually be constructed on the parking lots site in the foreground. The building under construction to the right is the Infinity3 condo tower, which has risen 9 floors on its way to 34. Infinity3 is a project of The Conservatory Group, and was designed by E.I. Richmond Architects Ltd.

 

 

Crane installation underway at X2 Condos site

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X2 Condos crane installation

March 10 2012: Charles Street is blocked to traffic while a portable crane installs the fixed-position construction crane that will build X2 Condos

 

X2 Condos crane installation

March 10 2012: The crane is being installed in the northwest corner of the 5-level-deep excavation for the 49-storey condo tower

 

X2 Condos crane installation

March 10 2012: The blue lower half of the crane rises from the deep excavation only meters from the south side of Charles Street

 

Assembly day: Another construction crane is rising on the city skyline today, joining dozens of other cranes already working on major condo, office and other building projects throughout the downtown core. The new crane will soar skyward above Jarvis and Charles Streets, where it will help construct the  X2 Condos tower for developer Great Gulf Homes.

X2 Condos will be a 49-storey tower designed by Toronto’s Rudy Wallman Architects Inc. It will be a “sister” skyscraper to Great Gulf’s highly popular X Condos, a 44-storey tower which opened for occupancy in the summer of 2010 just a stone’s throw away on the north side of  Charles Street. (X Condos was designed by a different architectural firm, Peter Clewes and his team at architectsAlliance of Toronto.)

 

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It’s showtime as Cinema Tower starts to climb

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Cinema Tower condos Toronto

March 7 2012: Cinema Tower construction viewed from the NW corner of Widmer and Adelaide Streets. The tower has started to rise above its 5-floor podium, which will hold four levels of above-ground parking.

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Cinema Tower condos Toronto

March 7 2012: A closer view, from the northwest, of the tower segment of the condo project. Festival Tower stands to the rear left.

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Cinema Tower condos Toronto

March 7 2012: Cinema Tower’s gently curved floorplates contrast sharply with the rectangular podium, viewed from Widmer Street

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Cinema Tower condos Toronto

March 7 2012: Looking up the south side of the building from the laneway behind Festival Tower and the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The entrance ramp for the above-ground parking is situated at the bottom right corner of the podium.

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Higher drama: Cinema Tower has started to display its elegant curves as the residential component of the 43-storey condo complex continues to climb above its base at the southeast corner of Widmer and Adelaide Streets.

For nearly six months since last summer, when the building began to rise above grade, construction of the podium took center stage. A large, rectangular concrete structure, the podium features four levels of indoor parking above street-level retail space and a ground-floor lobby and concierge area for the condo tower. (Below ground are four additional levels of parking. About 200 vehicle spaces there will be operated as a commercial parking facility, while the other 200 spots in the building will be private parking for residents.)

The construction action got a little more interesting in late January when the first of 38 condo floors began to take shape atop the podium. With four levels of condos now constructed, the tower is already developing a dramatic presence in the area, and will continue to bask in the limelight as it gradually grows taller on the Entertainment District skyline.

 

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Builder donates $40 million to SickKids Tower

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SickKids Research & Learning Tower

Construction on the SickKids Centre for Research & Learning tower dominates the view north from the intersection of Bay and Queen Streets

 

Record gift: The head of the biggest home building company in Canada has donated a whopping $40 million to what will become the country’s biggest highrise research facility.

The gift from Peter Gilgan, the founder, president and CEO of Mattamy Homes, was announced publicly on Wednesday. The donation will support construction and operating costs for the 21-storey, $400 million Centre currently under construction at the northwest corner of Bay and Elm Streets.

 

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City Scene: Skating in sunshine and 16 degrees

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Ice skating at Toronto City Hall

Skaters enjoy the rink at Nathan Phillips Square under sunny skies and mild 16-degree temperatures Wednesday afternoon. A National Historic Site, Toronto’s Old City Hall provides a grand backdrop for those enjoying their icetime. Built from 1889-1899, Old City Hall was designed by Toronto architect E.J. Lennox.

 

Logo installation underway at PwC tower

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PwC office tower Toronto

March 7 2012: One-third of the lead tenant’s logo has now been installed on the south side of the PwC office tower at Southcore Financial Centre …

 

PwC office tower Toronto

… seen here from Lake Shore Boulevard to the south on January 6 2012.  (The two ÏCE condo towers being constructed in the foreground eventually will block this view of the 26-storey PwC office building at 18 York Street.)

 

Waiting for the WC: The logo for its namesake anchor tenant is finally being installed atop the PwC Tower at Southcore Financial Centre.

When I passed by the building back on February 20, a swing stage above the top left corner on the tower’s south side hinted that the PwC logo would soon be affixed to the face of the 26-storey headquarters for the Canadian head office of tax firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited.

 

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Woof! Canine construction boss keeps close watch over excavation crew at Theatre Park condo site

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Theatre Park Condos construction mascot

March 7 2012: This gruff-looking construction supervisor keeps his hardhat tipped over his eyes to cut the glare from the afternoon sunshine beaming down on the Theatre Park condo construction site on King Street West

 

Bulldog boss: I’ve occasionally seen dogs doing security duty at construction sites, but today marked the first time I’ve seen one wearing a white hardhat and supervising the humans working on an excavation for a condo tower project.

The stern-faced bulldog boss was sitting motionless on the roof of a black 4×4 parked at the south end of the Theatre Park condo construction site on King Street West, watching silently while workers in earth-moving machines continued making progress on the excavation for the 47-storey point tower.

While I was shooting the pooch’s picture through a security fence on the west side of the site, several passersby came over to see what had caught my attention. Within moments, half a dozen people were pressing cellphones against the chainlink fence, snapping their own pics of the catatonic canine. Some actually thought the dog was real, including one woman who exclaimed : “Oh, he’s so cute … but how does he manage to keep that helmet on his head?” One fellow started intently through the fence and said: “I think it’s fake. It can’t be real. I don’t think they’re allowed to bring pets to construction sites.” Another said to me: “That’s hilarious. It’s great to see these guys have a good sense of humour. They’ve got a rough job.” Or did he mean “ruff”?

Theatre Park is a project of Lamb Development Corp, Niche Development and Harhay Construction Management Ltd.  The condo tower was designed by architectsAlliance.

Below are a few more photos I snapped of the construction crew’s bulldog mascot, along with a site photo I shot at the end of January when foundation drilling and shoring was underway. Those are followed by an artistic illustration, from the Theatre Park website, showing how the tower will look. More information, photos and illustrations of the project are provided in my January 5 2012 post and in my February 19 2011 post.

 

Theatre Park condo project canine mascot

The plastic pooch basks in the sun from his perch on the roof of a truck

 

Theatre Park condo construction site

The 4×4 sits at the south end of the Theatre Park condo tower construction site, where crews have dug down more than six feet so far

 

Theatre Park condo construction

Overlooking the excavation through a chainlink fence at the southwest corner of the site, next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre

 

Theatre Park condo construction

January 31 2012: A drilling rig works on the Theatre Park construction site after a light snowfall, one of the few Toronto experienced this winter

 

Theatre Park condo tower rendering

The 47-storey point tower was designed by architectsAlliance. This illustration appears on the Theatre Park website.

 

 

Shock and awe as Aura ascends

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Aura condos at College Park

March 6 2012: A giant canopy being built above the Yonge Street sidewalk will protect pedestrians as construction of the 78-storey Aura condo tower proceeds

 

More photos and information on the next page.

 

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Crane installation imminent at U Condos site

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U Condos Toronto

March 2 2012: A construction crane base pad is being assembled on the site where the 45-storey U Condos west tower will rise

 

U Condos Toronto

March 2 2012: A closer view of the crane pad

 

Crane coming: A construction crane will soon soar above the University of Toronto campus from the vast excavation for the two-tower U Condos development at Bay and St Mary Streets.

Late last week, crews began building a crane base on the site of the project’s 45-storey west tower, between St Mary Street to the north, University of Toronto’s Elmsley Hall and Brennan Hall to the west, and historic St Basil’s Church to the south. At least one more crane will be installed at some point to help build the 50-storey east tower, which will rise just to the northeast of the church, along Bay Street. Besides the two towers, the U Condos development will include multi-level townhouses on the north, east and south sides of the property, along with courtyards, pedestrian passageways, and a park extending south toward St Joseph Street.

 

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Subway service disrupted after crews break water main while building new platform at Union station

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Front Street construction

January 31 2012:  Subway platform construction activity on Front Street between the Royal York Hotel and Union Station. Weekend service on part of the Yonge-University-Spadina line was disrupted after tracks at the Union subway station got flooded when construction crews accidentally ruptured a water main.

 

Soggy station: For the past year, construction of a new platform and concourse at the Union subway station — along with major revitalization work at Toronto’s historic Union Station building — has inconvenienced mainly motorists and pedestrians, thanks to minor detours around various different building zones on sections of Front and Bay Streets. This weekend, however, thousands of subway users had their travel plans disrupted when the Union subway stop was flooded after construction crews accidentally severed a water main.

 

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Ceiling section collapses from hydro headquarters

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700 University Avenue

February 29 2012: A large section of ceiling collapsed this morning from the overhang above the first floor of the Ontario Power Generation building

 

700 University Avenue

The ceiling segment caved in near the building’s southeast corner

 

Drywall drops: No-one was hurt this morning when a large section of ceiling material buckled and collapsed from the ceiling of the first-floor building overhang at the Ontario Power Generation 700 University Avenue corporate headquarters.

 

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Public meeting will discuss 60-storey condo tower plan for site beside historic hall at Yonge & College

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Historic Oddfellows Hall at Yonge & College Streets Toronto

February 26 2012: A 60-storey condominium tower that would loom above the historic Oddfellows Hall building (left) at Yonge & College Streets …

 

460 Yonge Street Toronto

… has been proposed for this location, currently occupied by a 2-storey building with shops and restaurants at street level and offices on the second floor

 

460 Yonge Street Toronto condo tower proposal sign

One of the development proposal signs posted outside 460 Yonge Street

 

Open for discussion: The City is holding a community consultation Wednesday night to get public input on a developer’s plan to build a 60-storey condo tower at Yonge & College Streets, right next door to a 4-storey heritage building constructed in 1891.

Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects Inc. of Mississauga for developer Canderel Stoneridge of Toronto, the building would feature a 207-meter-tall tower containing 599 residential units at the municipal address of 460 Yonge Street. A podium ranging from 3 to 7 stories would contain the condo’s recreational amenities along with retail space on the street level and second floor, offices on the third floor, and an outdoor terrace with barbecue area on the podium roof. Six levels of underground parking would offer 196 vehicle spaces and 608 bicycle parking spots.

 

 

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Ryerson University unveils plans to build 500-bed student highrise residence near Jarvis & Dundas

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new Ryerson student residence

An artistic illustration by IBI Group Architects of the student residence  Ryerson University plans to build in the Jarvis-Dundas area

 

186-188 Jarvis Street Toronto

February 28 2012: Looking west at the 186-188 Jarvis Street site on which Ryerson University will build its new student accommodations

 

New student digs: A new 500-bed residence planned for the Jarvis & Dundas area will help Ryerson University meet burgeoning demand for student accommodation while bringing more liveliness and energy to a downtown streetscape that could clearly use some enhancement.

The residence — to be built on what is currently a pay parking lot at 186-188 Jarvis Street — is expected to feature a 2-storey podium containing cafés and retail outlets topped by “a 20+ storey building offering a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units,” the university announced in a media release.

 

 

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