Category Archives: Architecture & Construction

Theatre Park condo foundation filling in fast

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Theatre Park condo

August 25 2012: Looking toward the north end of the Theatre Park condo construction site, where underground levels are fast taking shape

 

Theatre Park condo

August 25 2012: A view of construction progress on underground levels near the midsection of the Theatre Park site. The condo property extends from King Street on the south to Pearl Street on the north.

 

Theatre Park condo

 August 25 2012: Work has progressed the farthest at the King Street (south) end of the site, where only one more underground level remains to be built

 

Inching upwards: Construction drama should start moving above grade at the Theatre Park condo tower site this fall.

The underground levels for the 47-storey tower have been filling in fast this summer. Work on the southern third of the site — next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street — has progressed the farthest, and only one more underground level remains to be constructed before that part of the building reaches street level.  The northern two-thirds of the site has some catching up to do, but isn’t far behind.

 

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Fall move-ins as Trinity Lofts near completion

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Trinity Lofts

August 22 2012: Trinity Lofts viewed from the southeast on Eastern Avenue …

 

Trinity Lofts

… from the southeast, on Trinity Street …

 

Trinity Lofts

… and from the southwest, on Eastern Avenue

 

Nearly done:  As construction on Trinity Lofts draws closer to completion, residents are expected to begin moving into the 8-storey, 83-unit building this fall.

A project of local development firm Streetcar, Trinity Lofts is situated at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Trinity Street, just a two-minute walk from Toronto’s historic Distillery District and a not-much-longer walk from the West Don Lands area where the athlete’s village and other facilities are under construction for the 2015 Pan Am Games. The building, which follows the natural curve of Eastern Avenue, contains 81 loft condos with 9-foot ceilings and open concept interiors, as well as 2 townhouse units.

 

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ÏCE gradually building up on city skyline

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ICE Condos

August 15 2012: Lake Shore Boulevard view of the two ÏCE Condominium towers currently under construction at 12 and 14 York Street on the north side of the Gardiner Expressway

 

See the next page for more photos and information.

 

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Window and cladding installation well underway as Infinity3 condo construction tops 30 floors

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Infinity3 condos

August 15 2012:  The CN Tower looms to the northwest of the Infinity3 condo tower, where construction has reached 30 storeys on its way to 35

 

Glassing in: The Infinity3 condo tower is starting to show some skin.

As construction passes the 30th floor, on its way to 35 in total, window and cladding installation is beginning to add shape, colour and texture to the building’s bare concrete frame.

Meanwhile, construction is reaching the third level of the Infinity4 building, which will ultimately stand 16 storeys tall and share a podium, four levels of underground parking, and amenities with its taller sibling.

 

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Move-ins to start this fall at Garrison condos

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Garrison at Fort York condos

August 15 2012: Bathurst Street view of Garrison at Fort York condos, which is nearing completion on a wedge-shaped site on the north side of the elevated Gardiner Expressway

 

Occupancy soon: Within just a few months, people will start moving into the Garrison at Fork York condos, a midrise building which is nearing the end of construction on a triangular piece of property wedged between the Gardiner Expressway, Bathurst Street and Fort York Boulevard.

A large banner on the north side of the 12-storey building advertises “Move in this fall with 10% down,” while the project website says units are still available from $207,900 “with only 5% down” — also with fall move-in dates.

 

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Fly condo highrise climbs into its element in crowded tower cluster on Front Street West

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Fly condos

August 15 2012:  Construction of Fly Condos viewed from Bathurst Street to the southwest. From this perspective, there appears to be considerable wide open space on the condo building’s north and west sides …

 

Fly Condos

… thanks to a large surface parking lot on Fly’s west flank …

 

Fly Condos

… and another large parking lot to its immediate north and northwest …

 

Fly condos Matrix condos and Apex condos

… however on its south side, Fly shares close quarters with three CityPlace condo towers, including the east Apex building, left, and the two oval Matrix towers on Front Street …

 

Fly condos and Element condos

… while Fly’s east side rises almost smack against the Element condo highrise to its east

 

Close quarters: At this time last summer, the underground parking levels of Fly Condos were still in the early stages of construction, with months to go before the building reached grade. As of this week, the building has climbed 23 stories above the street — just one level shy of its final floor count. In the process, Fly has made a mini condo tower canyon on Front Street West look and feel even more cramped and crowded than it had been before.

Right now, there’s lots of open space to the north and west of Fly, since the surrounding land is occupied by large surface-level parking lots (who knows for how much longer before they’re redeveloped into condos, too). But it’s a completely different story on Fly’s other two sides.

 

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Ripley’s aquarium shaping up & filling in fast

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Ripley's Canada Aquarium

August 15 2012: The sharply angled roof of the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is quickly taking shape at the foot of the CN Tower, left

 

Ripley's Canada Aquarium rendering

This rendering provided to the media shows how the distinctive roof will appear when viewed from the entrance plaza to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

 

Ripley's Aquarium Canada

August 15 2012: Another view of the iron and steel frame of the aquarium roof

 

Ripley's Canada Aquarium

August 15 2012: Construction viewed from the southeast on Bremner Boulevard

 

Ripley's Canada Aquarium

This rendering shows how the aquarium will appear when viewed from the southeast …

 

Ripley's Canada Aquarium rendering

… while this illustration shows the aquarium viewed from the south

 

Ripley's Canada Aquarium

This model shows the layout of the aquarium interior

 

Gone fishing: It was exactly one year ago I reported that construction had commenced at the foot of the CN Tower for the $130 million, 135,000-square foot Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada — Toronto’s first major new tourist attraction in years.

Last week I was amazed to learn that, less than a year after construction shovels had hit the ground, the aquarium had already begun hydro-testing its 750,000-gallon Shark Lagoon, filling the acrylic tanks with water to ensure there are no leaks. I had not seen the construction site since early May, at which time it looked like the building still had a long way to go, so I was surprised to hear that water testing was underway on the tanks that will become home to more than 13,500 fish and other sea creatures. (Also last week, the Toronto Star reported that marine biologists and shark experts started hunting for sand sharks for the aquarium back in April.)

 

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Topping off in sight as L Tower climbs to 55 floors

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The L Tower Toronto

August 15 2012: West view of The L Tower, where construction crews were busy pouring concrete for the 55th floor of the Daniel Libeskind-designed skyscraper.

 

The L Tower

August 15 2012: The L Tower viewed from the south on Yonge Street below Harbour Street

 

Bending up: Construction of the 57-storey L Tower is close to topping off.

Yesterday, construction crews were pouring a concrete slab on The L Tower’s 55th floor, and today they are scheduled to pour concrete for walls and columns on levels 55 and 56. Meanwhile, cladding and laminated glass windows have been installed on much of the lower third of the tower.

 

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Aura condo construction climbs to 33 floors

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Aura condos at College Park

August 13 2012: Aura at College Park condo tower construction viewed from my window to the northeast. The building behind it, with the green-hued windows, is the new SickKids Centre for Research and Learning at Bay & Gerrard Streets.

 

Aura condos at College Park

August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the east on Gerrard Street, next to Ryerson University

 

Aura condos at College Park

August 11 2012: Aura seen from the southwest on Gerrard Street beside the Delta Chelsea

 

Aura condos at College Park

August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the west, in the green space at College Park

 

Aura condos at College Park

August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the north, outside the entrance to the College Park shopping mall

 

Looming large: The Aura condo tower under construction at College Park already has a formidable and massive presence in central downtown Toronto — and the building has reached only 33 floors so far. I’m still trying to imagine the impact the tower is going to have on both its immediate area, and on the city skyline, when construction tops off at 78 stories. And from a purely personal perspective, I’m curious and anxious to see how the tower will affect the daylight and sunshine that pours through the windows of my condo six blocks away to the northeast.

Aura started climbing into the view from the window next to my computer desk in late May, when construction had reached about 15 floors.  By July, it had blocked nearly all my view of the new 21-storey SickKids Centre for Research and Learning tower, which is approaching the end of construction two blocks to Aura’s southwest. As Aura continues its ascent, it will fill in much of the sky that I see between the two Radio City condominium towers on Mutual Street near my home.

 

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The Milan condos adding new look to landscape at Church-Yonge-Davenport corner in Yorkville

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Milan condos Toronto

August 6 2012: Construction of the third above-ground level of The Milan Condominium viewed from the southeast on Church Street

 

Milan condos Toronto

August 6 2012: View from the southeast corner of Yonge & Church Streets. Construction of the tower’s 4th floor gets underway as building forms are placed at the northwest corner.

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Milan Condos Toronto

July 29 2012 view of The Milan from the west along Davenport Road

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New landmark: The Church-Yonge-Davenport intersection in Yorkville is taking on a whole new look as construction of The Milan Condominium commences its steady, gradual climb above street level.

For decades, the intersection was instantly identifiable by two familiar landmarks: the flagship Canadian Tire store and gas bar on the northeast corner, and the 94-year-old Masonic Temple (now production studios and offices for MTV Canada) on the northwest. But as The Milan tower makes its ascent, some pedestrians and motorists are getting a bit confused about where they are.

 

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Construction of 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment highrise passes the halfway point

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Motion on Bay Toronto

August 11 2012: Construction of the 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment building at Bay & Dundas Streets has reached 17 floors, with 12 more to go

 

Halfway there: If some of the emails I receive are a reliable indication, there’s a lot of people in Toronto who think that the Motion on Bay Street building currently under construction at Bay & Dundas Streets is going to be “yet another condo,” to borrow the words of one correspondent.  After I published some construction photos on May 5, I received several private messages from people requesting information about availability and purchase prices for 1- and 2-bedroom “condos” in the building. (For some reason, a lot of people also assume I’m a condo sales rep.) With this update post, I’m already bracing for another series of similar inquiries.

 

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Florian condo and Four Seasons Toronto towers fast approaching podium finishes in Yorkville

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Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

Exterior work on the new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, seen here July 29 2012, is currently focussing on the base of the soaring 55-storey condo and hotel tower, as well as on the streetscape at the northwest corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue.

 

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

August 6 2012: In the courtyard on the east side of the Four Seasons tower, a driveway of elaborately patterned paving stones is being installed in front of the porte cochère …

 

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

… while work is underway on the other half of the courtyard, where an urban garden will grace the street level in front of the 26-storey Four Seasons condo tower

 

The Florian condos in Yorkville Toronto

Meanwhile, just one block to the north, work is nearly finished on the podium of The Florian condo tower on Davenport Road at the top of Bay Street, seen July 29 2012

 

The Florian condos in Yorkville Toronto

Marble, glass and masonry accent provide strong angular accents to the long facade of The Florian’s podium, which gently follows the curve of Davenport Road

 

The Florian condos in Yorkville Toronto

Exterior finishing touches, including glass panel installation on podium-level balconies, were underway during the August holiday weekend …

 

The Florian condos in Yorkville Toronto

… while the revolving lobby entrance door and sheltered front driveway beneath the sharply pointed prow of the podium were in full view to passersby

 

Finishing touches: During the past three years, public attention on The Florian and the new Four Seasons Toronto condo towers in Yorkville has generally been focussed upward, as construction of the three highrise buildings climbed steadily higher. Now that wooden construction hoarding has been removed from the sidewalks outside both buildings, passersby are finally able to take a good look at architectural details closer to earth, including the exterior of the podiums and the streetscaping and landscaping elements of each project.

 

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Four Seasons Toronto towers getting exterior finishing touches, landscaping installation

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Four Seasons Toronto West Tower

August 6 2012: The soaring 55-storey West Tower of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences complex at the northwest corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue

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~ Continued from previous post ~

Below is a series of photos showing recent construction activity on the lower levels of the Four Seasons Toronto hotel and condo towers, along with link to a short videoclip shot during the Civic Holiday long weekend.

 

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Cladding & glass on new condo/loft complex brings shades of grey to Front Street West

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300 Front Street West Toronto

July 27 2012: A view from the west of construction progress on the Three Hundred Front Street West condo tower being built by Tridel at Front & John Streets

 

300 Front Street West Toronto

July 27 2012: Charcoal grey and silver cladding is being installed on the southwest corner of what ultimately will be a 49-storey condo tower …

 

300 Front Street West Toronto

… with an attached 15-storey loft building …

 

300 Front Street West Toronto

… both of which are seen here from the south side of Front Street last Friday

 

Nearly halfway there: The exterior colour of a condominium tower currently under construction on Front Street West shares two things in common with one of the year’s most popular novels. Not only do shades of grey figure prominently with the building’s cladding and the book’s title, but both have been selling exceptionally well also.

Three Hundred Front Street West, a project of Toronto’s Tridel group of real estate development and management companies, is an L-shaped condo-loft complex being built at the northwest corner of Front and John Streets, just north of the CN Tower. The condo tower will soar 49 storeys above the street, while the loft section of the building will rise just 15 floors.  As of last week, the tower was approaching the halfway mark, while work on the midrise loft wing had reached the 12th level.

 

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Cinema Tower adds angles, curves & colour to city skyline as condo construction climbs higher

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Cinema Tower Toronto

July 27 2012: Looking up the SW corner of Cinema Tower from Widmer Street

 

Cinema Tower Toronto

July 27 2012: Cinema Tower viewed from he northwest on Adelaide Street

 

Curves & colour:  The last time I walked around the Cinema Tower construction site in late March,  the highrise condominium component of the 43-storey tower had climbed about 5 floors above its sizable 6-storey podium. Although the striking curves and angles of the condo floors were already obvious at that point, I still wasn’t sure what to make of the tower’s design, since the building was basically just a massive concrete frame.

It was a completely different story when I finally got back down to take a fresh look on Friday. The tower has since climbed three-quarters of the way to its ultimate height, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how the building’s interesting angles, curves and colours make Cinema Tower stand out on the Entertainment District skyline. It’s turning out to be a much better-looking building than I had expected, based on the artistic illustrations I had seen on the Cinema Tower website and on hoarding around the construction site.

 

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