Bay Street condo and apartment towers stand in silhouette under fiery orange clouds during tonight’s sunset (as seen from my balcony east of Jarvis Street). The buildings topped by construction cranes are the two U Condos towers at Bay and St Mary Streets (far right) and the FIVE Condos tower at Yonge and St Joseph Streets (second from right). Bookending the view at far left are the Murano and Burano condo towers at Bay and Grosvenor Streets.
August 17 2013: Above-ground construction is still in relatively early stages, but the U Condos condo tower and luxury townhouse complex …
… has already drastically transformed the southwest corner of Bay and St Mary Streets, seen here on September 26 2008 when a surface parking lot still occupied part of the development site
Strong presence: Construction of the U Condominiums complex is really beginning to turn heads on Bay Street now that one of its two towers is climbing steadily higher above its 3-storey podium and the concrete shells for luxurious townhouses that will wrap around three sides of the property.
Although passersby have been able to see above-ground construction activity since January, it has been only in recent weeks that the huge scale of the project — and the tremendous visual impact it will have on the neighbourhood — have become apparent.
The project’s townhouse component has noticeably changed the pedestrian experience on Bay Street, while the west tower — which has climbed more than six storeys on its way to 45 — already hints at how drastically it and the even taller east tower will change the neighbourhood skyline. (Construction of the east tower has so far reached only as high as the townhouses.)
This artistic illustration, from an online promotional brochure that had been available on the U Condos website, shows how the completed towers will look when viewed from the same perspective as the two photos above.
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This was how the U Condos construction site looked on January 21 of last year. As the yellow foundation drilling machine continued its work …
… an enormous mound of soil (upper right) still had to be excavated from the site …
… but one year later (January 26 2013, to be exact), underground parking levels have filled in the giant L-shaped excavation, and construction of the 2 condo towers and 19 town homes has reached ground level. Building forms for support columns for the ground level of the West Tower (left) already rise above grade.
Above is a link to a Flickr album containing three dozen photos of U Condos construction since the beginning of December. Click the image once to view a small-format slideshow, or click twice to access the album and view full-size photos instead.
December 6 2012: A view of the U Condos building site, looking northeast toward the intersection of Bay Street and St Mary Street, as construction of the project’s underground parking floors approaches ground level. A row of 3-storey “urban townhomes” will rise in the immediate foreground — the southern flank of the 2-tower condo complex.
December 6 2012: Construction progress at the southwest corner of the U Condos property, where the 45-storey west tower will rise. Townhomes will extend across this side of the site.
December 6 2012: Looking southeast from St Mary Street toward the site where the 50-storey east tower will rise. Concrete will soon be poured atop the building forms in the foreground, which are nearly at street level.
From the U Condos website, this photo offers an October 2012 aerial view of the construction
Making grade: As autumn draws to a close, construction of the U Condos tower and townhouse complex is drawing closer to ground level.
Forms have been put in place along much of the west half of the property to prepare for concrete pours that will create the ceiling of the P1 level. That area is where the 45-storey West Tower will rise, as well as a row of “urban townhomes” along on the north and south perimeters of the property. Although similar building forms haven’t yet been installed on the east half of the site, where the 50-storey East Tower will soar skyward above more townhouses along Bay Street and St Mary Street, construction progress on that part of the project isn’t far behind.
Although the two tall towers will become skyline landmarks at the east (Bay Street) end of the University of Toronto campus, the 19 townhouses that will enclose the complex will ensure that U Condos stands out at street level, too. Indeed, they will give the U Condos project a unique look on Bay Street, sharply distinguishing the complex from all nearby condo, apartment and office highrises.
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August 19 2012: A view from St Mary Street of below-grade construction progress for the 50-storey U Condos east tower …
… and for the 45-storey west tower
August 19 2012: South view of below-grade progress on the the west tower, where the third underground parking level is taking shape
August 19 2012: Looking toward the northeast corner of the U Condos site as the underground parking floors continue to take form
Parking progress: When I last published photos of progress at the U Condos site back on March 4 2012, crews were preparing for the installation of the construction cranes while still excavating the vast L-shaped site next to the University of Toronto campus at Bay and St Mary Streets.
Since then, the underground levels for the two U Condos towers have steadily been taking shape, with work this month progressing to the third floor below ground.
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March 2 2012: A construction crane base pad is being assembled on the site where the 45-storey U Condos west tower will rise
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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August 13 2011: Newly-installed glass curtain wall cladding on the 77 Charles West luxury condo building, seen (above and below) from St Thomas Street
77 Charles West condos reaches 12 floors; cladding installation begins
Going green: Construction on the 77 Charles West luxury condo midrise could be topping off later this month, now that 12 of the building’s 13 floors have been built. Meanwhile, down at street level, the facade is beginning to reflect some of its nearby condo neighbours as its striking green-hued curtain wall cladding gradually gets installed.
I was surprised when I saw some of the first panels being put in place five days ago because the glass is turquoise green rather than blue, as renderings on the project website suggested it would be. Nevertheless, I like how it looks — and think it makes 77’s neighbours look good, too. Depending upon where I stood while looking at the new windows this morning, I saw sharp reflections of the One St Thomas Residences condo tower across the street, the Residences of the Windsor Arms at 22 St Thomas Street one block north, and other buildings in the Bloor-Yorkville area.
So far, the cladding encloses just three storeys around what will be the Charles Street entrance to the condominium homes (the 13 floors of luxury condos rise above Kintore College and Cultural Centre, a three-storey residence and educational facility for female Catholic students attending University of Toronto). I’m anxious to see how the cladding will look on the rest of the floors, especially on the curved south side of the building.
77 Charles West is a project of Aspen Ridge Homes, and was designed by Yann Weymouth of HOK.
Below are more photos of the new cladding and recent construction progress. Previous construction updates can be found in blog posts on July 5 2011, April 7 2011, and February 15 2011 — my first report on the 77 Charles West project.
August 6 2011: 77 Charles West condo construction viewed from St Thomas Street
August 6 2011: New promotional signage on the building’s north side
August 6 2011: Floors on the northwest corner of the building
August 6 2011: St Mary Street view of the building’s curved southwest corner
August 8 2011: Crews install the first 3-storey section of glass cladding
August 8 2011: Workers put the green-hued glass curtain wall panels in place
August 8 2011: A closer look at the cladding over the second and third storeys
August 13 2011: New cladding viewed from Charles Street, looking west
August 13 2011: Cladding above the entrance that faces north up St Thomas Street
August 13 2011: The cladding reflects several nearby buildings including the Residences at the Windsor Arms, the One St Thomas Residences, 155 Cumberland Street condos, and The Colonnade apartment building on Bloor Street
August 13 2011: Street-level view of the cladding’s neighbourhood reflection
August 16 2011: Reflection of the nearby Residences of the Windsor Arms
August 13 2011: One of the construction entrances on Charles Street
August 13 2011: A closer look at a corner section of the glass curtain wall
August 13 2011: New cladding viewed from the west end of the building
August 13 2011: Cladding reflects the One St Thomas Residences across the street
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Enormous excavation for U Condominiums keeps getting deeper & wider
August 6 2011: Excavation progress along the Bay Street side of the U Condos site, where the 50-storey east tower will rise
Digging down: Whenever I checked out excavation activity at the U Condominiums site back in the spring, it always seemed like the earth was moving at a snail’s pace. I thought it might take until the end of the year before the digging would reach anywhere near the 15-metre depth required for construction of the foundation for the project’s two condo towers, which will rise 45 and 50 storeys tall. Excavation work appeared to be moving well along the east, south and west perimeters of the property, but a vast amount of earth remained in the center and along the north perimeter. Since June, however, the excavation has progressed at an amazing pace, and the big hole in the ground at Bay and St Mary Streets is now more than two levels deep across most of the property.
U Condos is a project by The Pemberton Group. Its two condo towers, along with 3-storey townhouses that will flank the north, east and south sides of the development, were designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
Below are photos showing summer excavation progress at the U Condos location. Earlier construction photos can be viewed in my blog posts on May 7 2011, April 2 2011, March 18 2011, and February 4 2011 — my first report on the U Condos project.
June 21 2011: Looking southeast toward Bay Street from the U Condos construction entrance off St Mary Street
June 21 2011: Looking towards the eastern side of the site along Bay Street
June 21 2011: A construction supervisor watches excavation activity about 20 feet below. Bay Street is on the other side of the hoarding behind him.
June 21 2011: The southeastern corner where the 50-storey condo tower will rise
June 21 2011: Excavation on the south side of the site next to St Basil’s Church
July 3 2011: Excavation progress at the location for the east condo tower
July 3 2011: Excavation equipment and machines near the ramp off Bay Street
July 3 2011: An excavator on the south side of the site near St Basil’s Church. A row of 3-storey townhouses will be built along that edge of the U Condos property.
July 3 2011: The southwest corner of the U Condos property near Brennan Hall on the University of Toronto campus
July 24 2011: A substantially wider and deeper area has been excavated at the southwest corner in the past three weeks
July 24 2011: An excavator sits roughly where the east tower will be constructed
July 24 2011: Another view of the excavator from the St Mary Street entrance
July 24 2011: Looking toward the southeast corner of the property from a security fence along St Mary Street
August 6 2011: Significant excavation progress on the eastern third of the site
August 6 2011: Looking toward St Basil’s Church across the center of the site
August 6 2011: The 45-storey west tower will be built at this location
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Foundation work begins on north section of the One Bloor site
August 6 2011: Foundation drilling equipment on the One Bloor condo tower site
Drilling starts: One of Toronto’s biggest construction events took place in the middle of July when the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the much-awaited One Bloor condo tower at the southeast corner of the city’s premier Yonge & Bloor intersection. Drilling equipment had arrived on the site weeks earlier, but it wasn’t until July 15 that executive shovels turned soil to officially kick off construction of the 70-storey tower.
A project of Great Gulf Homes, One Bloor was designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto. My previous coverage of this condo project includes posts on July 15 2011, May 4 2011, and January 10 2011 — my first report on One Bloor.
Below are several recent photos of construction equipment on the One Bloor property. Numerous tower renderings and a full architectural description of the building can be viewed at this page on the Hariri Pontarini website.
July 13 2011: Pedestrians walk on Yonge Street south of Bloor Street, passing foundation drilling machines on the One Bloor site
July 13 2011: Yonge Street view of the One Bloor site, looking east toward the Xerox Tower at 33 Bloor Street East
July 13 2011: A man walks along the temporary subway station access path next to the north side of the One Bloor condo tower location
August 6 2011: Foundation building equipment on the One Bloor site
August 6 2011: A ground level view of the north half of the tower site
May 5 2011: The 46-storey Casa condo on Charles Street West, viewed from a driveway between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo (left) and the St Charles Court apartment building (right)
May 5 2011: looking up at the L-shaped Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower
May 5 2011: Balconies on the west side of Bloor Street Neighbourhood
May 5 2011: South view toward the Casa condo tower from a driveway linking Hayden Street and Charles Street between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower and Charles Court apartments
May 5 2011: Pedestrians take a short-cut north to Hayden Street along the driveway between the Charles Court apartments (left) and the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower
May 6 2011: A driveway just two vehicles wide is all that separates The Uptown Residences (left) and Crystal Blu Condos, new condo towers on Balmuto Street
May 6 2011: Construction on the exterior of The Uptown Residences is complete — except for the condo tower’s main entrance on Balmuto Street
May 6 2011: Construction of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences, viewed from outside The Uptown Residences
May 6 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences viewed from Balmuto Street
April 30 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences tower viewed from the northwest corner of Bloor and St Thomas Streets
May 5 2011: Four Seasons Hotel + Residences Toronto construction viewed from Church Street near Park Road
April 23 2011: Looking south at the excavation progress for the Milan condo tower under construction at Yonge & Church
April 23 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the Milan condo tower excavation site, from the Canadian Tire store parking lot next door
April 23 2011: Deep excavation in the site’s southeast corner on Church Street
April 23 2011: Excavation activity near the Yonge subway line at the north side of the Milan condo tower construction site
April 23 2011: The Milan condo tower excavation entrance ramp off Church Street
May 5 2011: A view of the Milan excavation from the site’s southeast corner on Church Street, as a subway train passes the east side of the construction area.
May 5 2011: Church Street view through security fencing toward the northeast corner of the Milan condo tower construction site
May 5 2011: Looking north from Church Street toward the Canadian Tire store next to the Milan condo construction zone
May 5 2011: view toward the east side of the Milan site from the Church Street construction entrance ramp
May 5 2011: Church Street view of the Milan site, looking northeast
April 30 2011: Construction progress at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from Charles Street
April 30 2011: Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from the corner of St Thomas and Charles Streets
April 30 2011: Looking south on St Thomas Street at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos
April 22 2011: A window washer descends the south side of the 29-storey One St Thomas condo tower, which sits directly across Charles Street from the Seventy Seven Charles west condo construction site
April 22 2011: The cleaner works his way down the limestone-clad wall
April 22 2011: His job perk is a view inside some of the city’s most exclusive luxury condos
April 22 2011: The tower, which evokes highrise buildings from 1920s and 1930s-era New York City, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects
May 6 2011: Hoarding is installed along St Nicholas Street and heavy machinery positioned on St Mary Street as crews prepare to demolish buildings where the Nicholas Residences condo tower will be constructed
May 6 2011: This building was formerly home to Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto. The interior has been gutted, and demolition of the brick exterior is imminent
May 6 2011: Nicholas will rise 35 storeys next to the Church of Scientology Toronto building, left, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets
April 30 2011: Bay Street view of excavation progress at the U Condos construction site, looking northwest toward hoarding along St Mary Street. The construction crane for the Seventy Seven Charles West condo building rises behind Loretto College, the 6-storey brick building toward the upper left of the photo.
April 30 2011: Looking from Bay Street toward excavation machinery at the northwest corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011: A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 A steel I-beam sunk into the ground to help shore up the huge U Condos site for excavation and foundation construction
April 30 2011: Southward view from St Mary Street of excavation progress on the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southeast corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011: A shoring machine in the SW corner of the U Condos site
March 29 2011: Excavation at the NE corner of the Fashion House site
March 22 2011: Motion on Bay apartment tower excavation at Bay & Dundas Streets
April 1 2011: U Condos condo tower excavation at Bay and St Mary Streets
Digging deeper: Excavations for three new highrise residential buildings are moving steadily along in three different downtown areas.
The digs at Fashion House Condos on King Street West, Motion Apartments on Bay at Dundas, and U Condos on Bay near Yorkville, all are more than one underground level deep at parts of their respective construction sites. But while excavation activity is underway on almost the entire Motion on Bay site, digging is limited to certain perimeter points at Fashion House and U Condos. Pile driving and shoring activity continues at both of those sites, where roughly three-quarters of the ground on each property has yet to be broken.
Below is a series of recent photos showing excavation progress at each building site. To view building renderings and pictures I’ve published previously, see my January 24 post on Fashion House, my January 29 post for Motion on Bay, and my February 4 and March 18 posts on U Condos.
March 29 2011: View from King Street of the Fashion House site
March 29 2011: Activity at the northwest corner of the Fashion House site
March 29 2011: Activity at the northwest corner of the Fashion House site
March 29 2011: Excavation at the north side of the Fashion House site
March 29 2011: Activity at the NE corner of the Fashion House site
February 15 2011: Northwest view of Motion on Bay excavation
February 15 2011: The north half of the Motion on Bay construction site
March 22 2011: Excavation activity at the SW corner of the Motion site
March 22 2011: Shoring and excavation equipment at the Motion site
April 1 2011: Digging away at the southwest corner of the U Condos site
April 1 2011: Excavator digging at the NW corner of the U Condos site
April 1 2011: The dig is more than one level deep at U Condos’ western perimeter
April 1 2011: A closer view of the depth of the excavation at the northwest corner
April 1 2011: Excavation depth along the property’s western perimeter
April 1 2011: St Mary Street view of activity at the east end of the site
April 1 2011: Preparing the Bay Street side of the site for excavation
March 16 2011: Huge mounds of earth at the U Condos construction site block parts of St. Basil’s Church from view along St. Mary Street. Construction crews are in the early stages of excavation work for the two-tower condo project.
Prepping the perimeter: Piles of earth keep growing bigger on the U Condos construction site, as crews continue to prepare the property’s perimeter for site excavation and foundation building. Below are photos I’ve taken during the past month of the vast condo construction site at the corner of Bay and St. Mary Streets near Yorkville. Additional photos and a description of the project are provided in my February 4 post about U Condos.
February 12 2011: The U Condos site after a light dusting of snow
February 15 2011: Pile drivers preparing the U Condos Bay Street perimeter
February 15 2011: St. Mary Street view of U Condos site
February 15 2011: Activity at the northeastern corner of the U Condos site
February 15 2011: Activity at the northeastern corner of the U Condos site
March 13 2011: Foundation building machines on the U Condos site
March 13 2011: Enormous mounds of earth in the middle of the property
March 13 2011: Foundation construction machines on the U Condos building site
March 13 2011: Machinery and equipment on the east side of the property
March 13 2011: Machinery and equipment on the east side of the property
March 13 2011: Mounds of earth keep piling up near St. Basil’s Church
March 13 2011: Pile driving equipment at the south end of the property
March 16 2011: Equipment, machines and steel beams on the east side of the site
March 16 2011: The beams will strengthen the retaining walls for the excavation
March 16 2011: One of the excavating machines on the U Condos site. The tower at the rear right of the photo is the One Bedford condominium on Bloor Street.
U’s Turn: In just a few short years, things will really be looking up for the St. Michael’s College campus at the University of Toronto. Way up. From the old ivy-clad stone and brick bastions of academia to the shiny new glass and steel towers of luxury condo living 45 and 50 storeys up. That’s how high the two towers of U Condos, currently starting construction, will soar above the college campus from their perch at the southeast corner of Bay and St. Mary Streets near Yorkville. It’s going to be a huge and dramatic change for a wedge-shaped piece of property that previously contained an unremarkable asphalt parking lot and a wide field of green grass. For people who were lucky to buy in when the buildings initially went on sale, U Condos undoubtedly will prove to be an incredibly wise investment. I’m willing to bet a substantial number of buyers are real estate- and personal finance-savvy parents who scooped up suites so their kids will have accommodations when they attend U of T; after graduation day, mom and dad will sell the units at a tidy profit, perhaps even paying off the kids’ substantial university tuition bills and other education expenses in the process. Contractors have been preparing the site for excavation since December; heavy machinery has been moving mounds of earth, while pile drivers have been punching away at several different places on the U Condos property. Below is an architectural rendering of the U Condos podium, along with photos I’ve taken in the U Condos neighbourhood at various times since 2008.
Architectural rendering of U Condos towers and podium
Billboards along U Condos Bay Street location November 14 2008
View towards Bay Street from west end of U Condos site November 1 2010
U Condos site viewed from St. Mary Street on November 1 2010
U Condos site viewed from Bay Street on November 11 2010
Billboard on U Condos site November 11 2010
View towards U Condos site from west end of St Mary Street on December 4 2010; in two years, the new towers will totally dominate this view towards Bay Street
Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010
Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010
Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010
Last glimpse of green: This lawn, seen December 4 2010, will soon be dug up
All quiet on the U Condos site on Sunday January 9
Snow-covered excavation machinery at the U Condos site January 9
U Condos site under a blanket of snow on January 9
Pile driving machinery on January 24 after a light snowfall
Pile driving machinery on January 24
U Condos billboards along Bay Street on January 29
Early stages of excavation at U Condos on January 29
Grass has been completely cleared from the western half of the site
U Condos hoarding along St Mary Street January 29
U Condos hoarding along St Mary Street January 29