Category Archives: Financial District

Glass balcony panel shatters on Shangri-La tower

A shattered glass panel is visible on a balcony at the Shangri-La Toronto hotel and condo tower on the northwest corner of Adelaide Street and University Avenue. This image is a screen capture from a video report on cp24.com.

More breakage: It has happened yet again — another balcony panel on the 66-storey Shangri-La Toronto hotel and condo tower has shattered, raining pieces of glass onto a major downtown street.

According to local news reports, no-one was injured when pieces of glass fell onto Adelaide Street when the balcony panel broke around 1.30 a.m. today. Police immediately closed the street to traffic so they could investigate the mishap. Adelaide Street was reopened to traffic around 10:30 a.m., the Toronto Star reported in its Sunday online edition.

Local news station CP24 posted a video of the scene on its website. The tape showed a shattered balcony panel on the Shangri-La tower’s southwest corner, about 20 storeys above Adelaide Street. The CP24 reporter noted that this marked the third time this year alone that a glass panel had shattered and fallen from the tower, which officially opened in October 2012.

The first instance occurred on a very cold day last January, at which time glass from a shattered panel fell onto Adelaide Street. The second event occurred last September. In that case, the CP24 reporter said, the falling glass injured a man on University Avenue. A Toronto Star report on the September incident said that a 53-year-old man was treated at hospital for the minor injuries he suffered when some of the glass struck his head.

Last night’s incident comes in the wake of the broadcast premier this past Thursday night of a documentary film entitled The Condo Game, which I previewed in a November 18 2013 post. That film, which examines the pitfalls and potential future problems posed by Toronto’s continuing condominium building boom, had been inspired by a series of balcony glass breakages at three downtown condo towers in the summer of 2011.

So far, there has been no word from Toronto police or City building inspectors as to what may have caused the balcony panel to break today.

A CN Tower view of the Shangri-La Toronto hotel and condo tower on June 3 2013

Mooning the Trump

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I snapped this picture of the Toronto Trump Tower as the moon crept across the southern sky yesterday evening at 8 p.m. Click the photo to view it full size.

Winter building pics: March 2013

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My March 2013 album on Flickr features more than 500 photos showing dozens of downtown construction projects and building sites. Click once on the image above to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the actual album where you can view individual full-size photos with captions.

Frozen fingers: It’s only a few days into spring and I’m still sorting through hundreds of building and construction photos I took during the winter. What has struck me the most is how gloomy and grey the city looked most of the time. Sunny, clear days were few and far between — and when they came, it was usually too bitterly cold and windy for me to risk freezing my fingers by wandering around with my camera.

I did manage a few long photo walks, though, and have been gradually posting the pics in albums on thetorontoblog.com’s Flickr photostream. Above is a link to my fourth winter photo album, March 2013.

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Winter building pics: February 2013

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Above is a link to my February 2013 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album directly on Flickr and see full-size photos and captions.

TIFF crowd gets first look at Living Shangri-La as new 5-star hotel/condo tower nears completion

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August 22 2012: The city’s newest 5-star hotel, the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto, looms to the northwest of the Fairmont Royal York, the grande dame of Toronto luxury hotels

Star attraction: The cachet of red carpets and Hollywood celebrities is giving a big pre-opening advertising boost to the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto as the city’s newest 5-star hotel & condo tower nears the end of construction.

It’s not officially open to the travelling public yet, but the Shangri-La is buzzing with energy and excitement as construction crews hurry to put finishing touches on the 202-room hotel at the same time as hordes of movie industry VIPs schmooze and conduct business in the building during the Toronto International Film Festival, which opened Thursday.

When I walked past the hotel yesterday morning, construction crews were scurrying on three sides of the building, especially around the western entrance off Simcoe Street where there was an almost chaotic array of activity underway. Construction tradesworkers weren’t the only people rushing in and out of the hotel; Simcoe and nearby Nelson Street were clogged with traffic as delivery trucks rushed everything from skids of building supplies to carts full of fresh fruit and vegetables into the Shangri-La. Contractors, cleaners and photographers were also streaming in and out of the Soho House Toronto, the private club for creative professionals which will occupy the restored Bishop’s Block heritage building on the southwest corner of the Shangri-La property.

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Trump taking a long time to P above Toronto

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The first two letters of the TRUMP logo were installed atop the north side of the 65-storey, 900-foot Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto by the end of May …

… but as of the 2012 Labour Day Weekend, the P still wasn’t in place because construction hasn’t yet finished on the tower’s distinctive “quarter onion” and spire

Waiting for a big P: When I last posted photos of the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto on June 8 2012, I wrote that installation of the giant Trump logo near the top of the building’s north side “signals that completion of exterior construction isn’t far off.”

I was wrong.

Although the hotel has been open for business since early this year, work on the exterior upper reaches of the 900-foot, 65-storey tower still isn’t complete. In particular, the P hasn’t been added to the rest of the Trump logo because crews are still finishing work on the signature “quarter onion” and spire segments of the building that rise from the tower’s northwest corner.

Several times on August 31, I saw construction workers climbing to and from the “crow’s nest” on the spire, so I know the contractors are hurrying to complete the building.

But even though the full Trump logo isn’t yet making its mark on the city skyline, the tower’s illuminated spire is. For several weeks in June, downtown residents saw test-runs of the spire’s lighting system, which reminded many Torontonians of the lightsabers in the Star Wars movies. Although the June testing showed the system’s multicolour capabilities, the spire has emitted a only a pale pink glow above the Financial District since then.

Fingers crossed that the logo will be completely installed by Thanksgiving.

Top of Toronto Trump Tower nears completion

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June 7 2012: Installation of the Trump logo continues on the 65-storey, 908-foot Trump International Hotel + Tower at Bay & Adelaide Streets

Waiting for a P: The 261 hotel rooms in the bottom half of the Trump International Hotel + Tower opened to guests more than five months ago, but work on the exterior of the building’s uppermost levels and spire base still hasn’t finished. But installation of the giant Trump logo, which started over two weeks ago, signals that completion of exterior construction isn’t far off.

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Living Shangri-la to unveil Zhang Huan sculpture

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May 4 2012: Rising, a dramatic sculpture by contemporary artist Zhang Huan, will be unveiled Saturday at this location outside the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower on University Avenue, between Richmond and Adelaide Streets

May 4 2012: Workers prepare the giant sculpture for its official unveiling ceremony, scheduled for 1-2 pm tomorrow afternoon

May 4 2012: The large-scale sculpture occupies a space at street level …

… and soars above the glass ‘Ice Cube’ at the building’s NE corner …

… seen here, from the University Avenue median to the east. This section of the building encloses a pool on the upper level, with a Momofuku restaurant on the floor below. The Momofuku Toronto is scheduled to open in August.

Taking flight: As construction of the 66-storey Living Shangri-la Toronto draws closer to completion, the building’s developer is set to unveil the dramatic sculpture it commissioned for the public art component of its project.

Full-page advertisements published in local newspapers this week announced that the art installation — Rising, by Shanghai and New York-based contemporary artist Zhang Huan — will be unveiled at a public ceremony Saturday afternoon from 1 – 2 p.m.

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Hotel open, but work continues atop Trump Tower

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March 15 2012: How the top of the Trump International Hotel + Tower appeared in this zoom view from my balcony this morning …

… and how it appeared in this wider view of the Financial District skyline

Nearly there: It has been six weeks since the hotel section of the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto held its “soft” opening, but work on the exterior of the skyscraper’s uppermost levels still isn’t finished. But it’s getting there.

The Trump Hotel Toronto began receiving guests on January 31 even though considerable work remained to be done on the building’s exterior, and particularly on the condo section of the 65-storey tower. But the hotel’s clientele have probably been too busy relaxing in their spacious, swanky suites, or savouring the $48 veal chops in the Trump’s Stock Restaurant & Bar, to even notice that construction is continuing. (Globe and Mail restaurant critic Joanne Kates reviewed the veal — and other menu items — in a March 2 2012 column, in case you’re interested in reading how Stock’s appetizers “taste as unexciting as they sound, and the mains are close behind.”)

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Work crews rushing to complete main floor as Trump Toronto Hotel prepares to open Tuesday

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This sign had been draped above the Adelaide Street entrance to the Trump Toronto Hotel for the past several weeks, but has been rolled up and taken away …

… as crews hurry to finish work before the hotel’s opening this Tuesday

Final stretch: Construction crews were busy both inside the main floor of the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto as well as outside the building when I passed by this afternoon. There was a palpable sense of both urgency and excitement as the workers raced against the clock to finish the city’s newest 5-star hotel in time for its opening this Tuesday.

The hotel boasts 261 luxuriously-appointed guest rooms, a 2-level Quartz Crystal Spa and wellness centre, a lobby lounge called Suits, and Stock, a 135-seat restaurant on the 31st floor.

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Trump spire makes a strong point on the skyline as tower’s rooftop construction crane comes down

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September 29 2011: The spire on the Trump Tower Toronto soars skyward between neighbours Scotia Plaza, left, and First Canadian Place, right

September 28 2011: With its spire, the Trump Toronto is supposed to stand 276.9 meters — that’s 2 meters taller than next-door neighbour Scotia Plaza, left

September 28 2011: First Canadian Place, right, retains its crown as Toronto’s tallest building at 298 meters (not including its antennae).

Soaring spire: Construction of the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto is drawing closer to completion — a point punctuated this week when work crews added the top section of the skyscraper’s signature spire and began disassembling the rooftop construction crane.

Soaring skyward between Scotia Plaza and First Canadian Place, the spire cements Trump Toronto’s status as a new architectural landmark on the Financial District skyline. According to the Toronto Skyscraper Diagram on skyscraperpage.com, the spire gives Trump Toronto a total height of 276.9 meters. Technically speaking, that means Trump Toronto takes honours as the city’s second-tallest tower, after 298-meter First Canadian Place. However, the slender spire rises only 2 meters higher than Scotia Plaza next door which will nevertheless continue to look like it’s still the second-tallest skyscraper.

With cladding remaining to be installed on only the three top floors, the building appears to be on schedule for the 261-room Trump Toronto Hotel to open its doors in January. (The hotel is currently accepting reservations through its website from January 10 2012 onwards).

Below are photos showing recent construction progress on the tower’s top floors and spire.

August 30 2011: An HtO Park view of Trump Tower Toronto rising behind First Canadian Place, left and the towers of the TD Centre

August 30 2011: Toronto Islands view of Trump Tower Toronto rising on the Financial District skyline

September 3 2011: Trump Tower Toronto viewed from Adelaide Street West near University Avenue

September 3 2011: Spire construction viewed from the west on Adelaide Street

September 3 2011: The “quarter onion”-shaped base for the spire

September 3 2011: Trump Tower Toronto and Scotia Plaza, right, seen from the intersection of King & Bay Streets

September 3 2011: Upper floor construction on the south side of the tower

September 3 2011: Trump Tower Toronto viewed from King & Bay Streets

September 3 2011: The spire rises from the tower’s northwest corner

September 3 2011: Looking up at the construction form for the spire, left

September 11 2011: Trump Toronto’s ascent on the downtown skyline as seen from Tommy Thompson Park (aka Leslie Street Spit)

September 12 2011: Sunset view of Trump Toronto spire construction

September 13 2011: Riverdale Park view of the Trump Toronto rising on the Financial District skyline

September 13 2011: Trump Tower Toronto rises among the office towers

September 28 2011: Spire base viewed from the northeast

September 28 2011: Only three more floors await cladding installation

September 28 2011: The yellow crane is disassembling the main crane that soared above the Trump Toronto throughout its construction

September 28 2011: Another northeast view of Trump Tower Toronto spire

Trump’s ‘quarter onion’ spire base rises

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August 30 2011: Trump Tower Toronto construction progress

Top of the Trump: The frame for the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto’s signature spire is fast taking shape atop the building’s northwest corner. The structure’s distinctive “quarter onion” design has been taking form over the past week and is visible throughout the downtown area. Below is an artistic rendering from the Trump Toronto website, showing how the top of the tower will appear when complete, followed by several photos I shot from my balcony showing construction progress during the past nine days.

From the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto website, this artistic rendering depicts the distinctive quarter-onion shaped rooftop structure that will be topped by a slender sky-piercing spire

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Checking in on the new 5-star hotel/condo towers: The Trump International Hotel + Tower

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August 1 2011: The Trump Toronto Tower viewed from Adelaide Street West near the Living Shangri-La Toronto (left), another new skyscraper I will profile in an upcoming installment of “Checking in on the 5-star hotel/condo towers”

August 1 2011: The north side of Trump Toronto, looking up from Adelaide Street

August 1 2011: The tower’s west side, viewed from Bay Street

Putting up the penthouse: Shouldn’t be too much longer before construction tops off on the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto.

From my balcony, I’ve been able to watch the penthouse levels of the 60-storey tower gradually take shape during the past two weeks, climbing into view above the top of the Bay Adelaide Centre. I expect completion of the mechanical floors above them to follow soon. And once its signature “quarter onion”-shaped turret has been built to cap the tower’s northwest corner, and in turn is topped with a spire, the Trump Tower Toronto will become the city’s second-tallest building, after First Canadian Place.

Designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects, the Trump Toronto will rise more than 900 feet on its compact site at the southeast corner of Bay and Adelaide Streets. According to the project website, the building will include 261 luxury hotel rooms on its lower levels in studio, 1- and 2-bedroom configurations, along with five Trump Executive suites. There also will be 118 condominium suites from floors 33 to 60, accessed via a Sky Lobby with concierge on the 31st floor. Condo residents will enjoy “full access” to the hotel’s amenities, including room service, housekeeping, concierge and valet. A five-star restaurant will occupy the 30th floor, while there will be an entire floor of executive meetings rooms in a “high-tech business centre.” A full-service spa with gym, exercise studios and swimming pool will occupy two levels of the building. The ground floor will feature a “sophisticated” lobby bar, while floors 2 through 7 will contain a valet-operated parking garage.

The Trump Hotel Collection website is currently accepting online reservations for Trump Toronto beginning November 1 of this year. Today, the site’s reservation system showed seven suites available for the night of Nov. 1; the lowest available price was $485 (plus tax) for either a superior king or superior double room, each 550 square feet in size. A 1,000-square-foot grand deluxe 1-bedroom suite with panoramic views was available for $885 (plus tax), while a 1,650-square-foot grand deluxe two-bedroom suite with city views and a kitchen was going for $1,785 (plus tax).

Below is a series of Trump Toronto photos I shot during the summer.

June 6 2011: The Trump Toronto crane stands prominently on the skyline

June 20 2011: Looking up at Scotia Plaza, the Trump Toronto, and Bay Adelaide Centre (right) from the sidewalk on Adelaide Street West

June 20 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from the University/ Adelaide intersection

June 26 2011: Trump Toronto’s ascent to the upper echelons of the Financial District is seen from Broadview Avenue above Riverdale Park

June 26 2011: Another Broadview Avenue view of the Trump Toronto and other Financial District skyscrapers

June 26 2011: A Broadview Avenue view of, from left, Commerce Court, CN Tower, TD Centre’s TD Bank Tower, Scotia Plaza, First Canadian Place, Trump Toronto and the Bay Adelaide Centre

June 29 2011: My balcony view of Trump Toronto rising on the skyline

July 1 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from Shuter Street to the northeast

July 1 2011: Trump Toronto begins climbing above the 51-storey Bay Adelaide Centre (right), but won’t stand as tall as 72-storey First Canadian Place (rear)

July 1 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from the TD Centre Plaza off King Street

July 3 2011: Trump Toronto joins the ranks of the tall bank towers in this city skyline view from the Humber Bay area

July 3 2011: Another view of Trump Toronto making its mark on the skyline

July 8 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from Nathan Phillips Square

July 13 2011: Spotlights on the Trump Toronto construction crane at sunset

July 20 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from the SW corner of King & Bay Streets

July 20 2011: Southwest view of the Trump Toronto from King Street West

July 20 2011: Southwest view of the tower’s upper floors. At this point, the Trump Toronto has reached 57 storeys

July 20 2011: Southwest view of the tower’s middle section

July 20 2011: A closer look at forms midway up the tower’s south side

July 20 2011: The external construction elevator rises up the green glass curtain wall on the building’s south side

July 20 2011: A closer look at the exterior construction elevator

July 20 2011: Windows near the tower’s southeast corner

July 20 2011: The construction entrance to the 54th floor. The exterior elevator climbs a total of 55 floors

July 20 2011: The tower’s northwest upper floors reach 57 storeys here

July 20 2011: Upper floors await their curtain wall installation

July 20 2011: Windows on the tower’s southwest corner

July 20 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from the west on Adelaide Street

July 20 2011: Upper floors on the tower’s west side

July 20 2011: Missing window panes and panels on the tower’s west wall

July 24 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from Bloor Street near Varsity Stadium

August 1 2011: Bay Adelaide Centre and Trump Toronto viewed from the west

August 1 2011: Trump Toronto and Scotia Plaza viewed from the west

August 1 2011: Trump Toronto reflects in the Bay Adelaide Centre)

August 1 2011: Windows on the lower levels of the tower’s north wall. A valet-operated parking garage occupies floors 2 through 7.

August 1 2011: Window and cladding details on the lower levels

August 1 2011: The tower’s northeast corner awaits some missing panels

August 1 2011: The Adelaide Street entrance to the tower’s porte-cochère

August 1 2011: Adelaide Street view into the porte-cochère, which features a curved public art mural made of glass, stone and ceramics

August 1 2011: An Adelaide Street view of upper floors on the tower’s north side

August 1 201: Bay Street view of the Bay Adelaide Centre and the Trump Toronto

August 1 2011: Lower floors on the west side of the tower, viewed from Bay Street

August 1 2011: Looking up from Bay Street at the tower’s west side

August 1 2011: Progress on the penthouse levels viewed from the west

August 1 2011: Green glass curtain wall on the tower’s west side

August 1 2011: West view of Trump Toronto and Scotia Plaza

Trump Tower set to overtake Bay Adelaide Centre as it keeps rising on Financial District skyline

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May 8 2011: Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto construction progress viewed from Nathan Phillips Square

Getting taller: I keep waiting for the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto to make a big impact on my balcony view of the Financial District. For more than a month, I’ve been able to see the Trump Toronto’s rooftop construction crane poking above and behind the 51-storey Bay Adelaide Centre. But within a couple more weeks, I should finally be able to see the actual tower itself. Below are several recent photos showing the Trump Toronto’s progress ascending to the ranks of the city’s tallest buildings.

April 8 2011: Trump Toronto construction viewed from Nathan Phillips Square

April 23 2011: From my balcony, I can see the Trump’s construction crane poking out from behind the Bay Adelaide Centre building

April 23 2011: A zoom view of the Trump Toronto rising behind BAC

May 8 2011: Another view of Trump Toronto from City Hall

May 13 2011: Trump Toronto viewed from corner of Adelaide and York Streets

Angular cube frame draws eyes to northeast corner of Living Shangri-la Toronto hotel/condo tower site

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The large metal frame at the Living Shangri-la Toronto construction site

University Avenue median view of the cube frame on March 29 2011

Big white cube: Downtown Toronto has been teeming with highrise building projects all winter, but the Living Shangri-la Toronto hotel and condo tower construction site has been grabbing my attention the most.

Its location — where the University Avenue median ends as the broad boulevard tapers and veers to the southeast at Adelaide Street — certainly helps; whenever I look south on University, my eyes are instantly drawn to the site. (Once the tower reaches its full 65 storeys, it will be impossible to miss.) The various bold shades of pink on construction hoarding and on-site billboards command my attention from blocks away, too. So do the angled, creased windows gradually being installed as the tower adds floors and climbs skyward. And, of course, there’s the Bishop’s Block of heritage row houses at the corner of Simcoe Street and Adelaide, shrouded under white protective wrapping while they are rebuilt and restored as part of the Living Shangri-la Toronto development.

Now there’s something else new and striking to see on the site — a large white cube-shaped metal frame that has been erected on the northeast corner of the property. According to floorplans for the Living Shangri-la’s luxurious amenities, this cube is where a third-floor restaurant and a fifth-floor “revitalization pool” (a feature of the building’s posh spa) will be situated. I’m anxious to see how the cube will be clad; building renderings suggest it could be a shimmering, transparent glass surface.

Meanwhile, the tower keeps climbing taller and is roughly halfway to its final 65 floors. I counted 33 storeys a few days ago, which means Living Shangri-la Toronto will soon start soaring above its neighbour, the 35-storey Boutique Condos building on the west side of Simcoe Street.

Below are more photos of the cube and tower construction progress this week, along with some other recent pictures of the building.

March 29 2011: The view toward Simcoe Street from Adelaide Street West. The Living Shangri-la Toronto tower will soon overtake the height of the 35-storey Boutique Condos building on Simcoe (top left).

March 29 2011: Northeast view of the tower, which has reached 33 floors.

March 29 2011: Tower and cube construction viewed from University Ave.

March 29 2011: Floorplans indicate a spa pool and restaurant will occupy the distinctively-shaped structure at the northeast corner of the hotel-condo complex.

March 29 2011: Another northeast view of the cube

March 29 2011: The condo-hotel tower and the cube add interesting angles to the University Avenue streetscape.

March 29 2011: Another view of the cube from the University Avenue median

March 29 2011: Pinks signs atop the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower reflect off the eastern glass wall of the Boutique Condos tower on Simcoe Street.

March 29 2011: The upper east side of the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower

March 29 2011: The top of the tower (so far), viewed from the northeast

March 29 2011: Tower construction viewed from the west along Adelaide Street

March 14 2011: Living Shangri-la Toronto construction viewed from a laneway between Nelson Street and Adelaide Street West, behind Boutique Condos

March 29 2011: Wraps on the Bishop’s Block heritage house being rebuilt

March 29 2011: West side of the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower

March 14 2011: Simcoe Street view of the west side of the complex

March 14 2011: Simcoe Street view of the Living Shangri-la Toronto lower levels

March 29 2011: Living Shangri-la viewed from University Ave. near Dundas St.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.

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Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing Building Boom.

Category Archives: Financial District

Glass balcony panel shatters on Shangri-La tower

Mooning the Trump

Winter building pics: March 2013

Winter building pics: February 2013

TIFF crowd gets first look at Living Shangri-La as new 5-star hotel/condo tower nears completion

Trump taking a long time to P above Toronto

Top of Toronto Trump Tower nears completion

Living Shangri-la to unveil Zhang Huan sculpture

Hotel open, but work continues atop Trump Tower

Work crews rushing to complete main floor as Trump Toronto Hotel prepares to open Tuesday

Trump spire makes a strong point on the skyline as tower’s rooftop construction crane comes down

Trump’s ‘quarter onion’ spire base rises

Checking in on the new 5-star hotel/condo towers: The Trump International Hotel + Tower

Trump Tower set to overtake Bay Adelaide Centre as it keeps rising on Financial District skyline

Angular cube frame draws eyes to northeast corner of Living Shangri-la Toronto hotel/condo tower site

Tracking Downtown Toronto's AmazingBuilding Boom.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.