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.
December 14 2012: Early morning sunshine glints off the east face of the Aura condo tower under construction at the NW corner of Yonge & Gerrard Streets
48 of 78: Bright sunny days have been few and far between in Toronto lately. But thanks to the Aura condo tower under construction at College Park, I can immediately tell if the morning sky is clear without looking out a window or even getting out of bed, for that matter. That’s because my apartment gets completely flooded with brilliant sunlight reflected by the glass windows and cladding on Aura, several blocks to the southwest.
Last week, Aura passed the two-thirds point of construction when work started on its 48th floor. The tower will ultimately rise 78 storeys, becoming the tallest residential condominium building in Canada.
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This photo by Colin Gruchy captures the great view from an office on the 41st floor of First Canadian Place on September 20 2012. Click on the photo to view a larger-size image.
Great view: It’s a good thing I don’t work on a high floor in an office tower in the downtown core — I would probably spend practically all of my time looking at buildings and watching construction activity. Especially if I sat near a window with a north view like the one in the photo above that Colin Gruchy shot two days ago.
It’s a great vantage point for keeping track of at least four major construction projects currently underway in the downtown core: the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization at City Hall; the MaRS Centre Phase 2 tower at College Street and University Avenue (slightly visible to the upper left of City Hall’s west tower); the Motion on Bay Street apartment highrise directly behind City Hall’s east tower; and the Aura condo skyscraper to the northeast of that, at Yonge & Gerrard. And in just a couple of years’ time, construction of the 54-storey INDX condominium tower, which will be built on a site bounded by Richmond, Sheppard and Temperance Streets, will dominate the foreground of this particular view.
Got a good Toronto construction or building photo you’d like to share? Drop me a line at: [email protected]
September 19 2012: Looking up the north side of the Aura condo tower. Construction reached the milestone halfway mark this week when work commenced on the 39th floor of the 78-storey skyscraper. (Click on the photo to view a larger-size image.)
September 22 2012: My balcony view of the Aura condo tower this afternoon. Construction forms for supporting walls are in place on the north side of the 39th floor.
September 22 2012: Cladding and window installation has started on the 30th floor
Midpoint milestone: The Aura condo tower at College Park has reached the halfway point — 39 floors — where building activity including concrete floor pours and construction of supporting walls has been underway the past two days.
When it tops off at 78 storeys, Aura will become Canada’s tallest residential building.
I can’t help but watch Aura’s construction progress — the window next to my computer looks straight at it. Even though I’m more than five blocks away to the northeast, I can feel the strong presence of the big rectangular slab of concrete and glass looming over my left shoulder. I’m not impressed by the building’s appearance so far, but I am looking forward to the point at which Aura reaches the 59th floor and construction commences on 16 levels of “executive suites” and five floors of penthouse and sub-penthouse residences. The oval shape for that top section of the tower will give Aura a unique silhouette on the city skyline, and be considerably more interesting and appealing to look at.
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August 18 2012: Gould Street view of foundation drilling and excavation activity on the site of the new Ryerson University Student Learning Centre
August 18 2012: The $112 million Student Learning Centre is being built at the northeast corner of Yonge & Gould Streets, just a short distance from the Aura condo tower currently under construction at College Park (center rear). Aura has climbed 33 floors on its way to 78.
A rendering of the Centre, which was designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snøhetta of Oslo and New York City. Although the soaring Aura condos — Canada’s tallest residential tower — will dominate the Yonge Street landscape, the Student Learning Centre’s stunning facade will grab plenty of attention, too.
Shoring up: Drilling, shoring and excavation work is in full swing at the northeast corner of Yonge & Gould Streets, where the $112 million Ryerson University Student Learning Centre is under construction.
The City approved the project late last year; however, it took until late spring of this year for city staff to issue building permits. Work finally started during the third week of June.
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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.
August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the east on Gerrard Street, next to Ryerson University
August 11 2012: Aura seen from the southwest on Gerrard Street beside the Delta Chelsea
August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the west, in the green space 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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May 2 2012: A screenshot from the construction webcam for the Aura condo tower at College Park. The developer will need to adjust its camera angle soon; otherwise, construction of what will be the city’s tallest condo tower will quickly climb out of view.
April 29 2012: Aura Condos at College Park construction viewed from the southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard Streets.
On the rise: “What’s taking Aura so long?” That’s a question I’ve been asked a number of times recently by people who have been waiting, obviously rather impatiently, for the Aura condo tower at College Park to begin making its mark on the downtown skyline. They won’t have to wait much longer.
Aura already has a profound presence when viewed from ground level along parts of Yonge and Gerrard Streets, and in a few short weeks will become more visible over a wider area as it starts rising above some of its highrise neighbours. By June, I will probably be able to watch the construction from the comfort of my condo six blocks away to the northeast; right now, the orange and white cranes atop Aura are competing for my attention with the two cranes on the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning Tower two blocks to their southwest.
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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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February 6 2012: The Aura condo tower has so far climbed six floors above its mammoth podium, seen here from the northwest corner of the 3-acre park sheltered by the office & residential towers at the College Park complex
February 9 2012: The Aura podium on the southeast corner of Yonge & Gerrard Streets will contain 190,000 square feet of retail shops, restaurants and services
February 6 2012: Construction of the MaRS Centre Phase 2 building at College Street and University Avenue reached the sixth floor this month
Aura ascends, MaRS rises: Construction has climbed past the sixth-floor point at two different projects that will establish landmark new buildings and radically change the appearance of two busy intersections in the downtown core.
Aura condos at College Park
The 3-level podium for the Aura condo tower has been turning heads at the intersection of Yonge & Gerrard Streets since construction of the mammoth structure reached street level nearly a year ago. With 6 of Aura’s 75 condo floors now constructed, the building has begun to prominently assert its presence for several blocks in each direction, giving city residents and visitors an early hint of the dramatic impact the country’s tallest residential tower will have on the Toronto skyline.
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Snow day: The calendar says it’s spring, but Toronto is getting another blast of winter with 5 cm. of snow falling throughout the day today. This photo, looking north from Queen Street on another snowy day earlier this winter, shows three major building sites on Bay Street. The orange construction crane is building the Sick Kids Research & Learning Tower at Elm Street; the crane in the middle of the photo is atop the Burano condo tower between Grenville and Grosvenor Streets; and the crane at the rear of the picture, on the east side of Bay, is atop the Four Seasons Toronto hotel and condo tower.
Snow motion: This photo was taken on the same day as the one above, a few blocks further north up Bay Street. It shows the Motion on Bay highrise apartment building construction site at left, along with the Sick Kids and Burano towers to the north.
Ice view: This was a view this afternoon of the Sick Kids Research and Learning Tower construction site from an ice-covered webcam high above the building.
Snowy Aura: Although it’s not on Bay Street itself, Aura condos is part of the College Park complex that occupies the entire eastern block of Bay between Gerrard and College Streets. This is a webcam view of the Aura condos construction site earlier this afternoon.
The Aura webcam captured this view of the construction site this morning
This February 15 photo shows construction workers atop foundation forms level with Yonge Street near the north end of the condo tower construction site…
…while this February 20 photo shows street-level forms in the middle of the site
Street view: Foundation construction activity for the 75-storey Aura at College Park condo tower has reached street level at the north end of the project site, while underground floors continue to take shape at a slower pace on the southern two-thirds of the property. When I passed Aura on February 15, construction crews were working atop street-level foundation forms between the north (orange) construction crane and the hoarding that protects the pedestrian entrance to the College Park mall. On February 20, forms extended farther south, creeping toward the white construction crane near the Gerrard Street side of the Aura property. Meanwhile, the southwest construction zone — on the west side of the truck ramp leading from Gerrard Street into the underground College Park loading docks — has considerable catching up to do. This area, where a third construction crane operates, is basically still a deep pit with just one underground level poured, far behind the progress achieved elsewhere on the Aura building site. Below are some of my recent photos of construction progress on the tower foundation.
February 15: Street-level foundation work at the north end of the site
February 15: Street-level foundation forms extend to the first crane
February 15: Northeast corner of site viewed from Yonge Street
February 15: Another north view of the site from Yonge St.
February 15: Foundation work is still below grade south of the orange crane
February 15: Foundation forms begin filling in the south half of the tower site
February 15 : Workers on top of foundation forms at the north end of the site
February 18: Yonge-Gerrard view of the three cranes at the Aura site
February 20: Gerrard Street view of the east side of the construction site
February 20: Basement level construction beneath the truck ramp that leads from Gerrard Street into the underground loading docks for the College Park complex
February 20: Underground levels on the east side of the site
February 20: Gerrard Street view toward the elevator block construction
February 20: The elevator block takes shape below the orange crane
February 20: Gerrard Street view of the south half of the construction site
February 20: Construction progress along the Gerrard Street flank of the site
February 20: Gerrard Street view of the southwest corner of the project site
February 20: Gerrard Street view of the southwest corner of the project site
February 20: Foundation work at the southwest corner of the site
February 20: Foundation work at the southwest corner of the site
February 20: Foundation work at the southwest corner of the site
February 20: North view of the site from corner of Gerrard and Yonge
February 20: Street-level foundation work viewed from Yonge Street
February 20: Street-level foundation work viewed from Yonge Street
February 20: Street-level foundation work viewed from Yonge Street
February 20: Northwest section of the site, looking toward Yonge Street
Night and day: condo tower renderings from Aura’s website
Filling in fast: The giant excavation for Aura condos has been filling in fast, with considerable progress being made on the building’s underground levels since my last Aura construction update 10 days ago. Below are several site photos from January 29, along with some renderings of the tower from Aura’s website.
Aura condo construction approaches grade level along Yonge Street
Once an enormous excavation, the site is filling in fast
In fine form: Underground floors and walls take shape
In fine form: Underground floors and walls take shape
In fine form: Underground floors and walls take shape
Construction approaches the site’s north side observation windows
Website rendering of Aura condos retail levels
Website rendering of Aura condos lobby exterior
Aura at College Park condo tower foundation progress on January 18 2011
Gaining ground: The last time I posted progress pics of construction at Aura at College Park was January 7. These latest two photos, from this past week, show work on the underground levels for the 75-storey tower quickly approaching street level.
January 7 2011 webcam view of construction progress at Aura
Growing closer to ground level: The huge hole in the ground at the northwest corner of Yonge and Gerrard Streets is filling in nicely. The foundation for Aura at College Park is rapidly taking shape as work crews continuing pouring concrete for the 75-storey condo tower’s extensive underground levels.
Work crews were easy to observe from the sidewalk on Yonge Street when I walked past the site’s entrance for concrete mixing trucks earlier this week. Last time I passed by, I couldn’t see any of the construction workers from the Yonge Street sidewalk because they were still too far down in the deep excavation.
Won’t be long before passersby get a clear view of the construction activity from the street. For now, they have to be content peering through the small observation windows in the hoarding along the north side of the site.
Below are several of my recent photos of the site, including a shot from the CN Tower which shows the top of one of the three construction cranes at Aura poking above the nearby Delta Chelsea hotel. That same view will look markedly different a year from now, at which point the tower’s frame will have an impressive presence on the city skyline.
2011 is getting off to a foggy, soggy start in Toronto (it’s 10 degrees Celsius and pouring rain as I write), but the wet weather won’t put a damper on the frenetic pace of building activity across the downtown area. When construction gets back to full speed next week once the holiday season has wound down, numerous projects will start, approach or reach significant stages of construction. At least five towers will make a major mark on the city skyline soon. In Yorkville, The Four Seasons Private Residences and Museum House on Bloor, both of which already have a substantial streetscape presence, will be pouring their top floors during the winter. Several blocks south, on Bay Street, the Burano condo tower is quickly climbing high, while the Living Shangri-La Torontoand Trump International Toronto hotel/condo skyscrapers are adding excitement to the Financial District skyline. Market Wharf is doing the same for the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. In the next few weeks, streetscapes in several different areas will transform as construction climbs above ground level at 77 Charles Westin Yorkville, The L Tower on Yonge Street, Charlie Condos in the Entertainment District, The Modern at Sherbourne and Richmond, and the Clear Spirit tower in the Distillery District. Not too far behind are Aura at College Park on Yonge Street, Cinema Tower on Adelaide Street West, Three Hundred Front Street West, The Residences of Pier 27 on the waterfront, ICE Condos and Infinity3 Condos in the South Financial District, and Couture Condos on Jarvis Street; foundation work and underground levels are progressing fast at all seven sites. In the area bounded by Bloor, Bay, Wellesley and Jarvis Streets, demolition and excavation work should soon get in full swing for five key developments: U Condos, Five Condos, Nicholas Residences, X2 Condos, and the long-awaited One Bloor tower. Digging will get underway in earnest for the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre at Yonge and Gould Streets, and for the Delta Toronto hotel and Bremner Tower office complex in the South Financial District. Meanwhile, construction should soon conclude at the Sherbourne Common park at the waterfront, as well as for the 18 York office tower and seven major residential structures: the Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Crystal Blu Condos, Uptown Residences, James Cooper Mansion, Lumiere Condos, M5V Condos, and the YWCA Elm Centre. I’ll be taking a closer look at each of the above-mentioned projects — and many more hot construction spots — in the weeks ahead.
