Tag Archives: CN Tower

Downtown skyline views from the Toronto Islands

A Ward’s Island view of the downtown Toronto skyline earlier this month

Pics and video: A lunchtime bikeride on the Toronto Islands earlier this month gave me a chance to check out how much the downtown skyline has changed in the one-year period since my last trip to the islands.

Although there are dozens and dozens of condo towers and several office highrises under construction in downtown Toronto, only a handful of projects have so far made a significant impact on the skyline views.

The southwest downtown core is now dominated by the two ÏCE Condominium towers which are still under construction on York Street, while the nearby Delta Hotel tower at Southcore Financial Centre on Bremner Boulevard also makes a big impact from some perspectives.

Off to the west, the Library District Condominium tower is a noteworthy addition to the Concord CityPlace skyline; a year ago, only its construction crane was visible.

Over on the southeast side of the downtown core, The L Tower is the most eye-catching new building, with the water’s edge Residences of Pier 27 also commanding attention even though it’s only a midrise condominium project. Much farther east, the Distillery District is easier to locate now that construction is drawing closer to completion on the Gooderham Tower.

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Construction views from Roundhouse Park

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Constantly changing scenery: The Rogers Centre, the CN Tower and the skyscrapers of the Financial District once dominated the north and east views from Roundhouse Park on Bremner Boulevard. But a slew of nearby construction projects is giving park visitors new views that change by the day. Above is a video I shot from the park yesterday, showing building activity at five major construction sites nearby: Infinity3, the final phase of the Infinity condo complex between Bremner and Lake Shore Boulevard; the two ICE Condos towers at York Centre on the east side of the Infinity buildings; the Delta Toronto hotel and Bremner office tower at Southcore Financial Centre; the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada approaching the end of construction at the foot of the CN Tower; and the Three Hundred Front Street West condo tower to the northwest.

Winter building pics: January 2013

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Above is a link to my January 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.

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

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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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Ripley’s aquarium shaping up & filling in fast

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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

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

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

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

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

… while this illustration shows the aquarium viewed from the south

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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Logo installation underway at PwC tower

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

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

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

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

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The skyline and CityPlace on a sunny winter day

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Toronto growing taller

A view of the downtown Toronto skyline, looking east from the Bathurst Street Bridge this afternoon. The cityscape boasts three new skyscrapers, including Charlie Condos at King & Charlotte Streets (with crane, at left) Living Shangri-La Toronto at University Avenue & Adelaide Street (with crane, center rear), and the Trump International Hotel + Tower Toronto, partly visible to the left side of First Canadian Place. The Trump Toronto Hotel opened for business today.

CN Tower, CityPlace and the Puente de Luz bridge

A Bathurst Street bridge view of the CN Tower, some of the condo skyscrapers at Concord CityPlace, and the yellow Puente de Luz bridge which will connect City Place to Front Street West above the railway tracks. Below are videoclips I shot this afternoon showing the downtown skyline, construction activity at the Library District condominiums complex at the west end of CityPlace, and the various condo highrises at CityPlace. The latter clip includes views of the grey-and-white, 41-storey Toronto Community Housing apartment tower under construction at 150 Dan Leckie Way, as well as close-ups of the points where a 2-level bridge will link the round and rectangular Parade condo towers.

Towers reflect the golden glow of daybreak

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At daybreak today, sunshine reflects on the Radio City south condo tower (right) as well as the RBC Centre and Ritz-Carlton Toronto below the CN Tower.

Construction starts on $130M Ripley’s Aquarium

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This artistic illustration shows how the new Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada will appear when viewed from the east on Bremner Boulevard …

… while this photo from August 17 2011 shows hoarding around the aquarium site below the CN Tower, where construction has commenced

New tourist attraction: Construction of the new Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada officially kicked off yesterday when government and corporate officials gathered at the Bremner Boulevard building site beneath the CN Tower to announce details of the $130 million project.

Scheduled to open in 2013 with 135,000 square feet of space, a capacity of 1.5 million gallons, and 13,500 sea creatures, the facility — Toronto’s newest tourist attraction in years — will be one of the largest aquariums in North America.

Designed by Toronto’s B+ H Architects, the 3-storey facility will feature a 750,000-gallon shark lagoon which visitors will be able to observe through an acrylic tunnel with a 315-foot moving walkway. The aquarium will also have a tropical reef, exhibits for Great Lakes, Atlantic and Pacific habitats, a Marine and Freshwater Education Centre with classroom space, a restaurant and a gift shop.

Construction actually commenced several weeks ago when crews began clearing the site, a large grass- and tree-covered knoll situated between the CN Tower to the west and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre‘s south building to the east.

The aquarium has been in planning and discussion stages for quite some time, but a summer construction start appeared imminent when city news media reported last winter that various levels of government were negotiating financial incentives in a bid to land the Ripley’s project for certain. The City of Toronto is providing 12 years’ worth of property tax incentives (an estimated $8- to $12 million) under its Imagination, Manufacturing, Innovation and Technology (IMIT) program, while the Ontario government is kicking in more than $11 million towards the construction costs. Canada Lands Company, the federal Crown corporation that owns the land on which the aquarium is being built, is also a partner in the project. According to its president & CEO Mark Laroche, Canada Lands will spend “more than $10 million to redevelop the John Street corridor with new signage and other improvements that will increase and improve the flow of pedestrian traffic from Front Street to the site,” improving the entryway to the aquarium, CN Tower and Rogers Centre.

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is a division of Ripley Entertainment Inc., which already operates two other aquariums — one in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the other in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Ripley Entertainment is owned by the Jim Pattison Group, Canada’s third-largest privately-held company. Extensive information about the Toronto project is available on the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada website.

Below are several artistic renderings and illustrations that the aquarium released to the media in connection with the official building launch ceremony, along with several photos I shot yesterday of construction activity at the site. Additional photos of the project site can be viewed in my February 23 2011 post, my first report on the Ripley’s Aquarium.

An artistic illustration of the 315-foot observation tunnel in the aquarium’s 750,000 gallon shark lagoon

Artistic rendering of the Toronto aquarium’s main lobby

Artistic illustration of the aquarium’s tropical reef. In total, the facility will feature more than 13,500 marine creatures from 450 species

Artistic rendering of how the Ripley’s Aquarium will appear when viewed from the entrance plaza off Bremner Boulevard near the CN Tower …

… and a view from yesterday of construction trailers and hoarding on the site of what will become the entrance plaza depicted above

Promotional posters adorn the security fence around the construction site

Aquarium construction site viewed from the entrance plaza to the CN Tower

Excavation machines and foundation building equipment in action on the site

Two red and black machines drilling near the Convention Centre south building

The construction entrance on Bremner Boulevard. The beige building to the immediate north of the work site is the Metro Toronto Convention Centre …

… and here’s an artistic illustration of Ripley’s Aquarium viewed from a similar perspective from Bremner Boulevard

CN Tower puts thrill seekers on edge…1,168 feet up

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August 1 2011: Thrillseekers on the CN Tower observation deck roof

Eight daredevils walking along the north side of the deck’s roof

An EdgeWalker takes a hands-free backward lean over downtown Toronto

On edge: The CN Tower literally put people on edge today, the first day its new EdgeWalk attraction was open to members of the public eager to pay $175 for the privilege of walking on a ledge 1,168 feet above downtown Toronto.

I was at John & Adelaide Streets around 3 o’clock this afternoon when I looked up and saw one group of eight daredevils walking along the edge of the tower’s observation deck rooftop, securely tethered to the tower by safety harnesses attached to their red jumpsuits. The walkers paused a few times so some of the participants could take turns doing “Look ma, no hands!” backward leans off the EdgeWalk platform.

Below are several more photos and one brief videoclip of this particular group of EdgeWalkers. Further details about the CN Tower’s spine-tingling new feature are available in my May 12 2011 post as well as in this Toronto Star story by reporter Katie Daubs.

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City Scene: Reflections of the CN Tower

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July 1 2011: Toronto’s iconic CN Tower reflects in windows on the west side of the new 26-storey PwC office building at 18 York Street.

Toronto finally gets a “wow factor” attraction with CN Tower’s EdgeWalk for extreme thrillseekers

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CN Tower’s new EdgeWalk thrill attraction opens August 1

Harnessed to overhead safety rails, thrill seekers will be able to lean over the edge of the CN Tower roof for the ultimate bird’s eye view of Toronto — from 116 stories (1,168 feet) above the ground

May 8 2011: EdgeWalk safety structure being installed on CN Tower

On the edge: I knew something big was in the works when I saw something I had never noticed before on the roof the main CN Tower observation deck pod last weekend. I was walking along Wellington Street West when a glint of sunshine off dozens of white metal posts protruding from the pod roof caught my eye. My camera’s zoom lens confirmed that something was being constructed on the roof, but what was it? A new window cleaning platform? Probably not. A new addition to the tower’s night-time exterior light show? I doubted that, too. Roof repairs? Perhaps — I could see what appeared to be blue tarps hanging over the edge of the pod. When I got back home, I double-checked other CN Tower photos I had taken recently to see how long the posts had been up there. They didn’t appear in any of my pics from late March, so I figured that construction had started during April so whatever was being done could be finished before Toronto’s summer tourist season gets into full swing. The CN Tower website didn’t mention anything new, so on Monday morning I emailed the tower one of my pics to ask what was going on. I got my answer when I returned home a few hours later and logged into facebook, where my news feed was filled with links friends had provided to an online Toronto Star report about the CN Tower’s new EdgeWalk extreme thrill attraction.

Opening August 1, EdgeWalk at the CN Tower will offer Toronto adventure seekers the ultimate adrenaline rush. Securely harnessed to an overhead safety rail, groups of six to eight daredevils will get to spend nearly half an hour taking a “hands-free” walk along a 5-foot-wide, 492-foot-long ledge circling the roof of the tower’s revolving restaurant, the 360.The harness system will let them lean perilously over the roof edge to see how far they can push their personal thrill boundaries while testing the limits of their anxious loved ones (It puts a whole new spin on the expression, “Look ma, no hands!”).

Though I noticed the EdgeWalk support structure only this past weekend, the project has been in the works for nearly 10 months. Design took four months, while fabrication took another three. Installation is expected to take around two months. Comprised of 36,000 pounds of steelwork, the EdgeWalk structure includes 112 pieces of 5-by-4-foot galvanized steel grated floor and 36 support arms. These arms are linked to two side-by-side 450-foot rails plus two 50-foot rails leading outside; one will be used for the tour group leader, while the other is for each group of EdgeWalkers.

The walks will last 20 to 30 minutes, but with pre-walk safety briefing, the whole EdgeWalk experience will take about 1.5 hours. The tower will offer two to three walks per hour, with up to 30 walks per day. The attraction will operate roughly from May or Otober, and the number of actual walks conducted will vary depending upon weather and sunrise/sunset times. Tickets will cost $175 and will go on sale beginning June 1.

Though this is an adventure I don’t have the guts to try myself, I think it’s a great new feature for the 35-year-old CN Tower — and a long-overdue new tourist attraction for Toronto. For years, I’ve seen newspaper and international travel magazine articles raving about Sydney, Australia’s famous Harbour Bridge Climb, and last year I saw a television program that profiled the SkyWalk and SkyJump at the Sky Tower in Aukland, New Zealand. Toronto didn’t have anything even remotely comparable, and I thought the city needed a new drawing-card with a tremendous “wow factor” to put itself on the map. The best “wows” the city had to offer were already at the CN Tower — the Glass Floor, which was installed in 1994, and the world’s highest glass floor-panelled elevator, which opened in 2008. I checked out the TripAdvisor.com Toronto forums to see what local residents were recommending to visiting tourists, and thought the list was pretty sad. It included the Eaton Centre and the St. Lawrence Market, both of which might wow shopping enthusiasts and foodies, along with Casa Loma, Harbourfront and the Toronto Islands. The only attractions I’ve seen mentioned favourably in international travel publications have been the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Though the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal was named as one of “The new seven wonders of the world” in the April 2008 issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine, I thought the city still needed something more — something really big and exciting — to catch international attention. EdgeWalk ought to do it.

Below is a CN Tower ad for EdgeWalk, along with some of my recent pics of the tower.

From the CN Tower website, an advertisement for EdgeWalk at the CN Tower

March 29 2011: Installation of the EdgeWalk structure hasn’t yet started, as this photo of the CN Tower — shot from Concord CityPlace to its west — indicates

March 29 2011: No signs of any EdgeWalk structure on the northeast side of the CN Tower, either, seen here peeking from behind The Ritz-Carlton Toronto

May 8 2011: EdgeWalk’s newly-installed steel support arms caught my attention

May 8 2011: A closer look at the EdgeWalk steel support arms

May 8 2011: CN Tower viewed from the corner of King & Bay Streets

City Scene: Looking up — and down — at CityPlace

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Looking both ways: The CN Tower is viewed through a gap between condo highrises at Concord CityPlace in this photo from March 29 2011 (above). The photo below, taken on November 2 2010, shows the view from the exact opposite direction — from one of the observation decks on the CN Tower.

CN Tower views of downtown buildings & construction

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November 2 2010: CN Tower view of the west half of Concord CityPlace and towers along Fleet Street near Old Fort York

By request: I’ve received several messages from people who have seen photos shot from the CN Tower in some of my building profile posts. They have asked if I have an online album containing all of the photos I took from the tower last November. I do, and I’ve posted a link to it below. I’ll be updating the photos following another visit to the top of the tower sometime this spring or early summer.

Editor’s Note: The album referred to above had been posted on Webshots.com. On December 1, 2012, the company that owns Webshots shut down the site, so my photos are no longer available.

City Scenes: Looking up at Maple Leaf Square

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Design details: The various design patterns in the glass walls and balconies of the Maple Leaf Square south condo tower become evident in this photograph of the 50-storey skyscraper, shot from the east sidewalk on York Street. A project of Lanterra Developments, Maple Leaf Square was designed by Page + Steele IBI Group Architects and KPMB Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects.

Five towers: From left are the CN Tower, Maple Leaf Square south tower, a construction crane atop the PWC 18 York office tower, Maple Leaf Square north tower, and the Telus office tower. Photo was taken from a parking lot next to the Toronto Harbour Commission building on Harbour Street on February 18 2011.

High road: The Maple Leaf Square towers viewed from a parking lot located off Harbour Street beneath the Gardiner Expressway.

High life: The two Maple Leaf Square condo towers viewed from Harbour Street. The towers rise from a nine-story podium housing a Le German boutique hotel, offices, shops, restaurants, a grocery store and a bank. The South Tower, left, stands 50 floors, while the North Tower soars a little higher: 54 storeys.

Above the awning: Another view of the Maple Leaf Square south condo tower, this time from beneath the unique artistic awning that extends above the sidewalk along the east side of York Street. More pics of the entire complex — from both indoors and out — can be viewed in the Maple Leaf Square album on the Photo Sets page of the blog.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.

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Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing Building Boom.

Tag Archives: CN Tower

Downtown skyline views from the Toronto Islands

Construction views from Roundhouse Park

Winter building pics: January 2013

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

Ripley’s aquarium shaping up & filling in fast

Logo installation underway at PwC tower

The skyline and CityPlace on a sunny winter day

Towers reflect the golden glow of daybreak

Construction starts on $130M Ripley’s Aquarium

CN Tower puts thrill seekers on edge…1,168 feet up

City Scene: Reflections of the CN Tower

Toronto finally gets a “wow factor” attraction with CN Tower’s EdgeWalk for extreme thrillseekers

City Scene: Looking up — and down — at CityPlace

CN Tower views of downtown buildings & construction

City Scenes: Looking up at Maple Leaf Square

Tracking Downtown Toronto's AmazingBuilding Boom.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.