Tag Archives: Pier 27 condos

Pit stop: First underground floor taking shape for The Residences of Pier 27 waterfront condos

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the enormous excavation for phase one of The Residences of Pier 27 waterfront condos

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Floors and walls take shape along the east side of the site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: The Pier 27 foundation is four levels deep

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: A closer view of progress in the center of the construction site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Two construction cranes are operating on the site at present; this one is situated near the southeast corner of the excavation

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: A closer view of the southeast corner of the excavation


Big basement: The excavation for Phase One of The Residences of Pier 27 is finished and the bottom underground level for the eastern half of the waterfront condo complex is quickly taking shape. Meanwhile, the excavation on the west side of the site (Phase Two) is roughly two-thirds complete and proceeding on schedule, according to an April 8 entry in a blog published by the condo developer, Cityzen Developments.

Below are two illustrations, from the project website, that suggest how The Residences of Pier 27 buildings — designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architects Alliance — will look once completed. Also below are several more photos I shot of construction activity at the massive Pier 27 building site yesterday afternoon.  Earlier construction photos can be viewed in my February 18 2011 post about The Residences of Pier 27 condo project.

 

The Residences at Pier 27 condo building

From The Residences of Pier 27 project website, this illustration suggests how the condo development will appear on the Toronto waterfront.

 

The Residences at Pier 27

Also from the project website, this illustration suggests how the condo complex will appear when viewed from Toronto harbour at dusk.

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Foundation construction at the north end of the excavation

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: A glimpse through the fence at the NE corner of the site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Building activity at the southeast corner of the excavation

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Surveying the construction activity four levels below grade

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: A crane in the east (Phase 1) excavation, and an excavating machine at the west end (Phase 2) of the Pier 27 condo construction site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Piles of rebar at street level high above the east (Phase 1) side of the Pier 27 construction site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: South view of one of the cranes and foundation construction progress on the east side of the Pier 27 site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011 Looking southeast at the enormous excavation. Digging is finished for Phase 1 and is about 60% finished for Phase 2

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Building activity in Pier 27’s southeast corner

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: The long retaining wall along the south perimeter of the property

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Lower-level foundation forms in the southeast corner

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Construction workers and support columns four levels below grade

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Support columns in the southeast corner of the Pier 27 excavation

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Construction activity in the center of the building site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011:  An excavator above the west (Phase 2) excavation

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: East view of the Pier 27 construction site

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Southeast view of the Phase 1 excavation

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: Construction progress in the southeast corner

 

The Residences of Pier 27 Condos

April 21 2011: One of the two construction cranes working on the project

 

Taking a peek at Pier 27’s construction progress

Pier 27 condos

From The Residences at Pier 27 project website, an illustration of the condo complex under construction on Queen’s Quay Blvd. E.


Pier 27 condo

This truck was pumping concrete into the Pier 27 excavation today


Crane coming?: Thanks to the spring-like thaw in the weather over the past couple of days, the excavation at the Pier 27 condo development on the waterfront has become one enormous muddy hole in the ground. But construction work continues nonetheless, and today I saw a concrete pumper truck at the northeastern end of the massive waterfront excavation. Since it looks to me — from the street and sales centre parking lot, at least — that the lion’s share of digging has been done,  I suspect that concrete was being poured to build the base on which a construction crane will be installed sometime very soon.

I hope my assumption is correct, because I’m eager to see this development shake up the shape of the city’s lacklustre Lake Ontario shoreline. Right now, the waterfront is crowded with far too many tall buildings that share an unfortunate but common character trait: disappointing, dull designs. Whether they’re shiny glass and steel cylinders, or glass and concrete or brick boxes, most are boring, bland buildings that look like something you’ve seen somewhere else many times before. Some are downright ugly. What’s worse: they’re clustered in pairs and threesomes of lookalike towers. Most of the harbourside highrises would look drab enough individually, but as a long line of homely twins and triplets, they collectively give the city skyline a repetitive cookie-cutter appearance from the water.

Though they are basically just pairs of mid-rise glass and steel boxes themselves, it’s the dramatic rooftop “skybridges” linking the 12-storey Pier 27 condo buildings that will give this project an interesting flair and unique bold style that should finally break the decades-old pattern of architectural monotony along Queen’s Quay boulevard.

I also like the refreshing low scale of the development, which thankfully won’t create another wide, tall wall blocking the rest of the city from the water, like so many of the condos built in the last 30 years.

A project of Fernbrook Homes and Cityzen Developments, The Residences of Pier 27 were designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.

Below are photos I have taken of the condo sales office and excavation, along with several artistic building renderings that appear on the project’s website. (Some pics I’ve published previously can be viewed in this construction progress post from early January.)

Additional renderings and six construction photos, along with an animated project video, can be viewed at the Pier 27 website.

 

The Residences at Pier 27

From the Pier 27 website, an aerial lake-view illustration of the condo complex


The Residences at Pier 27

From the website, an artistic waterside view of one of the condo buildings


The Residences at Pier 27

Side view rendering of one of the condo buildings and its rooftop “skybridge”


The Residences at Pier 27

Pier 27 sales office next to the construction site


The Residences at Pier 27

Another view of the Pier 27 sales centre


the Residences at Pier 27

The southwest side of the Pier 27 excavation on February 18 2011


the Residences at Pier 27

Another view of the west end of the giant excavation


the Residences at Pier 27

Break time? Idle earth movers at the top of the excavation


the Residences at Pier 27

Several huge mounds of dirt still must be removed


the Residences at Pier 27

Pier 27 residents with east-facing units will get to enjoy this view of the Redpath sugar refinery (along with the peculiar, syrupy odour that permeates the air)


the Residences at Pier 27

Concrete pumper working at the Pier 27 site February 18 2011


the Residences at Pier 27

A solitary excavating machine digs away at the south side of the enormous hole


the Residences at Pier 27

This is the east side of the excavation, next to the Redpath property


the Residences at Pier 27

On the edge: the concrete truck pumps away


the Residences at Pier 27

Another view of the concrete pumper truck