Construction work on Tribute Communities' flagship project, Residences at the RCMI, is speeding along as they work through the typical floors of the tower. Crews are currently working on the 26th floor of the 42-storey structure, which has begun to ascend towards its position in the skyline, peeking out from familiar vistas like Chinatown and Nathan Phillips Square.

RCMI, viewed from Dundas St. W. in Chinatown, image by AlbertC

RCMI viewed from Nathan Philips Square, image by current

Work began just over 2 years ago, in the fall of 2010, with the careful deconstruction of the project’s namesake, the Royal Canadian Military Institute, the facade of which will be replicated and incorporated into the ground floor. Until recently, the construction process had been proceeding much more slowly—the result of a tight building site with little room to manoeuvre a crane.  

Rendering of the rebuilt Royal Canadian Military Institute, image courtesy Tribute Communities

When the first signs of cladding were spotted in November, it seemed too early to make a judgment on whether or not this Zeidler Architects-designed project would shine. Now, several weeks later, the east and west façades bear an impressive dark glass with white accents, framed by dark grey mullions. The real surprise however is the north façade, which comes alive with a playful pattern of glossy black, white and grey panels, a welcome gesture to the south-facing tenants in the Air Miles Tower next door. 

RCMI and unique north face cladding viewed from Dundas west of University, image by Jack Landau

Black, white and grey cladding on the north side of RCMI, image by Jack Landau

RCMI's east face, viewed from University and Dundas, image by Jack Landau

Located on University Avenue just south of Dundas, Residences at the RCMI is right next door to St. Patrick subway station as well as being steps to the Eaton Centre to the east and Chinatown to the west. Completion is slated for late 2013.

Rendering of Residences at the RCMI, image courtesy of Tribute Communities

For additional information and renderings on this project, check out our dataBase listing below. To get involved in the discussion, visit the related forum thread, here.