Markham is seeing a lot of new growth these days. With Metrolinx's Viva BRT (bus rapid transit) line nearing completion, several new developments are capitalizing on the suburban city's bright future, including Fontana, a four-building condominium development by H&W Development Corp., currently under construction on Clegg Road, steps from the intersection of Warden and Highway 7.

Construction at Fontana, image by Jack Landau

Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the development consists of four buildings. The two western buildings have now topped off at 16 and 12 storeys respectively, while the eastern buildings, set to rise to heights of 10 and 16 storeys, are both currently one level above grade.

Construction at Fontana viewed from the northeast on Clegg Road, image by Jack Landau

With the western side of the development now topped off, we can see a rather urban street wall now forming on South Town Centre Boulevard. The massing of Fontana, as well as neighbouring developments to the north, saw plenty of input from the City of Markham to help create a street wall similar to those found in many built-up downtown areas. Markham is seeking to create a real centre for the burgeoning municipality, and the old model of wide-open suburbs has been rejected in favour of higher densities and more efficient use of space.

Fontana adding to the street wall on South Town Centre Boulevard, image by Jack Landau

Aside from lobby space and service entries, all of Fontana's ground floor street frontages will be occupied by townhouse units.

Fontana viewed from the west, image by Jack Landau

Dark tinted glazing is now being applied to the exterior of the two western buildings, framed in brown mullions. It will soon be complemented by dark accents in the grooved notches of the project's lower floors, a finishing touch that is still to come.

Glazing being applied to Fontana, image by Jack Landau

In the image below, we take a closer look at the window glazing now being applied to the taller 16-storey tower.

Glazing being applied to Fontana, image by Jack Landau

The east side of the development is now above ground as well, and in the coming months we should see the two remaining towers make considerable progress as work moves on to the repetitive floor plate above.

Construction progress on the east side of Fontana, image by Jack Landau

Additional information and renderings can be found in our Fontana dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.

Related Companies:  Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, McIntosh Perry, WND Associates Ltd