Just two short months after ground was officially broken for Hines and Tridel's Aqualina at Bayside, excavation work for the new waterfront condominium development is moving along at an impressive speed. Designed by Miami-based firm Arquitectonica, Aqualina will be the first of eight buildings in the new 13-acre Bayside Toronto community, replacing former brownfields with new residents, businesses and parks, and is tentatively scheduled for Summer 2018 occupancy.

Excavation at the site of Aqualina, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118

In the images of the construction site captured on June 24th by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118, much activity is visible on-site. Three excavators can be seen working away in the pit, digging out the future below-grade parking levels and foundation of the new development, while two workers can be seen using an elevated hydraulic work platform, applying a waterproof membrane to the surface of the caisson walls.

Excavation at the site of Aqualina, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118

Once complete, Aqualina will have added 363 new residential units to Toronto's waterfront, ranging in size from 548 square feet to 1,343 square feet. Aqualina will be joined by follow up project Aquavista, which will add 225 condominium units. The Aquavista development will also provide 80 affordable units for artists and their families which will be owned by the City and operated by non-profit developer Toronto Artscape Inc. 

Excavation at the site of Aqualina, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118

These two new residential developments will rise in between two parks; the existing Sherbourne Common to the west of Aqualina, and the future Aitken Place Park to the east of Aquavista. The planned Aitken Place Park, currently slated for completion in the Summer of 2017, is currently in design development with Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. of Toronto and Thomas Balsley Associates of New York. To the north of Aquavista will be a pair of commercial office buildings named Queens Quay Place. Being developed by Hines, Queens Quay Place will bring jobs to the Bayside area, keeping the neighbourhood vital throughout the day.

Map of the Bayside community showing the location of Aitken Place Park, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

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

Related Companies:  Eastern Construction, EQ Building Performance Inc., Hines, II BY IV DESIGN, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, Kramer Design Associates Limited, Live Patrol Inc., New Release Condo, The Fence People, Tridel, Vortex Fire Consulting Inc. , WZMH Architects