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Earlier this year, Greenland Group officially marked their entry into the Canadian housing market with a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site of King Blue, a condominium development with 44 and 48-storey towers at King and Blue Jays Way in Toronto's Entertainment District. Some months later, the site is now abuzz with activity as shoring work presses on.
Before excavation of the five below grade levels and the subsequent rise of the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed condo towers, the site must be primed for the big dig. The ongoing shoring process involves the drilling of holes and pouring of concrete piles deep underground around the perimeter of the excavation site, stabilizing the surroundings and allowing for a safe excavation.
Excavation of the site is currently slated for completion in October 2016. The excavation process will be longer than normal here owing to the need to work carefully at the historic Westinghouse Building on the northwest corner of the site. It will be partially demolished, while still preserving the north and west exterior walls. Heritage specialists ERA Architects are in charge of this part of the job, preparing the facades to remain in-situ during construction, eventually to be incorporated as part of the development's six-storey podium.
Over the past few weeks, hoarding has been installed around the Westinghouse Building, restricting a lane of traffic on both King Street and Blue Jays Way, and signaling the imminent start of work on the existing structure.
In addition to the 807 new residential units, King Blue will include a 122-room Primus Hotel fronting King Street, while the Mercer Street frontage will be home to the new 9,000 square foot Theatre Museum Canada. Condo residents and hotel guests will have access to Studio Munge-appointed amenity spaces as well as outdoor spaces landscaped by NAK Design Group.
You can learn more about King Blue by visiting 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 in the space provided at the bottom of this page.
