Several weeks since the first signs of shoring activity were spotted at the site of Bazis and Plaza's 1 Yorkville, the process of stabilizing the site in advance of excavation is progressing smoothly. To prepare the 58-storey condominium project for excavation, crews from Deep Foundations Inc. are in the process of shoring the site with what UrbanToronto believes to be a pile and lagging system.

Facing southwest across the 1 Yorkville site, image by Jack Landau

The process involves the driving of hollow steel casing into the ground, which are then filled in with large vertical steel wide flange beams, also known as soldier piles. The beams are then secured by horizontal timber lagging, retaining the surrounding earth and allowing exvacation to proceed safely within the shored area.

Facing southeast across the 1 Yorkville site, image by Jack Landau

Once shoring work is completed, we can expect to see the future site of the development's below-grade levels excavated to a depth of five storeys during the coming months. The careful excavation process must take into account the foundations of the heritage frontages facing Yonge Street. The first 10 metres of of the heritage buildings will be incorporated into the new development as the project's retail component. Above and to the rear of the heritage component, the development will include 577 new residences to the eastern edge of the Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood.

Foundations of the heritage properties at 1 Yorkville, image by Jack Landau

Designed by lead architect Roy Varacalli, with the complex heritage restoration efforts being overseen by ERA Architects, the development will also include over 2,000 square metres of amenity spaces occupying much of the fourth and fifth levels split between the indoors and outdoor terraces above the heritage buildings, and more at the top of the tower.

Rendering of 1 Yorkville, image courtesy of Bazis/Plaza

Want to know more about the building? Info and more renderings can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. You can get in on the discussion in our associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page. Earlier stories describing the building in greater detail can be found linked further down this page.

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