At the east edge of Toronto's nascent West Don Lands, construction is well underway for the third phase of Urban Capital's River City Condominiums development. Following in the footsteps of the community's first two phases to the north, the 29-storey 'RC3' features an avant garde design by Montreal-based Saucier + Perrotte Architects that challenges the rectilinear massing typical of Toronto's new-build condos.

Following a ceremonial ground breaking last Fall—which took place with construction already underway—RC3's complex lower levels now rise six floors above the Bayview and Lawren Harris Square intersection, with work recently started on the 7th floor.

RC3 viewed from Corktown Common, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Due to the project's position on a recently-fortified floodplain of the Don River, only foundations were installed below grade, with no underground parking included. Instead, the tower's parking garage is being built above ground on the north side of the podium, up by the Eastern Avenue overpass.

As with the first two phases, exposed sections of concrete on windowless areas of the podium have been poured using a board forming treatment, which imparts the concrete walls with the texture of the wooden boards.

Podium taking shape at RC3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

At the northwest corner of the podium, the drawer-like "push and pull" extrusions are beginning to present themselves. A defining aesthetic feature of the tower's design, these elements will punctuate the entire 29-storey span of the northwest building face.

Northwest corner of RC3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

A close up view into one of the "drawer" sections reveals that plumbing and electrical work are well underway within the building's raw concrete skeleton.

Plumbing and electrical work underway at RC3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Over the past several weeks, the first elements of RC3's exterior envelope have also been installed along the southeast and east façades. Photos of the cladding depict a high quality glazing system framed in large vertical mullions, hinting towards a clean finished look for the project.

Cladding installation underway at RC3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Cladding detail at RC3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Want to know more about River City 3? You'll find renderings previewing the completed building—along with lots more information—in our dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to talk about it? Add your voice to the conversation in one of our associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.