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The drive along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway is definitely a memorable one for visitors and tourists alike, and one that is ever changing for those that work or live in the city. On either side of the expressway, new development projects are sprouting up at an almost constant rate, beginning with Etobicoke's Humber Bay neighbourhood, picking up again at Liberty Village, passing Downtown and the eastern waterfront, and then even up the Don Valley Expressway. Somewhere in the middle of all that is master-planned community of Concord Adex's CityPlace, where a trio of new projects are rising now beside the Gardiner.
Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, Newton, Exchange, and Forward Condos are now making an impact at the southeast corner of Fort York Blvd and Bathurst. In our last update back in February, we looked at work on the lowest levels of the underground garage. This past summer, the buildings began to rise above ground. All three buildings are at last halfway to their final structural height (the shortest one, Exchange, has topped out at 8 storeys already), and cladding has now begun to wrap the buildings' exterior.
The cladding on Forward gives us a better idea of how the development will exist with its immediate neighbours. In the photo below, the base of Forward shares the same precast as Exchange, all while dark grey aluminum panels, grey spandrel and vision glass are rising on the building's lower levels. Currently, the building has reached 16 storeys, with 14 more left before reaching its final height.
While no cladding is yet visible on Newton, the construction crew here is now setting up frames for the eleventh floor, with only eight more before it tops off.
Newton and Forward Condos will both share some unique amenities, in a connecting space dubbed the Prisma Club. This will include an art studio, dance studio, photo studio, music studio, and a childrens' play room, designed by LIV Interiors. In the middle of the site will be a central courtyard, accessed from Queens Wharf Road and connecting to the courtyard on the east.
The image above shows the entrance to the new courtyard from Queens Wharf, while walking further south, the image below depicts more of the precast material applied to Exchange Condos.
The three buildings combined will add an additional 625 residential units to the ever growing neighbourhood. Next up are two more buildings across the Gardiner to the south: The LakeShore and The LakeFront at the West Block Est. 1928 development site, currently being excavated. These will be the last two residential developments that will fill in CityPlace from Bathurst to Spadina, before Concord's final phase, Block 22, is built on the site of the Concord CityPlace presentation centre on the northeast corner of Spadina and Bremner. The Block 22 towers will rise to a height of 69 and 59 storeys, making them the tallest of all CityPlace projects. A future school and community centre on Block 31 will complete all development within CityPlace in the coming years.
We will keep you updated as these projects rise in CityPlace's southwestern corner. In the meantime, our database has more information and renderings of these developments. Want to share you thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment in the space below, or join in the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum threads.
