Toronto's nascent East Bayfront district is abuzz with construction activity, as a new wave of waterfront projects will soon bring some vitality to a quiet stretch of Queens Quay. Among the most exciting projects underway in the burgeoning area, the 14-storey first phase of the mixed-use Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts development is now making an impact on the intersection of Queens Quay East at Lower Jarvis.

Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts construction site viewed from the southeast, image by Jack Landau

Developed by the Daniels Corporation and featuring a design by RAW and Rafael + Bigauskas Architects, the first phase commercial component is now having its fourth level formed. One more level is to come before the podium massing breaks off into separate 11 and 14-storey volumes. Forming  of the fourth level floor plate is currently finishing up at the northeast and southwest corners, while structural columns are largely in place for the remaining southeast and northwest corners.

Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts construction site viewed from the southeast on Queens Quay, image by Jack Landau

While it's not particularly easy to see in the image below, the building is pulled back from the corner of Jarvis and Queens Quay, leaving a wedge-shaped space that tapers to a point along the sidewalk to the north. This open area is set to become a northerly extension of the popular Sugar Beach just across Queens Quay to the south. The extension will continue the playful design language established by landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associés and include more of Andrew Jones' well-loved pink umbrellas. 

Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts construction site viewed from the southwest on Queens Quay, image by Jack Landau

The above view also reveals the bones of an architecture gesture that will mark the southwest corner of the office building: the angled structural columns seen on the second and third levels will serve as supports for the notched-out feature balcony seen in the rendering below.

Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts, image courtesy of The Daniels Corporation

Once complete, the first phase of the development will introduce 280,000 ft² of office space, including Artscape's Quadrangle-designed 'Launchpad', set to occupy 30,000 ft² on the 5th floor of the taller western volume. At street level, the building will add 27,000 ft² of retail space to Queens Quay, helping to animate the already-lively Sugar Beach and its new north expansion. 

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