Just over 50 kilometres southwest of Toronto's shoreline, new developments are adding residential density to the Grimsby lakefront. Since starting construction in mid-2015, LJM Developments' Waterview Condominiums has risen to its full height of 9 storeys, creating a notable presence on the west edge of the town. Over the past few months, cladding has been sealing off the Icon Architects-designed development, with all but a fraction of the uppermost floor now fully sealed off from the winter weather.

Waterview Condos viewed from the west on North Service Road, image by Jack Landau

Facing Lake Ontario, Waterview's north facade has been clad in a window wall system, with dark, narrow mullions and spandrel framing floor to ceiling glazing. Practically all cladding has been applied here, with only the balcony guards awaiting installation. The low-rise amenity space occupying the north end of the site is still in a relatively raw state, and is awaiting the first of its finishing materials.

Waterview Condominiums' north facade, image by Jack Landau 

This glazing system also covers parts of the narrow east and west façades, as well as a small portion of the south façade, which faces the Queen Elizabeth Way. Installation of the window wall elements is now practically complete, with just a few panels still to be placed at the east end of the top floor.

Waterview Condos viewed from the east on North Service Road, image by Jack Landau

The layout of the building responds to the busy conditions of the QEW by placing its units on the north side of the structure, and hallways on the south side. To minimize traffic noise, the building's south facade includes limited window coverage, and much of this elevation is now clad in a mix of brick and panelling. With windows and accompanying orange accents already in place, the south façade has been primed in a blue weatherproof membrane and is now being covered with a brown-hued insulation material in advance of the final cladding.

Waterview Condominiums' south facade, image by Jack Landau

To the east, work is now underway for the project's second phase, which will feature a design and massing complementary to its neighbour. Excavation of that site's below-grade levels is now in full swing, with sloped earth walls acting in place of the more complex earth retention systems employed at more constrained urban sites.

Site of Waterview's second phase, image by Jack Landau

Additional information plus renderings of Waterview can be found in 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 using the field provided at the bottom of this page.