In the busy months since the Fall 2015 start of construction at Amexon Development Corporation's Residences of 488 University Avenue, we have witnessed significant progress for the impressive engineering project, which is set to add 37 floors to an existing 18-storey office building. Now poised to begin rising above the existing tower, work on the dramatic addition follows over 18 months of labour-intensive construction, which has aesthetically transformed the northwest corner of University and Dundas.

Work on the Core Architects-designed project kicked off with the installation of a tower crane atop the existing office building, followed by the removal of its former concrete grille facade, all of which was carried out while office workers continued to occupy the building.

Residences of 488 University Avenue, image by Forum contributor Benito

By early 2016, the first elements of a structural steel reinforcement system—devised by engineers Sigmund Soudack & Associateshad been put in place, while the concrete grille removal continued on the surrounding facades. By April 2016, the structural reinforcement's installation was progressing up the tower, followed a few levels below by a new curtain wall cladding system for the office tower. By November of last year—one year after the start of the former facade's removal—the office building had been entirely re-clad, sealing off the steel reinforcement system. A steel "tabletop" structure had been installed, prepared to transfer the load of 37 new floors around the outside of the office component and down to the bedrock below. 

Following our update on the progress of the tower's steel supporting structure back in February, a blog post by contractor Toddglen Construction announced the start of forming for the new tower at the beginning of May. As the month has progressed, concrete forms have continued to appear atop the office tower, as crews work on the first concrete structural components that will support the new levels above. The view below also reveals the progress on a new elevator shaft that extends out from the building's north face, a narrow steel structure currently rising along the exterior of the tower's northeast corner.

Residences of 488 University Avenue, image by Forum contributor Benito

Down at street level, a glazed volume now projects from the base of the building's University Avenue frontage. This addition will not only bring the property's main frontage closer to the sidewalks on University, but also enclose the existing entrance to St. Patrick station on the TTC's Line 1.

Residences of 488 University Avenue's University Avenue facade, image by Forum contributor Benito

A closer look reveals that this section's curtain wall cladding has been fully installed over a three-storey structural steel frame. Swing stages can be seen on both the interior and exterior of the three-storey projection, evidence of the ongoing work on the newly-installed glazing.

Glazed projection at the base of The Residences of 488 University Avenue, image by Forum contributor Benito

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

Related Companies:  Amexon Development Corporation, Core Architects, II BY IV DESIGN, Motioneering, Sigmund Soudack & Associates, Walters Group