Activity at the site of MOD Developments Inc's Massey Tower Condos has been progressing on Yonge Street north of Queen four roughly three years now. Work began with the June 2014 demolition of the rear portion of the 1905-built Canadian Bank of Commerce building at 197 Yonge Street, the preserved frontage of which will live on at the base of the new 60-storey, Hariri Pontarini-designed condominium tower. When we last checked in on the project in mid-March, forming was in progress for the 14th floor of the tower, which will be the fourth of the building's residential levels. Work has since progressed another few levels, with the tower now standing 18 levels above Yonge Street as the installation of balcony glass gets underway.

Massey Tower viewed from the south at Yonge and Queen, image by Edward Skira

Over the past days, the first elements of the building's exterior expression have been installed along the second residential level above the podium. This balcony glass consists of glass panels with a two-toned finish of transparent and fritted laminated glazing. From a distance, the translucent fritted sections will have a sculptural appearance as the clear sections blend in with the tower.

Balcony cladding apparent on the Massey Tower, image by Edward Skira

Below, the undulating projections seen on Massey Tower's podium are set to be enclosed with a 4-way structural silicon, double-glazed, low-e, and argon-filled, curtainwall system. The light-coloured glazing will also feature a bird-friendly frit pattern.

Lower levels of the Massey Tower, image by Edward Skira

Another recent development at the Massey Tower site was the installation of climbing formwork—also known as an Automated Climbing System or ACS—on the uppermost formed levels. A common system used for constructing tall buildings, this system automatically climbs forms from one floor to the next, allowing identical floorplates to be formed at an expedited rate.

Balcony cladding and climbing formwork on the Massey Tower, image by Edward Skira

We will keep you updated as the building rises into Toronto's skyline. In the meantime, more renderings and information can be found in our Database file, linked below. Feel free to leave your thoughts on this project in the comment section on this page, or join a conversation in the associated Forum threads.