Since starting construction in late 2015, Sorbara Group's Beacon Condos has been transformed from a block of low-rise retail into a lively work site. Designed by Wallman Architects and Rafael + Bigauskas Architects, the 35-storey development is now rising at 5200 Yonge Street, directly above North York Centre subway station on the TTC's Line 1, and will feature indoor access to the transit line below. 

South view of Beacon Condos, image courtesy of Sorbara Group

Roughly one year after construction began, the first above-grade progress became apparent. In the eight months since this milestone was surpassed, the project's retail podium has been fully formed, and work has more recently begun on the tower volume above, set to contain 374 condominium units. Aerial views captured from the neighbouring Gibson Square north tower provide a rare glimpse into the process of forming the tower's floor slabs. These views reveal the presence of conduits, which are laid prior to the pouring of concrete floors, showing that there is much more than just cement and rebar going into the typical concrete slab.

Aerial view of Beacon Condos, image by Forum contributor fatty

With the podium levels now fully formed, the project recently surpassed another milestone—when a tower crane used to construct the base structure was disassembled this past weekend. While a second crane remains in place to continue forming the tower levels, the crane used to construct the podium is no longer necessary.

Crane sections being removed at Beacon Condos site, image by Forum contributor fatty

A temporary mobile crane—visible in the image above—was put in place just west of the podium's ground floor, to carry out the disassembly over the course of Saturday. Individual crane sections were unbolted, attached to the temporary crane, and lowered one by one down to waiting flatbed trucks to be delivered to the next work site.

Crane sections being removed at Beacon Condos site, image by Forum contributor fatty

Once complete, the tower will rise to a height of 409 feet, or 124.7 metres, giving it a prominent position on the increasingly filled-out North York skyline. A significant contribution of 15,000 ft² of retail space spread across three levels will anchor the development to Yonge Street, joining a growing collection of mixed-use developments with retail and commercial podiums, including the Hullmark Centre, Emerald Park Condos, and Gibson Square Condos.

South view of Beacon Condos, image courtesy of Sorbara Group

Additional information and renderings 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.