Striking architecture and a high-traffic location on Yonge Street just north of Queen are making MOD Developments Inc's Massey Tower Condos one of the most frequently photographed construction projects on the UrbanToronto Forum. As the 60-storey, Hariri Pontarini-designed condominium tower continues to rise higher above the 1905-built Canadian Bank of Commerce building that will serve as its front door on Yonge Street, freshly installed cladding is now providing more hints as to the finished development's looks, and drawing an even higher volume of photo updates.

Massey Tower viewed from Yonge Street, image by Forum contributor Benito

With the structure of the complex podium levels now in the books, forming activity for Massey Tower has been ramping up speed. The project stood at a height of 14 storeys in mid-March, rising only a few levels to 18 storeys by mid-June. Forming now seems to have developed a rhythm, and as of this week, work has begun for the tower's 27th floor.

Massey Tower viewed from the north, image by Forum contributor innsertnamehere

At the time of our last update in mid-June, the first row of glass balcony panels had recently been installed, teasing with just a taste of the two-toned, transparent and fritted laminated glass, which will be a significant part of the final product's exterior expression. In the weeks since, four more rows of this cladding treatment have been installed, now covering levels 10 through 14. With a much larger section of this balcony glass now in place, the undulating effect of the alternating balcony edges is becoming more apparent.

Massey Tower viewed from Nathan Phillips Square, image by Forum contributor Pink Stardust

This balcony guard installation has since been joined by two rows of curtainwall cladding on the north face of the tower, just above the 9-storey podium. Featuring tinted windows and opaque spandrel sections covering structural elements, this treatment will continue up the full height of the north side, giving it a distinctive look, in contrast with the brighter tones of the other three faces.

Curtainwall cladding on Massey Tower's north face, image by Forum contributor Benito

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.