Part of a wave of purpose-built residential rental buildings now proposed or being built in Toronto, construction is closing in on completion The Selby by Tricon House, a 50-storey, bKL Architecture-designed luxury rental tower steps from Sherbourne subway station. Structurally complete and almost fully enclosed in a mix of red brick panel cladding and glazed punched windows, the development is nearing occupancy.

The Selby viewed from the base along Sherbourne Street, image by Marcus Mitanis

When we last checked in on construction a year ago, crews were forming the 38th floor, the first level to feature a rectangular floorplate, positioned above the distinctive 37-storey notch in the building's southeast corner. The project topped out at its final 166-metre height at the end of 2017, and in the several months since forming wrapped up, the tower crane has been removed.

The Selby wth two derricks atop, image by Craig White

In the image above from July 23, 2018, the tower crane is already gone, replaced by the large white derrick which was brought up to dismantle it. Its pieces will soon be lowered to the ground by the smaller dark blue derrick beside it. One more smaller derrick will be required to lift the second one to the ground, and that third derrick's pieces will be able to transported by to ground via the construction hoist. 

Looking southeast to The Selby, image by Marcus Mitanis

While cladding now stretches up to the top, the vertical strip where the construction hoist of connects to the tower still awaits cladding. Once the hoist is no longer required and is removed from the tower's north facade, the final red brick panels and glazing can be added to complete the tower's skin.

Looking east to The Selby, image by Marcus Mitanis

Down at street level, the tower base incorporates the heritage Gooderham Mansion, built in 1882 as a private home for the family and most recently serving as the Clarion Hotel Selby. As part of the Selby project, the mansion was relocated closer to Sherbourne Street, and will soon house a street-front restaurant, and amenity space for residents on the upper levels.

Heritage mansion at The Selby, image by Marcus Mitanis

Once construction wraps up, residents of the building’s 441 new luxury rental suites will have access to a selection of amenities, very similar to what is typically found in a condominium tower. These are set to include a fitness centre and yoga spinning studio, a games room, a spa with wet and dry saunas, deluge showers, and a meditation area, and an on-site cafe and bistro.

The Selby, rendering courtesy of Tricon

Additional information and full renderings of The Selby can be found in the project's database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.