Soaring land values are helping to transform areas of Toronto long-neglected by condominium developers. The Sherbourne and Wellesley intersection is one of the areas set to benefit from transformative redevelopment, as construction of Alterra Group of Companies' 36-storey 159SW Condos replaces a former gas station and coffee shop at the southwest corner.

Underground forming at 159SW Condos, image courtesy of Alterra Group

The Richmond Architects-designed condo tower has been under construction since last summer, and plenty has been accomplished in the 13 months since crews mobilized on the irregularly-shaped 0.3-acre site. Shoring has formed the excavation's caisson walls, excavators have dug down to a depth of 40 feet, and most recently, a crane was erected to begin hoisting materials into the pit to form the tower's underground levels.

Underground forming at 159SW Condos, image courtesy of Alterra Group

159SW will be have a four-level underground garage with 63 spaces. Following the installation of a crane in July, crews have been busy forming the tower's foundation and the P4 parking level. The initial walls, columns, and even the first section of the parking ramp are now clearly visible on P4, as waterproof foundation walls can be seen taking shape alongside the base of the caisson walls.

Underground forming at 159SW Condos, image courtesy of Alterra Group

Forming of the underground levels and the four-storey podium above will take several months, owing to the lot line-to-lot line floorplate and non-repeating layouts. Once forming moves on to the slender repeating tower floorplates above, the ascent to 119 metres should speed up considerably.

159SW Condos, image courtesy of Alterra Group

We will keep you updated as construction continues. In the meantime, more information is available via our database file, including several additional renderings. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment on this page, or join the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum threads.