Construction is quicky progressing on a major redevelopment of the West Queen West campus of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. The project is bringing two seven-storey Stantec-designed institutional buildings to the area; The McCain Complex Care and Recovery Centre at the corner of Ossington Avenue and Queen, and the Crisis and Critical Care Building on Queen at White Squirrel Way.

South-facing aerial view of the CAMH site, December 2018, image courtesy of PCL

Construction began with an October 2017 ground breaking, and it's been full steam ahead in the time since as crews from design-builder PCL make fast progress. After the installation of 160 shoring piles, 2,340 m² of lagging, and a 36,674 m³ of excavated earth, the two buildings rose above grade along Queen in mid-2018. In the months since, the buildings have reached their seven-storey heights, with work now underway on the steel structure of the mechanical penthouses that will top them off.

Steel taking shape above Crisis and Critical Care Building, January 2019, image by Forum contributor drum118

Forming of the buildings involved 22,738 m³ of poured concrete, with 2,503 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 6,804 linear metres of post-tensioning strands. 

Southwest-facing aerial view of the CAMH site, December 2018, image courtesy of PCL

Crews have since shifted the focus of work to the building envelopes. The buildings are being enclosed in 1,775 prefabricated exterior wall panels, manufactured at PCL’s offsite manufacturing facility in Etobicoke, transported, then seamed and finished on site. Installation of these prefabricated panels is expected to be complete by the end of February.

McCain Complex Care and Recovery Centre, January 2019, image by Forum contributor drum118

Brick, metal accent panels, punched windows, and curtainwall glass will finish off the exteriors.

With large sections of the buildings sealed against the elements, work is advancing on interior finishing, mechanical and electrical rough-ins, as well as wall framing. Another milestone is on the way, with the removal of first tower crane scheduled for early February, and the buildings on track to be complete in mid-2020. 

West view along Queen Street, January 2019, image by Forum contributor drum118

Upon completion, the twinned facilities will provide CAMH with 235 inpatient beds, a 24/7 Emergency Department, a 300-seat auditorium, and a "therapeutic neighbourhood" where patients can develop their life skills.

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.