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The tallest commercial development under construction in the region, and so far Toronto's most significant office tower since the start of the city's 21st-century building boom, work continues on the 49-storey first phase of Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines’ CIBC SQUARE office complex. Now approaching 20 months since a ground breaking marked the start of the WilkinsonEyre-designed South Tower, the building is entering skyline views as its distinctive shape becomes more apparent.
The tower has begun to climb again in the weeks since it surpassed its halfway mark where one of its elevator banks was completed, resulting in a reduction of the tower core’s area. Now at roughly 3/4 of its previous bulk, the tower core’s walls surpassed the 27-storey mark last month. Impossible to see from the exterior, the floor slabs inside the core are following a few levels behind. The core now stands at roughly 60% of its eventual 237.7-metre height.
The pair of tower cranes being used to construct the building have been steadily rising alongside the tower core, affixed by braces to the core's south and west elevations. One of the crane extension procedures was captured on Thursday by Forum contributor Michael62 from his perch in a condominium tower to the south of the construction site, where a new mast section was hoisted and about to be installed atop the existing mast by a crew.
Lower down the tower, installation of metal decking for the tower floorplate progressed as high as the 7th floor by mid-February, with structural steel for the tower’s skeleton reaching up to the 9th floor.
To the east of the tower, work on the podium’s new GO bus terminal is progressing. Formwork is in place in parts for the second storey and in parts for the third (above the GO facility), while aerial views offer a glimpse of where the curving ramps between the first and second floors are being built in the northeast corner.
To the north, building of the park deck over the Union rail corridor is moving along. Plumbing, bolting, and torquing of steel, as well as truss installation is underway here now. The new deck will connect the South Tower with the future North Tower via a publicly-accessible park.
The phase one South Tower and bus terminal is targeted for completion in 2020, paving the way for the demolition of the existing bus terminal and the start of the phase two North Tower at 141 Bay across the tracks. The park connecting the two towers will open partially 2021, while the second phase will bring an expansion of it, targeted for opening in 2023.
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.
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