In our last construction update for Daniels Waterfront: City of the Arts, excavation on the site had reached its final depth, a crane had been erected and the first concrete footings had been poured. Since that December update, a 2nd crane has been added to expedite work being carried out 47 feet below grade.

Daniels Waterfront construction site as seen from the north-east corner, image by kotsy

Concrete walls dry inside form work, image by kotsy

Lower deck at north-east corner of site as seen from worker staircase, image by kotsy

Thanks to the mild winter, crews have been able to start the lower deck on the north-east corner of the site. To build the lower deck, metal forms are built on the edge of the site at ground level then are "flown" in with the help of the west crane. These forms are held up using point loads and are locked into place using jacks. The edges of the deck are built out to the thickness of concrete that is desired. Steel rebar (reinforcing bar) is then installed into the gaps in the form, and concrete is poured in to create a secure wall.

Tied up steel rebar awaits usuage, image by kotsy

Rebar caps prevent injury if workers fall in the area, image by kotsy

The east crane stands tall above the construction site, image by kotsy

Concrete support columns are created a little differently by using a two piece enclosure with finished plywood on the inside which is locked together with rods. After it has been tightened up, the concrete is poured in to create the column. Once the concrete has cured, the enclosure is then stripped off to reveal a support column.

A concrete support column dries inside a two piece enclosure, image by kotsy

Under the lower deck on the north-east corner of the site, image by kotsy

Steel rebar sticks out of lower deck on the north-east corner of the site, image by kotsy

A pile of extra forms await usage, image by kotsy

A worker cleans the caison wall before a waterproofing membrane is installed, image by kotsy

Under each wall and column are footings which act as an underground support system. The depth of these footings varies based on the elevation of the site.

Looking up at the worker's staircase from its base, image by kotsy

Looking up at the east crane from its base, image by kotsy

Meanwhile up on the ground level, new container offices have been delivered to the site. These 20ft and 40ft long portable offices will be stacked 3 on top of each other due to limited available space.

New offices delivered to the site will be stacked 3 high, image by kotsy

Finally, the former industrial building on the north end of the site provides an excellent panorama of the excavated south site. Demolition of walls inside this building has now started with exterior demolition is expected to commence in the very near future. Two residential towers will stand in the north building's place with a combined total of 900 suites that will rise above a new George Brown College and OCAD U arts facility. Giannone Petricone Associates are the design architects for the residential towers, as is RAW Design for the office commercial sections. Rafael + Bigauskas are Architects of Record for the entire complex.

View of construction site as seen from north building set to be demolished, image by kotsy

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