The Queens Quay site of Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes' Tower at Pier 27 is now alive with activity, as construction begins for the 35-storey, architectsAlliance-designed condominium tower. Located immediately north of the recently-completed Waterlink at Pier 27 development, the community's latest phase will add 366 new condominium units to Downtown Toronto's waterfront.

Aerial view of Tower at Pier 27, image by Forum contributor Jasonzed

Following the late-2016 removal of asphalt and the relocation further east of the project's presentation centre, shoring rigs arrived on site earlier this month. Over the next several weeks, construction crews from TMG Builders will continue to install the earth retention system around the site perimeter.

Shoring work for Tower at Pier 27, image by Jack Landau

Unlike suburban and rural settings where side-sloped excavations are practical, the constrained urban setting of most Toronto developments requires the construction of temporary shoring walls, which are necessary to support the surrounding structures and roads while maintaining a safe excavation for construction crews. The process involves the drilling of a series of holes around the site perimeter, which are then filled in with vertical supports—either reinforced concrete or steel I-beams, depending on the type of earth retention system being employed.

Shoring work for Tower at Pier 27, image by Jack Landau

Following the completion of the project's shoring, work will begin on excavating the tower's underground parking garage.

Shoring work for Tower at Pier 27, image by Jack Landau

The aerial view at the top of this article reveals the presence of shoring rigs on both the footprint of the new 35-storey tower, as well as a plot of land to the east to be built out as a future mid-rise phase in the community. For the time being, provisions are being made for a vehicular connection between the parking garages for Tower at Pier 27 and the future phase. While shoring for the connection is already underway, further work on the next building will begin following the marketing of the next phase at Pier 27.

Shoring just east of Tower at Pier 27's footprint, image by Jack Landau

We will keep you updated as construction on the project continues to progress. In the meantime, further information about the project is available in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to learn more? Leave a comment in the space on this page, or join the conversation in our associated Forum threads.