We last visited the site of ELAD Canada's Emerald City back in September, where the second set of three buildings—Block B—is currently under construction, and over the last four months, much work has been done at the master-planned community at Don Mills and Sheppard in North York. We returned to the Block B construction site yesterday to check in on construction of the three WZMH Architects-designed towers; Colours of Emerald City on Don Mills Road, Fifth on the Park fronting Helen Lu and Forest Manor Roads, and The Park Club fronting onto Forest Manor Road and George Henry Boulevard. All three will open onto a mid-block courtyard and driveway.

Block B under construction, image by Jack Landau

Construction is on schedule for all Block B projects, with building B1—Colours of Emerald City—the furthest along. The structure is now topped off at 13 storeys, (14 on the side that faces Don Mills Road), with installation mostly complete for its reflective window wall framed in grey mullions and vertical strips of white spandrel. Balcony railings have now been installed a few levels above the brick-clad podium levels, soon to be finished with clear glass guards similar to those used on the development's other towers. The first move-ins at Colours of Emerald City are anticipated for August, with full registration of the building expected to follow in November.

Colours of Emerald City, image by Jack Landau

To the southeast, building B2—Fifth on the Park—now rises 6 storeys along the curved frontage of Helen Lu Road. With the podium's three storey structure now in place, the bulk of forming activity has shifted to the tower component at the west end of the building. The first cladding is expected to be installed as early as the middle of March. The next milestone will come in September, when the building is targeted to top off at 24 storeys. The project will open in August 2018, with registration anticipated for December later that year.

Construction of Fifth on the Park, image by Jack Landau

Amenities for both the Colours of Emerald City and Fifth on the Park will be shared within the former's podium levels. Below, a quick glimpse of the future swimming pool on the ground floor, with windows offering views out to Don Mills Road.

Future pool in the shared amenity area of Colours and Fifth on the Park, image by Jack Landau

At the northeast edge of Block B, work is well underway on the podium levels of B3—The Park Club—which will rise to a height of 33 storeys. With the podium levels soon to give way to a point tower with repeated floor layouts, the project is expected to begin rising at a relatively fast pace in the coming months. Cladding installation is currently on track to begin by the 3rd week of June, with the next major milestone slated for December 2017 or January 2018, when the tower is expected to top off. Registration for The Park Club is anticipated to follow in February or March 2018.

The Park Club rising above ground, image by Jack Landau

A scale model in the presentation centre shows the arrangement of the three buildings on the block. The photo below faces east, with Colours in the foreground, Fifth on the Park to the right, and The Park Club to the left.

Scale model of Emerald City Block B, image by Jack Landau

With Block B's construction pressing on, ELAD has begun marketing the first building in Block C to the south. Block C will be a near mirror image of Block B, with some design modifications including retail fronting on Don Mills at ground level. The Peak will be the first and tallest of the three towers on the block, mirroring Block B's The Park Club. Due to currently favourable market conditions, ELAD is able to begin Block C's marketing with the tallest tower rather than the "smallest first" approach taken with Block B's phasing. The Peak is targeted to launch shortly, and we expect to learn more about it as marketing material is rolled out in the coming weeks.

The Peak (far right) within the Emerald City community, image courtesy of ELAD Canada

Additional information and images for the projects mentioned in this article can be found in the project dataBase files linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.

Related Companies:  Almadev, Baker Real Estate Incorporated, II BY IV DESIGN, LiveRoof Ontario Inc, McIntosh Perry, WZMH Architects