It is a little over three months since Cadillac Fairview (CF) officially broke ground for a new 32-storey office tower at 16 York in Toronto's South Core area, though a well-organized construction timeline by contractors PCL has generated speedy progress for the architectsAlliance and B+H Architects-designed project. Following the May ceremony, crews from GFL subsidiary Anchor Shoring began shoring the site, while crews from Micheal Bros Excavation started digging out the project's underground footprint. Most recently, two tower cranes were installed at the base of the pit, priming the site for the start of forming.

Cranes installed at 16 York site, image by Forum contributor Space

The speed of construction here can be attributed to a few factors, including an aggressive construction schedule that aims to have the building open specifically on June 1st, 2020. Another contributing factor is the presence of a pre-existing concrete wall in place at the south end of the pit, built as part of the adjacent Ïce Condominiums. With it already in place, excavation was able to be started along the south side of the site while the shoring got underway on the other three sides.

16 York viewed from the west, image by Jack Landau

Along with hoisting building materials, the cranes now provide another means to move machinery to and from the base of the pit. This has allowed crews to begin excavating the dirt ramp that has served that purpose over the past several weeks, freeing up space for the below-grade forming that will make up the bulk of construction activity during the coming months.

16 York site, image by Forum contributor Space

When complete in 2020, the $479 million project will stand 518 feet above the southwest corner of York and Bremner, adding 879,000 ft² of new office space to the South Core area.

North-facing view of 16 York, image courtesy of Cadillac Fairview

We will keep you up-to-date as construction progresses. In the meantime, additional information can be found in the project's database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts on 16 York? Feel free to leave a comment in the space provided on this page, or join in the ongoing conversation in the associated Forum thread.