It has been almost a full six years since the former Greyhound Bus Parcel Express depot was demolished at the northwest corner of Toronto's Sherbourne and Front intersection. Following a lengthy planning and approvals process and a subsequent marketing campaign, construction is underway for Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes' St. Lawrence Condos at 158 Front.

Shoring underway at St. Lawrence Condos site, image by Caleb Cho

Over the past few weeks, crews have been clearing away a surface parking lot that was built on the site during the project's planning stages, and as of today, shoring activity has begun in advance of the 26-storey paired-tower project designed by architectsAlliance. During this phase of work, crews will be constructing the earth retention system that will support the walls for excavation. 

Shoring rig at St. Lawrence Condos site, image by Caleb Cho

The shoring process involves the insertion of hollow steel cylindrical casings deep into the earth around the perimeter of the site. The earth is then removed from these holes using an auger, followed by the insertion of either vertical steel piles or concrete caisson wall elements depending on the type of shoring system being employed. 

Shoring rig in action at St. Lawrence Condos site, image by Caleb Cho

The next step will be the excavation of St. Lawrence Condos' four-level underground parking garage, set to house 202 parking spaces, divided between 175 resident spaces and 27 visitor spaces. 392 resident bicycle parking spaces and 109 visitor bike spaces will also be included within the underground levels.

Shoring underway at St. Lawrence Condos site, image by Caleb Cho

We will provide updates as construction progresses. In the meanwhile, 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 threads, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.