Construction of the latest addition to Ryerson University's Downtown Toronto campus reached an important milestone this week just north of Dundas Street on Church with the removal of the tower crane from the new Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex. The 27-storey, Perkins + Will-designed educational and student residence building topped out at its final 106-metre height earlier this summer, and is now just a few months from its projected January completion.

Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex, image by Forum contributor Benito

The crane removal took place on Saturday, September 15, requiring the closure of Church Street in front of the building to park a mobile crane. Sections of the crane were attached to lines on the mobile crane before being unbolted and lowered one at a time down to flatbed trucks, waiting to whisk the components away for reassembly where they are next booked. 

Mobile crane used to remove tower crane sections, image by Forum contributor brianyyz

With the Daphne Cockwell building now structurally complete and the crane removed, phased occupancy of the podium's educational spaces should begin by January. Above, the student residence component is on track to be completed by March 2019. The project's initial timeline would have seen the whole building open in time for Ryerson's Fall 2018 semester.

Crane removal at Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex, image by Forum contributor Benito

Once open, the 30,900 m², (332,604 ft²) building's podium will house new space for Ryerson's Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, School of Nutrition and Midwifery, and the SoPHE School of Occupational and Public Health, as well as spaces for Interdisciplinary Graduate Students, food vendors, urban farm offices, and a farmed green roof. Above, the tower's student residence will contain 11,376 m² (122,450 ft²) of residential space across 100 student housing suites, providing beds for up to 332 students.

Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex, image courtesy of Ryerson University

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 thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.