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With continued demand for new space despite easily buildable land having become quite scarce in Downtown Toronto, developers are thinking about how to maximize land use on their existing properties. One such site is the 1977-built LuCliff Place complex at 700 Bay, where KingSett Capital is expanding the property with six new levels atop the existing 25-storey LuCliff Place, while a 32-storey addition is rising from the footprint of a former two-storey podium at the site's west end. Both additions are designed by Quadrangle.
We recently had the chance to get an inside look at the construction site with Benjamin Alexander, KingSett Capital's Director of Land Development, who gave us plenty of insight into the complexities of building atop and beside an occupied building. “It’s no secret that land prices are very high in Toronto, and the demand for quality rental housing is very high, especially in this area of downtown home to several hospitals, universities, and government buildings” Alexander told us, continuing "when you see this level of demand, it leads to projects that are a little bit unconventional.”
The vertical addition at the west end of the site meets the corner of Gerrard and Elizabeth streets with a double-height colonnade sheltering a new publicly accessible space. This area will be home to the west addition's residential entrance—separate from the existing rental building it's attached to—as well as residential amenity spaces housed on a mezzanine level.
Crews are now forming the 23rd floor of the west addition, as it climbs toward the roofline of the existing 25-storey tower. At the time of our visit, the work area was a flurry of activity as crews were laying rebar and conduits for the 23rd floor in advance of that level's concrete floor slab being poured.
The relatively small footprint of the west addition's tower floors still manage to offer much to look at, including the forming of a sheer wall connecting the new and existing towers. This view also shows how west-facing windows of the existing tower are being obscured by the addition, while revealing the differing floor heights between the new and old builds. Benjamin Alexander tells us that residents of the existing tower's west-facing units are being compensated throughout the duration of construction in accordance with the City of Toronto's Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion requirements.
Another notable feature visible from the west addition's current top level is an aerial camera overlooking the work area. This camera is being used in conjunction with new “Construction Intelligence” technology from indus.ai that uses a combination of live cameras and artificial intelligence, allowing the project team to track and improve the flow of work, material deliveries, and other insights during a project’s construction.
“indus.ai is something that we brought to the project in collaboration with PCL," said Benjamin Alexander. "It was a technology that got our interest, and we wanted to test it out at 700 Bay. The real benefits of the software are for the contractor, PCL, though it is also proving to be a great way for us to track progress on the developer side," continued Alexander. Though the technology is being used here in an initial "trial run" for KingSett and PCL, it is already expected to net cost and efficiency savings.
Several levels below the current top of the west addition, cladding installation is enclosing it, up to the 11th floor as of last week. The new tower is being finished in a window wall cladding system with matte white and silver aluminum panels and vision glass framed in black aluminum. Alexander tells us that the facade is "built to last" and will minimize heat gain/loss as part of the plan for the project to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
Interior work recently began a few levels further down, and the installation of framing, drywall, plumbing, and electrical is in full swing. The image below shows the current state in one of the west addition’s future residential units.
Atop the existing building, the new six-level overbuild is progressing. This addition will provide more suites, plus new amenity space for residents of the entire complex.
The eastern half of the overbuild is now topped out, and will soon extend to meet the rising west tower. The overbuild is being constructed in phases due to the site's logistical limitations. A crane was previously mounted on the roof of the existing complex to build the east half: it has since been removed. The west addition's crane is now high enough to reach the overbuild, so it will be used to hoist materials for the remaining west section of the overbuild.
Inside the overbuild, the finer details of the project come into focus. Right above the existing residential tower's elevator overrun, an elevator shaft extension is being constructed to service the new upper floors.
Those floors remain in a raw state for now, with the form of the infinity pool visible below. Residents will have access to a number of other amenity spaces including fitness rooms, a movie room, a games room, a dining/party room space, plus a rooftop garden area with a dog park, barbecues, and gazebos.
A view looking west from the overbuild levels shows where the roof-mounted crane was, and the first formwork for the west half of the overbuild.
Other elements of the LuCliff Place project are already complete, including new granite cladding and aluminum awnings along retail frontages, as well as refreshed lobbies for the existing office and residential components. One notable element in the lobby renovations is a new security desk serving both the office and residential lobbies, with a movable partition that divides the space in two after business hours.
The existing complex is set to be re-clad in a style to match the new builds, while further improving the complex's energy efficiency. Other energy efficiency measures are being implemented as part of the complex's LEED Platinum target, including a tie-in to Downtown Toronto's Enwave deep lake cooling/steam heating network.
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 thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
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