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After years of planning, and almost a year-and-a-half of construction, Great Gulf's 357 King West is now rising above the King and Blue Jays Way intersection in Toronto's Entertainment District. The Quadrangle-designed condominium tower has been under construction since a September, 2018 ground breaking celebration, and almost 18 months later, the building is now beginning its ascent to 42 storeys.
Much has happened in the almost 16 months since the project broke ground: shoring walls were created, the building's footprint was excavated down to a depth of three storeys, a tower crane was installed, forming commenced last June. Now eight months later, crews have completed the tower's foundations and three underground parking levels, paving the way for its rise above street level.
Forming of the uppermost B1 level wrapped up at the end of 2019, and forming of the initial walls and columns of the ground floor has been ongoing since. The above-grade elements are beginning to shape the first floor of the tower, which will eventually front the King and Blue Jays Way intersection with 1,164 m² of new retail space.
Things will get more interesting in the near future when forming begins on the second floor. This level will include prominent exposed V-shaped support columns framing an outdoor amenity space for residents. This unique structural element will extend from the recently-formed column at the site's northeast corner, closest to the intersection.
Construction is expected to wrap up in 2022. Once complete, the tower will rise 148 metres into the Entertainment District skyline, bringing 324 new condominium units to one of the city's fastest-growing neighbourhoods.
You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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