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A new provincial court services building is rising immediately northwest of City Hall in Downtown Toronto, set to consolidate several existing facilities from various locations around the city into a single building at the corner of Armoury Street and Centre Avenue. The new Ontario Court of Justice is quickly rising towards a height of 17 storeys, featuring a reserved but detail-oriented design by world-renowned Genoa-based architects Renzo Piano Building Workshop working with Toronto-based NORR Architects.
We last checked in on construction at the start of December, when crews from EllisDon were forming the first and second floors of the building, and massive steel columns had just been installed to support the courthouse's grand entrance atrium. Almost six months of construction later, the project has made considerable progress despite a slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While construction activity for the project was deemed essential and exempt from province-mandated shutdowns, on-site social distancing has impacted the way crews are able to work on the site.
Work has since progressed to the eighth and ninth floors of the building up top, while down below, the recent removal of a construction scaffold has revealed a first glimpse into the building's lobby and the lofty atrium.
A key architectural feature supporting and helping to define the atrium is now evident with the removal of the scaffold, with sets of steel twin-columns finished in architectural concrete with a custom designed plinth.
Other recent developments on site include the first sections of exterior materials along the building's west elevation facing Centre Avenue. At the south end of the west elevation, framing is in place to support curtainwall glazing as high as the third floor. The initial panels of curtainwall installed on the first and second floors reveals a crisp glazing with minimalist interior shadow box spandrel panels.
At the north end of the west elevation, the area surrounding the building's parking/service entrance is now being finished in white precast concrete panels.
Another notable podium cladding is expected to materialize in the coming months, with the installation of a steel cable glazing system along the atrium's east and south elevations.
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 below.
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