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A unique addition to Toronto's Entertainment District has topped out, as structural work wraps up for Pinnacle International's PJ Condos, named for its location on the northeast corner of Pearl and John streets. The most recent images posted on UrbanToronto show that the mechanical penthouse level has taken shape, bringing the 48-storey, Hariri Pontarini Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects-designed condominium tower to its final height of approximately 157 metres.
We last checked in on construction in mid-May, when crews were working on the 39th floor. It's been a busy few months since, with the remaining nine residential floors and mechanical penthouse level taking shape in just over three months. Telephoto views captured in late August reveal a change in geometry from the residential floors to the mechanical penthouse, resolving the tower's uniquely chamfered geometric massing.
The building is also set apart from the predominantly glassy surrounding Entertainment District towers with an exterior of crimson ironspot brick veneers embedded in precast concrete panels, surrounding a black aluminium-framed window wall system. At the time of our last update, precast reached the 23rd floor while window wall had been installed up to the 18th floor. In the months since, finishes now rise as high as the 35th floor, and will fully enclose the building in the coming months.
While the building's east and west facades feature prominent expanses of brick finishes, the north and south elevations are being finished in their own individual treatments.
The building's north elevation features a window wall finish similar to the south facade, but with the addition of glazed balconies that will add a glassy contrast against the brick and window wall materials to the east and west.
The south wall is window wall system with vision glass, black aluminum spandrel panels, and Juliette balconies—as opposed to full balconies—framed in a grid of black aluminum mullions. It had been installed up to level 16 at the time of our last update, and has since caught up with the other finishes, now at the 35th floor. The image below, from late July, shows the south elevation's finishes in detail, as well as a glimpse of the dramatic angled facade over John Street.
The angled west elevation takes on an even more dramatic form when viewed from the north on John Street, as seen in the image below.
PJ's angled west elevation is set to frame a new public plaza at the southeast corner of John and Adelaide streets, to feature a design by landscape architects Janet Rosenberg + Studio that will complement the corresponding public space across John Street to the west at the base of sibling development Pinnacle on Adelaide.
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 space provided on this page.
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