With three months of construction activity since our last check-in with 357 King West, a new condo tower in Toronto's Entertainment District is rocketing skyward. The 42-storey, BDP Quadrangle-designed building for developer Great Gulf kicked off construction in late 2018, and well over two years into its build-out, the project has recently dialled up the speed of forming, now quickly rising into the area skyline.

Looking south to 357 King West, image by Forum contributor Red Mars

We previously checked in on construction towards the end of October, 2020, when a distinctive Y-shaped structural element was emerging along with the building's fifth floor. Designed to transfer structural loads from the tower floors down through a three-level outdoor amenity area, this column has since been fully formed, allowing the start of the repeating tower floor layouts above. A recent photo from TUCKER HIRISE Construction, 357 King West's builder, offers a glimpse from behind the column.

Inside the future amenity space, image courtesy of TUCKER HIRISE Construction

Now clear of this unique support element, and with the crane afforded additional clearance over the shorter buildings at the northwest and southeast corners at King and Blue Jays Way, the ease of forming repeating floor layouts has led to a noticeable increase in construction speed. Since the start of the 6th floor in November, the building's height has roughly doubled as crews now form the 12th floor.

Looking south to 357 King West, image by Forum contributor Red Mars

The project will eventually top out at a height of just over 148 metres. Scheduled to welcome its first residents in 2022, 357 King West will bring 324 new condominium units to an increasingly dense and vertical Entertainment District.

357 King West, image courtesy of Great Gulf

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.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for a free trial of our New Development Insider here.