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The most significant office development seen in Downtown Toronto since the early 1990s, Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge's CIBC SQUARE is extending the Financial District to the blocks south and east of Union Station with a pair of office towers joined by a park over the rail corridor that runs between the first and second phases. Under construction since mid-2017 at the intersection of Bay and Lake Shore, the WilkinsonEyre Architects and Adamson Associates-designed complex's first phase South Tower at 81 Bay Street now stands 49 storeys tall, as finishing touches prep the new building for occupancy. Meanwhile, work has officially begun on the second phase slightly taller North Tower at 141 Bay Street.
Among the finishing touches helping the striking phase one tower meet the ground, landscaping work includes both the installation of stone pavers and concrete pouring to form future public spaces, including a sheltered plaza at the corner of Bay and Lake Shore.
Aside from the exterior work to complete the ground realm of the South Tower, internal fitting-out work is getting the future office spaces ready for occupancy, while periodic testing of the building's fire safety systems by City inspectors is also underway.
North of the first phase tower, the complex's park—elevated across the Union Station rail corridor—is progressing, its southern section well underway as structural steel installation and concrete pouring extends the future park's footprint to connect with the upcoming North Tower. Due to rail traffic during daytime hours, the extension of the park's elevated structure is being conducted in overnight work shifts. The first phase of the rail corridor overbuild park is racing towards a projected summer opening, while the second phase of park to the north will open later during the second phase tower's construction process.
The December, 2020 opening of the new Union Station Bus Terminal (USBT) within the base of the first tower allowed for the immediate start of preparation work for the second phase tower, beginning with the demolition of the just vacated 2003-built outdoor GO Bus terminal to the north of the rail corridor. Fences were erected immediately around it once the new terminal opened. The old terminal was then stripped of fittings, freeing up space for equipment to move right in to begin the teardown.
Demolition of the terminal is now wrapping up, and most recently, the first rigs arrived on site to begin drilling piles for the North Tower's shoring walls. Shoring is expected to continue over the course of the next three months. The North Tower will rise 50 storeys, just a few metres taller than its sibling to the south, with a twinned design that features a variation of the first tower's footprint, rotated by nearly 90 degrees.
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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