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Rush Lane, a chaotic and colourful corridor of street art in Toronto's Fashion District, known nationwide as the backdrop for Rick Mercer's popularly televised rants, is the namesake of a condominium development now rising above the intersection of Richmond and Augusta. Alterra Group's Rush Condos is on its way to a height of 15 storeys, with the BDP Quadrangle-designed building set to create a new stretch of canvas along its west and north sides for the namesake laneway, better known by locals as Graffiti Alley.
Construction has been underway since late 2019, with shoring and excavation processing on the site of a former single-storey Stephenson's Rent-All location. Excavation bottomed out at a depth of 10.24 metres in May, 2020. The next steps included a tower crane assembly in mid-June, allowing forming work to begin for the building's three underground levels. By November, 2020, the ground floor had begun to take shape, kicking off Rush Condos' rise into the local skyline.
We last checked in on construction in late January, when the building's seven-storey base volume was quickly taking shape, and the fifth and sixth levels were in the process of being formed. In the months since, work has pushed above the seventh floor, where the massing steps back for the reduced footprint of the eight tower floors above. Forming has made swift progress in the early months of 2021, and has since reached the 13th floor. Over the coming weeks, the final three residential levels and mechanical penthouse that follow will bring Rush Condos to its final height of 52.42 metres.
Along with its 125 condominium units and street-fronting retail, the building will contribute to the animation of Rush Lane through replacement space for street art along its north and west podium walls. Rush Lane's colourful ambiance is the product of an exemption from municipal unlicensed street art laws through the City's 2011-adopted Graffiti Management Plan, which designated Rush Lane as an area of municipal significance. This move has already had a far-reaching impact on street art in Toronto, leading to the City's formation of "StART", a now well-established street art program promoting similar works in other locations across the city.
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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| Related Companies: | Alterra Group of Companies, BDP Quadrangle, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, McIntosh Perry, Modulex Group, Norris Fire Consulting Inc, U31, UCEL Inc. |
