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One of the busiest segments of the construction industry these days is the demolition business, as empty lots in a city as dense as Toronto are as rare as Stanley Cup wins. For any development to move forward it is virtually guaranteed that some sort of demolition will be required on a building site. Some are relatively straightforward while others are much more complex and intricate, such as the project Orin Demolition is currently undertaking at 300 Bloor Street West, just west of St George Street.
Eventually to be Cielo Condominiums by Collecdev, a 29-storey residential development designed by KPMB Architects, the project will rise above a restored Bloor Street United Church, a heritage property built in 1886 and to be incorporated as commercial space at the base of the condo tower. There are no wrecking balls on this site as Orin is conducting a delicate dance of removing, restoring and replacing approximately 25,000 bricks from the 150-year-old church in a project which began April 1 of this year.
“While every job is unique in its own way, this job is an especially unique assignment because of the retention and restoration aspects involved,” says Joe Neiva, Director of Demolition with Orin Demolition, part of the Roni Group of Concord, Ontario, founded in 1984.
Orin’s job at 300 Bloor West is complex in that they built a steel retention system on the South and West façade of the church to maintain the integrity of those facades to allow excavation behind to begin and is also doing the heritage demolition and masonry restoration on the project overseen by specialists ERA Architects. Orin is working closely having daily conversations with heritage consultants BRC Group of Uxbridge, Ontario, who is responsible for windows and doors removal, restoration and heritage scope.
The South and East facades are going to be restored to their original state and rebuilt, which also applies to all windows and doors of the church. Every effort is made to salvage as much of the original materials as possible, making this more than just a regular demolition.
“Complexity is a key component when assessing any demolition site,” says Monica Dedic, Chief Demolition Estimator at Orin. “We look carefully at all potential public safety hazards and risks as well as site logistics such as possible restrictions, congestion, neighbouring structures, site access points which may impact scheduling, along with hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead, mold and in this case, all the heritage components. Below grade our demolition concerns deal with utilities such as watermain, sewer, gas and hydro.”
While some of this particular assignment at 300 Bloor West has involved delays in permits for road closures and other design changes which has impacted the scheduling of the project, Orin’s work is expected to be completed at the beginning of next year. As the heritage preservation and restoration trend continues in Toronto, it is expected the unique skill sets Orin Demolition brings to its industry will be in increased demand.
“As less real estate is present downtown, more older buildings are being converted to condominiums and the majority of those are heritage,” observes Neiva. “It is nice to see the past incorporated with the present.”
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