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It’s been over six years since the previous iteration of the St Lawrence Market North building was demolished in preparation for an exciting City of Toronto-led redevelopment, slated to put a 21st century twist on the historic site. The process has been a long one, with nearly 3 years devoted to a thorough archaeological investigation, recovering artifacts from the previous markets that occupied the site dating as far back as 1831. Construction finally began in 2019, and is now entering the final stages with exterior work soon to wrap up with a flashy palette of materials and colours brightening the St Lawrence neighbourhood.
The design of the project by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners creates two barn-like volumes that are connected via a central atrium space, but the structure as a whole is surprisingly minimal in terms of its construction. Composed mainly of a steel frame, the 5-storey building can open its ground floor in the warmer months, while remaining properly insulated and sealed in the winter, accommodating both market vendors at ground level and traffic courts set to move into the upper floors.
At the time of our last update in July, the character of the building was already being conveyed with about only half of its cladding installed, but now the final product can be more clearly seen. One of the noteworthy areas of progress has been on the roof, where the arched panels of corrugated steel have not only been installed, but are also seeing the various finishings and weather seals installed as well. In the image below, we can see work on the western roof, installing the uppermost layer of material before the flashings on the edge emerge to complete the job.
The start of this month was also a turning point for the curtainwall glazing, which made particularly impactful progress on the southern elevation to advance the appearance of the primary street-wall. The image below was captured in early December, the moment when the lowest row of glazing was installed on the central wall. Since that time, the entire wall is now glazed, providing a more complete impression of how the natural light entering through that southern elevation will fill the atrium space, creating a more seamless connection between the inside and outside. The overall glazing process is still ongoing, however, and is now focussed predominantly on the grade level.
The last thing to report on the building’s exterior is the emergence of the blue paint that will be the finished colour of the entire steel frame. Seen in the image below on the exposed steel beam in the building's lower southwest corner, the blue paint was applied above a fire resistant white coat, covering the naked steel.
Moving on to interior updates, we can report that the entirety of the glazing for the atrium skylight, spanning the full length of the building from north to south, has been installed. The process began in October, and was reported as complete in the City’s most recent update, published in November. The vaulted skylight provides an interesting visual contrast from the curved character of the twin roofs, and is a key element of the atrium space, allowing light to enter from above, passing all the way down to grade level through the building’s hollow middle.
The City’s November update also gives us a better understanding of the other ongoing aspects of the interior construction, which is currently aimed at completing the building’s systems. Installation of the elevators, electrical equipment, and mechanical equipment needs to be completed before the creation of the partitions and rooms can begin, but we can see in the image below that metal framing is in place for the eventual finishing.
Completion of the project is expected in 2023, at which time the weekend farmer’s market will finally be welcomed back into its historic home. Since the previous building was demolished, a temporary structure located to the south has accommodated the weekend proceedings.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, 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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