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Construction has been heating up on the site of Concord Canada House over the last 6 month perio;, in that time the development has climbed the ranks to become one of UrbanToronto’s most watched projects. The massive podium with two-tower structure above from Concord Adex has grown into a formidable presence above the corner of Spadina Avenue and Bremner Boulevard in Downtown Toronto, and is primed for a big year of progress in 2023. With the appearance of the IBI Group-designed project changing quickly, here is the latest update on the construction of Concord Canada House.
Since the time of our last update nearly two years ago when the project was just beginning to rise above grade, there has been a lot of progress to report. Not only has the entire podium been formed, but both towers are now over a third of the way through their journey towards their final heights of 64 and 74 storeys. As concrete work continues, the growth of both towers has been the story of the project in recent months. Since they emerged above the podium in early summer of 2022, the site has seen a total of roughly 40 storeys formed and cured.
Down at ground level, the scale of the massive podium is starting to become more contextualized now that the towers are growing above it, and with the exterior finishes being installed extensively. Since the cladding of the 8-storey podium began, in spring of 2022, progress has been made finishing all four elevations.
Taking a closer look at the materials in situ, the podium cladding consists of a dark-grey precast panelling with a brick finish, and is the primary exterior finish for the base building, seen in greater detail in the image below. The image also shows us that the crew has been able to install glazing extensively across the podium, particularly on the south elevation where windows have now sealed the seven levels above grade.
The only section of the podium that has yet to receive any exterior treatment is its uppermost level, a tall space that is slated to become a cavernous amenity level. The amenity level is one of two double-height floors found in the podium, and will eventually be glazed with floor-to-ceiling windows, punctuating the verticality of the space.
Meanwhile, as the towers continue their vertical climb, the first traces of the building envelope have begun to emerge in fragmented sections across both towers. In the image below, we can see the combination of window-wall and dark-grey spandrel in place near the base of the west tower, spanning from the southwest corner across the south elevation all the way to each corner.
Viewing this glazing up close in the image below, we can see that the spandrel sections cover the concrete surfaces, while the dark tint of the windows minimizes the visual contrast between the spandrel and glass elements. Of note, we can see that the western edge of the balconies on the southern elevation are also being finished with a 2-piece glass wall; this treatment will reduce wind experienced by those enjoying their balconies.
While any discussion of the project’s completion remains a conversation for the future, the project as a whole marks the end of an ambitious Concord Adex city-building endeavour that has spanned over two decades. Concord’s vast CityPlace community, located roughly along Fort York Boulevard between Bathurst Street and the Rogers Centre, represents the largest master-planned development in the history of Toronto, and Concord Canada House is the community’s signature project. Standing the tallest of the 28-building bunch, and offering a total of 1,397 new dwelling units, will we see in a couple years whether Concord has saved the best for last at CityPlace.
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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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
| Related Companies: | Arcadis, Doka Canada Ltd./Ltee, Egis, MCW Consultants Ltd, RJC Engineers |
