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In the last decade, Dupont Street has seen a steady increase in residential density brought on by a wave of development, predominantly in the mid-rise scale. One project working hard to advance the high-rise agenda, however, is Galleria on the Park, the 5-block/8-building master-planned community currently under construction on the site of the former Galleria Shopping Centre at Dupont and Dufferin Streets. As the first phase of development grows above the west end of the site, the next phases of the 20-acre Almadev project, including a scaled-up community centre, are getting underway.
Checking in on the development’s first towers, Galleria 01 & 02, located above a shared podium on the western border of the site, the figure of the first phase is growing more clear. Since our last report in July, the pair of towers designed by Core Architects have put some notable distance between themselves and the podium, and continue to climb towards their final heights of 24 and 29 storeys. With two cranes and two concrete pumps presiding over the forming of the towers in the image below, the creation of new floors will maintain a consistent pace over the next few months.
Getting a closer view of the west elevation of Galleria 01 & 02 from ground level, we can see how massing changes for the lower floors, with an interesting ‘staggered boxes’ motif. In the image below, we can see how the various recessed sections work to create sheltered outdoor spaces, while the early stages of glazing help to articulate these spaces further. Viewing the project from this position, it also becomes clear how the south tower is stepped back to the east to follow the curve of the new street through the site, to begin at Dupont and cut southeast through the entire community to meet Dufferin Street.
Moving around to face the eastern elevation of Galleria 01 & 02, the details of the unconventional massing of the lower levels are made more clear. After the second storey, the building takes on a C-shaped massing that is created by a narrow volume connecting the north and south towers. The narrow volume rises 11 storeys, at which point the towers emerge as separate volumes and continue their climb. We can also see from this viewpoint that more exterior finishes are in place on the east elevation, adding glazing to the lowest three levels.
To the south, the new Wallace Emerson Community Centre can be seen in images of the building’s foundations captured in early November, following its ceremonial ground breaking in July. Designed by Perkins&Will, the new facility will replace the current Wallace Emerson Community Centre located at the southeast corner of the site, delivering 89,500 ft² of public amenities including a gym, running track, and aquatic centre.
Fast forwarding to an image of the site captured on January 12th, we can see that the formwork has broken above grade, but is still in early stages. The perimeter of the future facility is traced by a concrete wall, and a network of columns have already been formed and set within the area of the floor-plate, with more rebar in place for the next round of columns to be formed. The slab, however, has yet to be poured to complete the first floor-plate of the 3-storey structure.
Over at the northeast corner of the site, the early stages of work have been underway to permit the construction of the next tower coming to the community, the 31-storey Galleria III. The tower is designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, and will deliver 427 units while featuring a prominent podium that frames the pedestrian gateway into the community. Ahead of its construction, demolition of the freestanding McDonald’s began in June of 2022, resulting in a clear site that was ready for shoring to commence by early July
Pictured most recently on January 11th, we can see that shoring has been underway for some time, and remains ongoing, with the shoring rig seen operating on the west side of the future pit in the image below. Steel piles are in place along the site’s eastern border, closest to Dufferin Street, but many more will be needed around the perimeter of the future development before more significant excavation of the site can get underway.
With another three residential phases tabled for development, Galleria will continue to be an active construction site, but the transition towards a living community will begin long before completion. The opening of the new community centre, the occupancy of phase one, and the closing of the rest of the Galleria Shopping Centre will all be interesting stories to follow over the next few years.
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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