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Among the handful of mass timber developments currently rising towards completion in the City of Toronto, T3 Sterling Road has provided a front row seat for the Junction Triangle community to observe the efficient process of mass timber construction. Developed by the partnership of Hines and Hazelview Investments, the commercial office campus project is closing in on completion of its first phase, featuring a pair of buildings designed by Chicago’s DLR Group with Toronto's WZMH Architects. With the six and eight-storey timber frames of both buildings completed last year, the latest milestone on site was the removal of the tower cranes.
At the time of our last update on T3 Sterling Road in September, the frame of the eight-storey West Building was nearly complete, while the six-storey Centre Building was still being formed. (An East Building will be the final phase here, on the opposite side of Sterling Road.) The frames of both buildings went on to be completed in the following weeks, highlighting the impressive speed of timber construction, which bypasses the time associated with the curing of concrete. Pictured below in early November, the East Building was topped off, with the forming of the rooftop mechanical facilities underway.
Jumping ahead to early February to check in on the more recent advances taking place on site, the extent of the project’s progress was reflected by the removal of the tower cranes. Boasting one crane for each building throughout the process of erecting the timber frames, the cranes were no longer required by February, as work transitioned to other focuses.
After the frames were completed, sealing the buildings was the next step in the construction process. Both buildings feature the same floor-to-ceiling window wall system, designed to maximize natural light on all floors while emphasizing the dramatic 11’9” interior ceiling heights. Window glazing installation began while the frames were still being constructed, with the building sealed, in the image below, in mid-February.
A week later, the first pieces of the black metal cladding that will complete the exterior of both buildings was seen after it was applied to the lower levels on the northwest corner of the West Building. Referring to the image below, we can see that the corner pieces feature a projecting detail that accents the building’s angles, while the matte finish of the metal panelling contributes further to the industrial character of the project. With the cladding applied, we can also see that the adjacent window panes have been treated with horizontal metal details that divides them, giving off a warehouse-industrial feel to the project.
With exterior finishing work now underway, and the sealing of both buildings completed, work is also proceeding on the interior fit-outs, preparing the expansive floor plans to welcome their commercial tenants. Targetting occupancy this year, the final stages of phase one are primed to come together quickly in the coming months, while more information on phase two should also be on the horizon.
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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