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The dynamic skyline of Toronto’s Fashion District along Front Street West is being reshaped by projects such as The Well and Portland Commons. While the six buildings of The Well have frequently been the talk of the UrbanToronto Forum, the 15-storey Portland Commons has been catching a share of the attention too as it continues its steady rise, reshaping its corner of the area. Positioned on the northwest corner of Front Street West and Portland Street, the collaboration of Carttera Private Equities and WolfeCorp is bringing to life an innovative design by Sweeny &Co Architects.
Formwork-wise, Portland Commons has notably progressed since UrbanToronto last checked in on it in May. Now in mid-August, it awaits only the final forms for its towering south section, which is on the brink of its 15th-floor completion, while the north end is also just shy of topping out at 10.
From a vantage point by its north end, looking southeast across Portland Street in June, we note the intriguing developments on the sixth-floor cantilever. The 70-foot canted steel struts now hold up three additional storeys, while the bronze-tinted fins and frames around the windows have now been added to the 5th floor.
A more recent photo taken this month from CityPlace, looks across the Bathurst GO Yard to reveal the extent of work at the south end, with forms for the mechanical penthouse slab above the 15th in place. Window sections of unitized curtainwall — prefabricated panels of insulation, mullions, and glass — is gradually covering more of the building, enveloping up to the ninth floor, as installations continue.
Despite being close company to the taller towers of The Well, Portland Commons asserts its own gravitas, even as red and blue safety fences and the temporary hoist system on its western flank disguise its final form.
Swinging around to a higher vantage point to the northwest, we get a better view of the extent of the almost fully formed Portland Commons. To the building's north, the enduring Copp Clark Publishing Co. building stands in solemn contrast, its heritage century-old brick facade juxtaposing the modern design of Portland Commons.
Finally, we return to the project's noteworthy sixth-floor cantilever, a focal point of the design, now holding up its final storey, and the shoring poles that once supported the sixth and seventh floors of the cantilever have been removed.
Complementing its heritage neighbour to the north, Portland Commons offers a modern take on the mid-rise office building in Toronto's evolving Fashion District.
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.
