3.2K 
As shoring work continues, bulk excavation is scheduled for next month at Cielo Condos in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood at 300 Bloor Street West, about halfway between Spadina and St George stations on TTC Lines 1 and 2. Designed by KPMB Architects, and developed by Collecdev, the building melds refined architectural modernism with preserved sections of the19th-century Bloor Street United Church. Dating back to 1886, the church's storied history now unfolds in a new chapter. As part of this redevelopment, the church has been eagerly sharing our updates on their website.
Since our previous update in July, the shoring for the residential parking has been advancing steadily, with more than 60% of the work completed. An in-depth look at the construction landscape indicates that all caissons on the east elevation are complete, with the west and south elevations closely following suit at about 80% and 50% completion respectively.
Casting our gaze southward, the construction landscape is dominated by small hills of loose soil. Atop a mound buttressed by concrete barriers on the east side sits an excavator. Looking further south, the blue shoring rig, positioned close to Bloor Street, underscores the activity at the site.
Looking to the southeast, the mounds of earth appear more imposing. Nestled behind the excavator, the prominent steel frame is clearly visible as part of the structural support and facade retention structure for the preserved Bloor Street United Church walls along Huron and Bloor streets.
Final heritage preservation work is on the horizon, with a restart date set for late this month. This will include the installation of the interior retention system in the Pidgeon House located on the northeast corner of the lot, and the unveiling of a new basement, once the underpinning work is completed. Dating back to 1888, the George C. Pidgeon House at 478 Huron Street is a testament to the Annex's rich history.
With shoring near its completion, the focus will soon shift to bulk excavation scheduled to start in mid-September. This will pave the way for the subsequent stages of construction, including drilling and installing tiebacks.
At this time, the ground is a tableau of construction elements. Long steel I-beams, soon to be used in the building's shoring walls, lie in wait for installation. A red inclinometer which will measure the eventual verticality of this I-beam as an installed pile, can be seen affixed to one of them. The structural caisson forms in the backdrop silently underscore progress made on the construction milestones of the east, west, and south elevations.
A direct southern perspective reveals more steel I-beams, stacked and ready for installation for shoring.
Close to the church walls, the precision required for the shoring work is more evident. With white tarp protecting the work side of the secured heritage walls, the crew works meticulously with a shoring rig to place new work close enough to them that permanent structure to support them in the future will easily integrate the new and preserved elements.
In November 2023, another construction milestone awaits: the completion of a ground level staging slab, supported on structural caissons affixed deep into the substrate, that will allow for the off-street space upon which to hold materials and equipment as construction progresses.
Upon its completion, Cielo Condos will stand 99m tall with 284 residential units. As construction forges ahead, Collecdev aims to seamlessly merge modern luxury with Toronto's rich cultural tapestry, including the Annex's tree-lined 19th-century Edwardian and Victorian-era homes.
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.
* * *
EDITOR'S NOTE: A correction was made to the description of the use of a red pipe affixed to an I-beam.
* * *
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.
