At the former home of MEC in Toronto’s Entertainment District, Plaza has made steady progress on the construction of the podium of 400 King Street West in the latter half of 2023. Situated at the northeast corner of King and Charlotte streets, the 48-storey development designed by BDP Quadrangle has been active with concrete pours.

An aerial view looking northeast to 400 King West, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza

Our previous update in August highlighted the project surpassing ground level. 400 King West now stands three storeys tall as work continues on the podium's fourth level. Spurred on by excellent shots of the work since then by UrbanToronto Forum contributor tstormers, we thought a catch-up would be worthwhile. From their nearby balcony, two shots from November offer a detailed overview of the concrete pour on the third storey where three means of concrete delivery are being employed. Two concrete boom pumps, one red, one yellow, extend from the centre of the site to the west side where the liquid concrete is being placed, while the crane is also hoisting a bucket of concrete to where it's needed. Crew members in high-visibility gear orchestrate the pour, covering the steel rebar lattice which will provide robust stability for each concrete slab.

An aerial view of a concrete pour in action, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor tstormers

A close-up view of crew members guiding a concrete bucket over a web of rebar, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor tstormers

By December, progress has reached the formwork of the fourth floor. The wall formwork systems, consisting of wooden panels and joists for support, are arranged to outline walls and column enclosures. Plywood sheathing provides a smooth surface for the concrete walls to be formed against, while rebar protrudes from the tops of third floor columns, already formed, and ready to be extended to the fourth storey.

An aerial view of wooden formwork for the fourth floor, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor tstormers

A closer look at the northeastern corner gives us a clear view of the load-bearing structure of the slab formwork. In the foreground, we see a staging area with stacks of materials neatly arranged for impending use.

A close-up view of slab formwork and staging area, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor tstormers

Looking northeast to the site, the progress on the podium is evermore obvious across King Street. Yellow shoring posts support the poured slabs as they cure, as well as the forms for the yet-to-be poured fourth floor. 

A street-level view of the podium's progress as of December 2023, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Project End

Looking ahead, copper-coloured finishes will eventually wrap around the podium, with floor-to-ceiling glass panels for the first two storeys, while suite windows on floors above will feature pre-cast framing with brickwork. As the construction progresses, each phase brings the 400 King West closer to its final height of 157.37m, and its contribution of 612 residential units to downtown’s housing stock.

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:  BDP Quadrangle, Bousfields, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Groundwater Environmental Management Services Inc. (GEMS), HGC Engineering Inc, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, Live Patrol Inc., Plaza, Rebar Enterprises Inc, The Fence People, U31