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Just over a year has passed since the ground breaking ceremony at the site of 30 Merton Street, a joint venture between QuadReal Property Group and bcIMC in Toronto's Davisville Village. This purpose-built rental development, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects Inc, is poised to offer some new supply to Toronto's rental housing market. Now in early 2024, the project has made enough progress on its excavation that its tower crane as been delivered and assembled, heralding 37 storeys of vertical growth to come.
Excavation commenced in early August 2023, and by October, the north end had reached deep enough for three levels of underground garage. Shoring walls of steel piles, wooden lagging, and tiebacks along the site's north, west, and east elevations are visible, while a earthen ramp has been established on the southeast part of the site. By late October, scaffolding installation is seen along the site's western boundary at Al Green Lane.
In late January, fed by the cement truck at grade, a green concrete boom pump is seen extending over the site, with the south elevation draped in an orange tarp. The concrete being delivered will create the foundation for the tower crane that will soon rise.
A close-up view captures the concrete pour for a foundation pad and tower crane base, the liquid mix being pumped into a densely rebar-enforced form, construction workers guiding the deposit. Yellow shoring posts maintain the integrity of the formwork and prevent the wet concrete from bulging or collapsing.
As of last week, the installation of the tower crane was underway, the first section of the crane having been lifted into place by a mobile crane. Two crew members work to secure the section.
This expansive wintry view reveals the precision operation of assembling the tower crane. The mobile crane positioned to the east of the site, its yellow boom extended, hoists the next heavy steel section.
Looking southwest to the site, the installation continues with the slewing unit in place — sitting atop of the mast and allowing the crane to rotate. Attached to this will be the working arm or jib, the horizontal part that carries the load. The counter jib, which holds the counterweights, balances the crane's operations.
As of the end of last week, the tower crane stands fully assembled and operational, seen here hoisting a green container to where it will be in use along with other containers as office and sotage space for the crew, anchored atop a platform built over the top of Al Green Lane. This setup, not recorded before on UrbanToronto that we can remember, creates workspace on a tight site without taking out a lane along the street, and while allowing neighbours access to their buildings.
With the foundation taking shape and the underground parking levels underway, 30 Merton will eventually rise to a final height of 125.3m and provide 322 much-needed rental units to Midtown Toronto.
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.
