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On the heels of UrbanToronto’s story earlier this week on the office proposal for the ArtWalk community in Vaughan, we turn eastward to Phase 1, or Block A5. Since UrbanToronto covered its September, 2023 ground breaking, the tallest tower now rises over a dozen floors into the air and has begun to have its cladding applied. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for SmartCentres REIT, the development within the SmartVMC area, the developer’s 100-acre community at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, comprises buildings of 4, 6, 18, and 38 storeys.
By November, 2024, excavation was well advanced. At the east end, the first crane (a luffing-jib unit with an orange-red slewing platform) serves the future 38-storey tower. A temporary dirt ramp descends from grade at the southwest corner, with yellow and green tracked excavators working below. A row of tieback anchors stabilizes the exposed perimeter shoring.
In March, 2025, a second crane (a hammerhead unit with a red slewing platform) serves the future 18-storey building from the northwest end. Orange tarps line the north and west shoring walls, while wall forms and projecting rebar mark the emerging foundations and underground structure. Across the northeast portion, dark sheeting appears to form a waterproofing membrane ahead of concrete placement. Green excavators work along the western edge, both at grade and within the pit.
By April, 2026, the third crane (a red-platform luffing-jib installed by June, 2025) was serving the six-storey volume from near the southwest end. The future 38-storey tower reached one level above grade, with shoring and formwork supporting the second-floor slab deck. Concrete walls define the first storey along the north side, while additional walls and slab formwork outline the podium roof and its future outdoor terrace.
A July, 2026 view from Buttermill Road shows the building envelope advancing across the east elevation. Light-toned, faceted panels project at their edges to create shallow V-shaped profiles between window-wall units. Glazing is framed by dark metal mullions, with smaller rectangular panels below.
This month, the 38-storey tower reaches 12 storeys, with deck formwork and perimeter forms for the 13th-floor slab. Cladding spans the east elevation atop the double-height ground floor, where curtain wall glazing remains to be installed. At the north end, taller vertical panels frame second-storey glazing, while black-framed windows and louvres appear beneath the third-floor terrace. Along the south elevation, dark-mullioned glazing encloses the eastern half, contrasting with exposed insulation and white weatherproofing to the west.
More recently, the structure stands 13 storeys as cladding extended across the west elevation, interrupted by a construction hoist rising to the eighth floor. Nearby, the southwest luffing-jib crane serves the six-storey volume fronting Edgeley Boulevard. On the south elevation, projecting balcony slabs emerge on either side from the fifth floor and will receive white guards, framing a flatter central bay between the two volumes.
At completion, the four buildings will range from 16.8m to 131m and deliver 624 condominium units. Elsewhere in the ArtWalk community, a 10-storey office and retail building is proposed for Block A8, while Blocks A6 and A7 are planned with five towers ranging from 49 to 62 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about them from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversations in the associated Project Forum threads or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
