Ontario Construction News staff writer
PCL Construction has topped off the concrete structure construction of an an overbuild and residential tower at 700 Bay St. at Gerrard In Toronto.
The contractor’s workforce with KingSett Capital representatives celebrated the event on Friday.
“Once completed in June 2020, this work will greatly improve the existing resident experience at 700 Bay and add a further 275 rental suites with the top two floors dedicated to leading amenities including an infinity pool, fitness centre, library, lounge areas, an outdoor patio including a dog park, garden, pavilion, outdoor movie theatre, and green roof,” KingSett Capital CEO Jon Love said in a statement.
The renovation and expansion project involves a new 32-storey residential apartment tower adjacent to an existing office, retail and residential building, the addition of six new floors above the existing structure, including the two dedicated amenity floors, a new mechanical penthouse, as well as structural upgrades throughout the existing building. The completed project will have 495 apartments.
The project has “required precise methodology to expertly tie renovations into a new tower, while minimizing impact to tenants and properties along Toronto’s hospital row,” said Kelly Wallace, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) vice-president and district manager. The workforce reached 400 tradespeople and labourers.
Project highlights so far include:
- Demolition of two stories above-grade, and five levels of a below-grade parking structure to create a foundation for the new residential tower;
- Demolition of the level 26 pool roof to allow for reshoring and structural reinforcement to accommodate a crane on the roof of the occupied building,and the six-floor overbuild;
- Extension of two residential elevator cars to service new floors in the overbuild.
For this project, KingSett and PCL partnered with indus.ai to enhance construction efficiency. “The platform utilizes video streams and time-lapse images, leveraging the data collected with AI technology to create actionable insights empowering construction professionals to more effectively manage site activity and mitigate costs and schedule risks,” PCL said in a statement.
The project is being built to Toronto Green Standard Tier II and is targeting LEED Platinum certification. The building is tying into the EnWave District Steam Heating and Chilled Water-Cooling system, providing energy efficiency.
The ground floor retail spaces and original structure are set to be re-clad, and the property will feature new hard and soft landscaping. Occupancy is expected for summer 2020.
Project partners include:
- Client/owner: KingSett Capital’s CREIF Fund
- Property manager: BentallGreenOak
- Construction manager: PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto)
- Architect: Quadrangle
- Mechanical/electrical consultant: Smith and Andersen
- Structural consultant: Entuitive
- Demolition contractor: Priestly Demolition Inc.
- Concrete contractor: Structform International
- Building envelope contractor: State Window Corporation
- Mechanical contractor: Malfar Mechanical Inc.
- Electrical contractor: OZZ Electric