Allied REIT is a major owner of office space in the downtown area. Many of the old factories and warehouses, that in recent years were converted into office buildings, have Allied's name on them.

It now comes to our attention that Allied may soon be starting construction on a 17 storey office tower at 134 Peter Street (northwest corner of Peter and Richmond). The Queen Richmond Centre West, as the building will be called, is set to rise through and above the 4 storey building currently occupying the corner. Design for the 300,000 square foot building will be by &co Architects.

QRC West 1

"Phase I of QRC West is the largest intensification project we’ve ever undertaken. It involves the restoration of an existing Class I building and the addition of a new, LEED-certified component for combined leasable area of approximately 300,000 square feet. In 2010, we initiated the pre-leasing process, met the requirements for site-plan approval and moved steadily toward the completion of building-permit drawings. We expect to be in a position to commence construction as early as the second quarter of this year. The market response to Phase I of QRC West has been very encouraging. We are well advanced in discussions with a number of prospective tenants, including a prospective lead-tenant well suited to the project."

QRC West 2

QRC West 3

QRC West 4

QRC West 5

Queen Richmond Centre West Phase 1

And there's more planned.

"Looking forward, we have three intensification opportunities in Toronto that we plan to initiate in 2011. QRC West, Phase II, has the potential for 74,000 of GLA, with a significant component being high-value retail space on Queen West. 388 King West and 82 Peter Street, which comprise a site on the northwest corner of King & Peter, have the potential for up to 800,000 square feet of space. 489, 495 and 499 King West, which constitute the best remaining development site at King & Spadina, have the potential for as much as 500,000 square feet of space. We’ve initiated the municipal approval for two of these intensification projects and expect to do so for the third shortly. In each case, at least a year will be required to obtain municipal approval."

Phase two of QRC West will be the redevelopment of the southwest corner of Queen and Peter with both office and retail space added.

Queen Richmond Centre West Phase 2

Fantastic to see office space being added in an area that's becoming more and more condo land. And good to see great architect being inserted in such an interesting way. Two thumbs up from Urban Toronto. Click here for more information on plans for 388 King West and 82 Peter Street. Click here for more information on plans for 489, 495 and 499 King West.

134 Peter Street, and properties to the north of it on Queen Street, and to the west of it on Richmond Street, are undergoing a major change, one which is bringing some major intensification and modernization to the area, but one which is meant to enhance the district's workaday brick character. When it is done in a few short years, the complex will be known as QRC West, or Queen Richmond Centre West, and we expect it will be a favourite for readers of UrbanToronto.

Aerial view of QRC West from the southeast, Toronto, by &Co Architects for Allied REIT

Allied Properties REIT are turning the four-storey brick buildings into a 17-storey office complex in an area where the Entertainment District blends into Queen West and the Fashion District. They call it Downtown West now, although it wasn't more than a few years ago that we just knew it as the Warehouse District. Those brick warehouses are under threat in many spots in the area as development pressure - mostly for new condominiums - mounts. In the case at 134 Peter, Allied REIT has tasked &Co Architects with retaining the brick's building's robust character while floating a major addition of new office space on top of it… and providing a spectacular 70 foot high atrium lobby to access it.

Lobby at QRC West, Toronto, by &Co Architects for Allied REIT

Starting on the property means preparing the existing 1915-built building for a gut of its interior slabs, while keeping the masonry walls supported. UrbanToronto member Hawc recently took this photo of the work.

134 Peter Street braced for redevelopment, image by Hawc 2011.12.09

UrbanToronto member Red Mars took these two shots in late October when boarding up fo the windows had begun. These shots give you a better idea of the current context.

134 Peter Street being prepared for redevelopment, image by Red Mars 2011.10.27

134 Peter Street being prepared for redevelopment, image by Red Mars 2011.10.27

UrbanToronto will be going much more in depth on this project in the future, but in the meantime you can check out the plans and several renderings of this very cool project in our new dataBase page for it. It's linked below along with the associated Projects & Construction thread for QRC West if you are interested in getting in on the discussion.

CB Richard Ellis Ltd. Brokerage has released it's Q4 2011 Toronto Office Market Report, and it's not looking so hot for UrbanToronto's search for new office space; For the 7th consecutive quarter we've seen a decrease in office vacancy rates, now down to 5.3% from the previous low of 5.5%.

While not the best for those currently on the hunt for space, it's great news for Toronto's economy. Businesses continue to be attracted to the downtown core regardless of the darker global economic cloud hovering above us. The report states that if the larger, 'historic' office buildings (First Canadian Place, TD Centre and Commerce Court West) are removed, vacancy would be at 3%. The report conclude by hinting at a new development in the works for Bremner Boulevard to be announced in the coming weeks with a "sizable anchor tenant.'"

This is also reassuring for those who doubt the practicality of the new office buildings currently under construction. Oxford Properties announced last year the construction of RBC WaterPark Place, comprising 930,000 square feet. Great West Life is working on the Southcore Financial Centre with two office towers of a combined 1.4 million square feet as well as the new Delta Chelsea hotel. Smaller projects, such as the Queen Richmond Centre West by Allied Properties REIT, the Globe and Mail offices and the redevelopment of the former Toronto Sun buidling are all signs of a healthy economy which can offer a variety of spaces for a growing employment sector in the downtown core. Here's to the continued success of Toronto as an economic hub, and the variety of factors that make it the attractive city that it is!

Image by androiduk

While we tend to focus most of our attention on residential development, we haven't lost sight of Toronto's growing commercial sector. Historically, companies chose to locate themselves outside the downtown core, due to a variety of reasons ranging from inexpensive prices to relative proximity to their workforce. With the increase in downtown residents however we're starting to see a return of new commercial developments, and expect the number to rise over the coming decade. One such project is Allied REIT's Queen Richmond Centre West, located at the corner of Richmond and Peter Streets and designed by Toronto based practice &Co Architects.

Preserved facade as of April 12, image by Hawk.

The historic building's façade is being preserved, however, as can be from the image above, that's about all they plan on saving. The five-storey warehouse will be entirely re-done and serve as the base for a dramatic cantilevered tower that will offer flexible floor plans for prospective tenants. In order to contribute to the neighbourhoods rebirth from its entertainment-district days, extensive ground floor space has been allotted to retail, fronting on Richmond as well as Peter.

Queen and Peter retail frontage, image courtesy of &Co and Allied Reit.

In an effort to attract innovative tenants Allied REIT is hoping to achieve LEED Gold certification. Ranging from individual temperature controls to specialized windows and modular floorplans, the building will offer a level of user-friendly features and green technologies often unseen in the larger office towers.

Cross-section showing flex-space, windows and floorplates, image courtesy of &Co and Allied Reit.

We're looking forward to the construction of QRC West, and hope that it will spur similar developments outside the downtown core. While we can never get enough condominium development, it's important that commercial buildings are built simultaneously to provide workspace for the influx of residents. Kitty corner to QRC West is Urban Capital, Malibu and Alit's Tableau Condominiums, sure to provide some of the office building's future tenants; for more information on either, look to the dataBase listings below, and click the associated threads to see updated construction images from Forum members.

CBRE Ltd. just released their first quarter stats for 2012 on Toronto's office rental market, accounting for the market's stance between January and April of this year. CBRE examines both the financial core as well as suburban office markets in order to provide information regarding economic health and vacancy rates, as well as news regarding new developments.

The report outlines a relatively flat first quarter, with vacancy sitting at a cozy 5.5% in the financial core. This number increased as you continue to look outside the core with exception in the North market, where it was lower at 4.3%. Overall, the GTA vacancy rate is sitting just below 8%, better than the high of 36% we saw during the 2009 recession.

North rendering of Southcore Financial Centre, image courtesy of GWL Realty Advisors

The comparatively low vacancy rate in the core has spurred an increase in development, with GWL and bcIMC's 30-storey Bremner Tower in the developing Southcore Financial District expected to add 700,000 square feet of office space. CBRE lists other potential developments as Cadillac Fairview's 16 York at York Centre, Menkes 1 York and Oxford/TPA's 30 Bay Street. Add to this various smaller projects such as QRC West and it's clear that developers are looking at commercial development as a viable market.

QRC West project rendering, courtesy of &Co Architects and Allied REIT.

The spur of commercial development naturally lags behind the low vacancy numbers, and has thus led to an increase in rental rates for tenants. While not drastic, the average rental rate downtown increased by $0.34 per square foot to $24.50 since the last quarter of 2011. Overall CBRE maintains a positive outlook on the market, and while it doesn't look to be making leaps and bounds anytime soon, it is relatively safe and secure.

Our booming business district is bursting at the seams, evidenced by the intense media coverage of the Southcore Financial Centre as well as the many solo projects — such as QRC West — that we're seeing pop up outside the traditional Central Business District. The boom is according to various sources just starting in the commercial market following quite a slump in the '90s and early 2000s, and we're looking forward to seeing how the market will change the urban landscape. One project we're perticularly keen on is RBC Waterpark Place III, by Oxford Properties.

Aerial view of excavation at RBC Waterpark Place III, image courtesy of Jasonzed

The tower is the third phase of Oxford's Waterpark Place development located at the intersection of Bay and Harbour. RBC will be the anchor tenant with other office space available for lease. The tower is designed by WZMH Architects, and will reach 30 storeys. The site is currently being excavated, shown in forum member Jasonzed's image above.

Path rendering to RBC Waterpark Place III, courtesy of Oxford Properties

One of the most exciting features of RBC Waterpark Place III is the innovative method being used to connect the tower to the PATH system and the commercial heart of downtown Toronto. Rather than construct underground as the PATH system has in the past, they've designed a bridge that will span under the Gardiner Expressway, above Lakeshore Drive, with a northern terminus at Union Station. The path will not only create safe access to the development for tenants but will allow those looking to connect to the Ferry Docks an alternative route rather than taking the streetcar or crossing Lakeshore.

Project rendering for RBC Waterpark Place III, courtesy of Oxford Properties

We've got plenty of renderings including floorplans for RBC Waterpark Place III in the dataBase listing below — keep an eye out on the project thread here to watch the construction progress.

While it may be difficult to see through all the marketing campaigns, news articles and construction sites devoted to our booming condominium market, Toronto has quite an active commercial development industry. Forum member pw20 drew our attention to the fact that we have nearly 10 million square feet of office space in the works within the downtown core, and the number increases as you begin to look outside to the inner suburbs and extensive office parks. In order to do due diligence to a facet of development that doesn't get its fair share of the spotlight, we're presenting the current state of office development to you in a three-part series: under construction, leasing and proposed.

We'll begin by taking a look at those buildings currently in the construction phase (or about to enter it). As we so often see in larger condominium projects, commercial developers tend to favour multi-phase projects, so the following developments have either already been introduced to us in some earlier form, or are the first phase in a series. Regardless, we're always excited to see another building go up — even more so if its architecturally innovative, but that may be too much to ask for. Still, we'll try to gather all the relevant information we can about these projects for you below.

Project rendering for Bay Adelaide Centre, courtesy of Brookfield Properties

Brookfield Properties are best known for their recent work on First Canadian Place; the recladding of Canada's tallest building had all of us craning our necks in anticipation of the final product. With the finishing touches being put in to place, we'll jump one block north to the Bay Adelaide Centre, which is now working on the east tower three years after phase 1 was finished. The tower will reach 44 storeys, comprising 980,000 square feet of which 43% will be held by professional service heavyweight Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte is the last of the Big Four auditing firms to be a lead tenant of a building in the downtown core, the latest of which was KPMG's tower at Bay Adelaide Centre West. The building is designed by KPMB Architects / Adamson Associates, breaking from WZMH Architects, the firm responsible for the west tower. Brookfield will aim for LEED Gold Certification, and hopes to have the building finished by late 2015.

North rendering of Southcore Financial Centre, image courtesy of GWL Realty Advisors

No longer limited to the financial core, office development in downtown Toronto has moved south to the new "South Core" district, an area featuring a substantial development by bcIMC. Bounded by York, Bremner, Simcoe and the train tracks south of Union, bcIMC and GWL Realty Advisor’s three-building development is already home to the headquarters of PwC (650,000 square feet), with a second office tower yet to finish (700,000 square feet) and a four-star Delta Hotel on the way. The project — designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group with KPMB — will connect below ground to the PATH network, Union Station, and the Convention Centre. Similar to Bay Adelaide, bcIMC will aim for LEED Gold Certification, with extensive landscaping, terraces and gardens sure to appeal to the contemporary business tenant. The Bremner tower hopes to be finished by late 2014, with professional service firm Marsh and McLennan listed as lead tenant.

RBC WaterPark Place III, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

Directly south of Southcore on the other side of the Gardiner is another phased office development project, albeit spaced so far apart in time that you'd be hard pressed to associate the newest phase with the previous ones; WaterPark Place III by Oxford Properties will complete the tri-tower development. The first two phases have been settled for a while now (completed in 1986 and 1990 by B+H Architects), with work now progressing on phase three. The most ambitious of the three buildings, Oxford secured RBC as the lead tenant, with an additional 330,000 square feet of contiguous space available. Similar to Southcore, Waterpark Place will connect to the city's financial artery (the PATH) with a bridge that will stretch above Lakeshore Boulevard. Competing with the previous developments and looking to draw tenants south of the traditional financial core, Oxford recently announced that they will be aiming for LEED Platinum Certification. The 30-storey building has been designed by WZMH, and should be complete by late 2014.

333 King Street East rendering, image courtesy of First Gulf

Slightly smaller than the previous projects is First Gulf’s 333 King East redevelopment, the former home of the Toronto Sun. The first phase encompasses a revamp of the ground floor to accommodate No Frills, LCBO, Dollarma, CIBC, National Bank and additional retail, as well as a three-storey addition that will be tenanted by Coca-Cola Canada. The project will have 100,000 square feet of retail space, and 270,000 square feet of office space; from images taken late last month, the project looks as though it will the first of those mentioned so far to finish construction.

Richmond Street view of QRC West, by &Co Architects for Allied REIT

Jumping over the financial district and landing on trendy Queen Street West, we find the final large-scale office development currently under construction in the core. Allied REIT’s Queen Richmond Centre West (QRC West) is one of the more architecturally innovative building's discusses so far — &Co Architects have designed a 17-storey tower that rises from shell of a 4-storey warehouse, perched atop stilts akin to the Alsop-designed Sharp Centre at OCADU.  The building will contain a total of 299,000 square feet of office space. Similar to the previous buildings, the development will seek LEED Gold Certification, and hopes to be complete by late 2014.

That wraps up our list of major office developments under or about to start construction in Toronto - stay tuned later this week for the second installment, where we look at projects currently in the leasing phase of development.

Lifetime Development and Ink Entertainment's Bisha Hotel and Residences looks to be making progress after an extensive wait. Located on Blue Jays Way just south of King Street, the Wallman-designed development has been a contentious project from the get-go, with many opposing the 41-storey tower and the façadism seen at the tower base. Recent rumours regarding a slump in condominium sales within the increasingly dense entertainment district do not appear to have impacted Bisha as some were proposing they had — while the original 2014 completion date may seem slightly ambitious, it appears as though we'll nonetheless be seeing this tower in the not-so-distant future.

Demolition of northwest corner at Bisha 07.04.2012, image by jasonzed

Forum members began reporting construction workers on site in May of this year, with hoarding put in place along the eastern façade. Heritage Preservation Services required the east façade and the sidewalls (back to 5.8 metres) to be protected — the western portion of the original building had already been demolished and rebuilt. The original house was built in 1834 as a private residence and subsequently served as girls' school. Until 2005 it was home to a popular comedy club.

East facade of 56 Blue Jays Way, image by jasonzed

The back of the building is notably less impressive than the front and won't be missed. The image below was taken in mid-May; Forum member Jasonzed's image further down is from early July. You can see through the building now and glimpse the windows on the eastern façade facing Blue Jays Way.

Back of 56 Blue Jays Way 05.17.2012, image by RedMars

Back of 56 Blue Jays Way 07.04.2012, image by jasonzed

We'll be interested to see how the original façade will be protected during the construction process. As we saw at Tableau, a nearby development whose renderings seemed to depict the preservation of an existing façade, the old building was entirely dismantled (much to the dismay of certain forum members and heritage aficionados alike). Developer Urban Capital has stated that they will be "rebuilding" the façade with new brick and old masonry. Conversely, QRC West has maintained the bones of the old façade with an extensive support system while construction progresses.

If you'd like to see project renderings, floorplans and detailed information for Bisha, head over to the project dataBase below, or check out the associated thread to join the conversation.

CentreCourt Developments is one of the newest players on the Toronto development scene, with three successful projects launched in the past 16 months. UrbanToronto had the opportunity to sit down with company president Andrew Hoffman and senior associate Shamez Virani to discuss the company, their projects and their strategic outlook going forward.

CentreCourt is a very young company with its first project, Peter St. Condos, launched just over a year ago now. Andrew, what was the inspiration behind CentreCourt?

Andrew Hoffman: First of all, I’d like to mention that I’m very passionate about Toronto, and the potential this city has. We're living in a world class city, able to rival any city in the world, a fact that I’m proud of and I feel fortunate to be a part of it. The inspiration for CentreCourt was to develop a real estate company that was focused on core development and to be a key player in the development and condominium sector within Toronto.

All three CentreCourt projects – Peter Street, Karma and INDX - have met with amazing sales success for a young company. What do you attribute that to?

AH: I think the success we’ve seen at Peter Street, Karma and INDX really flow from both our corporate and strategic vision. The first aspect we look at in core developments are sites that possess attributes that take advantage of key elements such as location, amenities and services. The second key aspect is having extremely efficient designs within the suites by focusing on what the consumer needs are; rather than coming up with a development that is setting the dream for the consumer we look to what the consumer really wants and have subsequently made that available.

Shamez Virani: One other very key attribute, especially in a city such as Toronto where you have 20,000 some odd units being released to the market every year, is to make sure that in a sea of projects you know how yours stacks up next to the others on a value proposition basis. One thing we dedicate a lot of time and energy towards is to really understand the competitive landscape that our projects are in, and to subsequently make sure they provide a value proposition in relation to suite design, amenities and all the attributes of a project that a purchaser would look at. We subsequently look at what we can then do in terms of price incentives to attract our target demographic. I think the market has told us over the past 16 months at all three projects that we have a clear understanding what the value proposition is within the Toronto market.

Is there are particular type of consumer you’re appealing to? What's your target demographic?

AH: our target demographic at INDX is the twenty to thirty five year-old young urban professional. We’re catering to those who want to be able to walk to work, have area as well as building amenities, who don't need large amounts of space within their own suite but who want to have quality building amenities that they can use to entertain.

Project rendering for Peter Street Condos, image courtesy of CentreCourt Developments

Recent speculation of an overly saturated condominium market in the Entertainment District has led to developers searching out new ways of differentiating their projects from the pack. With Peter St. Condos being 100% sold out, CentreCourt has obviously been succesful in doing that. What is it that makes Peter Street stand out from the neighbouring condominiums in the area?

AH: We are and always have been passionate about that location; Peter Street is a great node today and it will be an even better node four years from now, when not only our development is completed, but Tableau and QRC West are as well. We’re confident in the architecture of Peter Street, designed by architectsAlliance,  that both reflects  the modern elements of today’s glass towers and brings forward the historical elements of the warehouses that still dot the surrounding neighbourhood.

With Peter Street now 100% sold out, let's shift the focus over to Karma Condos. How has the development progressed since we last sat down with you 6 months ago?

AH: Since our last interview we've seen continued success at Karma, now 95% sold; we still have 5% remaining that we expect to be sold out of in the next 30 to 60 days or so. Construction begins this month, and we’re on pace to begin occupancy in the fall of 2015.

Project rendering for Karma Condos, image courtesy of CentreCourt Developments

With Karma as the second CentreCourt project, fresh on the heels of Peter Street, were there things you learned at Peter Street that you have subsequently been able to apply to Karma?

SV: The success we saw at Peter Street in terms of reception to suite design, amenity program, value engineering and precision has really reinforced our core philosophy discussed previously, giving us reassurance to come to the market with the program we brought forth at Karma.

AH: One aspect of our corporate vision that we were able to amplify at Karma was our commitment to giving back to the community. We have a number of initiatives that we’ve spent countless hours on, initiatives that we’ve had some fun with while working alongside our marketing group and partner at Karma, Lifetime Developments.

INDX is your third project. The prior condo sales history for the site where INDX Condos will rise has been contentious, dubious and uncertain, to say the least. What approach and methods allowed CentreCourt and Lifetime to pull off a project that so many others failed to realize? 

AH: We approached this project with a lot of excitement, being able to take on a site such as the one at Temperance. When you’re someone new you often see things differently than previous developers. You can't get anymore centrally located than INDX; we’re right in the core at Bay and Adelaide, and the opportunity to develop a site like this was once in a lifetime. What we did differently than our competition was to look at it in a much more pure-play fashion; previous developments tried to bite off more than they could chew, proposing a 90-storey tower with complex programming for example. We focused on a purely residential building that contained great site attributes as well as a design that was efficient and could bring value-orientated product to our target demographic, those who want to be able to walk outside and be at the doorstep of their work, right in the heart of the financial core.

I know sales have been brisk. Is there remaining inventory?

SV: At this point in 2012, INDX is the fastest selling project, that has sold the most number of units. We've reached over 90% sold in less that 6 months time, with the remaining 10% selling faster than expected. In line with the pace of sales we saw at both Peter Street and Karma, we expect INDX to be fully sold out this fall. Our target demographic – those who work hard and play hard – has responded to the product we've put forward, with the market telling us that there is demand for this sort of housing in this area. We never would have thought that we would be saying that we would be sold out of a project of this size in less than 9 months. All three projects will have started construction within 12 months of launching, a direct result of our precision execution in marketing, sales and construction financing.

Project rendering for INDX Condos, image courtesy of CentreCourt Developments

INDX is situated on a unique plot, directly next to the historic Graphic Arts Building from which the podium clearly draws its massing and lines. How did your experience dealing with a historic property at Karma inform your approach towards reconciling INDX with its heritage neighbour?

AH: That’s another area that we're passionate about, and we embraced the opportunity to develop a site that has heritage aspects. What we learnt from Karma and other situations was how to engage heritage by bringing on professional heritage consultants, connecting with the city and the heritage department and really viewing the challenge as an opportunity. We have, along with project architects Page + Steele / IBI Group, come up with a design for the podium of INDX that ties in and is fully respectful of the incredible architecture of the graphic arts building next door.

We've seen a number of attention-grabbing marketing manoeuvres coming from CentreCourt, most notably the food truck VIP Event held earlier this year for INDX and your commitment to donate $5 to charity for every new registrant at Karma. As the condominium market becomes more competitive, how does CentreCourt plan to attract and entice Toronto's increasingly discerning condominium purchaser?

SV: First and foremost, we work with an incredible team of professionals from PR to marketing, brokers to agents; people whose opinions we really value and respect. When we get together to do our sales and marketing meetings it's open dialogue; we all arrive at the meeting with the spirit that there's no such thing as a bad idea. One of our key philosophies at CentreCourt is to be respectful of that, and encourage new ideas and debate. As you've mentioned the market is very sophisticated, with hundreds of projects vying for the same group of people, raising the question as to how you can be different and stand out from the crowd. The food truck at INDX was a huge success with over 500 people in attendance in one afternoon. Similarly, we had 1500 registrants within the first month at Karma, which is unheard of for a project of that size. Throwing out one hundred new ideas for every one that sticks is really how we do it. We look to create an atmosphere of dialogue and debate, and that's something that we will continue to do going forward. Another key focus of ours is social media, and that includes engaging places such as UrbanToronto, which we see as being an integral part of the ongoing discussion in the Toronto market. In all areas it really comes down to being open and adaptable, aspects that new companies such as CentreCourt thrive on.

What does the future of development in Toronto (in the next year or next couple of years) look like to you? Where do you think CentreCourt will fit into this picture?

AH: It's a very bright future, and there will continue to be huge opportunities for both developers and consumers. Whether we build or sell 30,000 units or 15,000 units per year we're going to be developing a large amount of product into the future. You look at demographic trends and it's very positive relative to the demand for condominium living, as well as the outlook for low-rise housing and all the implications of urban sprawl. We want to be focused on the downtown core, projects that we can have a hands-on approach to, while treating all aspects of the development process as something that we can be very focused and act on with a precision-like fashion. We're currently working on a few additional opportunities at the moment, ones that are unique and where we can differentiate ourselves from the competition. I look forward to having another great launch in 2013 and hopefully keep up this trend of having successful projects going forward.

For lots more info on any of CentreCourt's projects, you can visit any of the dataBase listings below, or join in on the discussion of the projects in UrbanToronto's associated Forum threads.

The redevelopment of Toronto's fashion district continues with Menkes Developments' Fabrik Condos at 431 Richmond Street West, just west of Spadina Avenue. The fashion district and adjacent nightclub district are being rapidly redeveloped for a much more dense and residential character. Fabrik Condos is the latest project to contribute to this trendy, evolving downtown neighbourhood. 

Fabrik Condos, image by Menkes Development

Fabrik Condos, image by Menkes Development

The aptly named Fabrik Condos pays tribute to the fashon district's heritage. The project's renderings reveal a modern exterior design with façade treatments similar to fabric patterns, and structural accents in bold colours. Interior design features utilize more earthy tones reminiscent of textiles such as leather and suede. Both exterior and interior designs are a joint project between Gianonne Petricone Associates Inc. and Giovanni A. Tassone Architects Inc. 

Fabrik Condos, image by Menkes Development

Fabrik Condos, image by Menkes Development

The site of the project is currently occupied by two two-storey structures and a small laneway. At 17 storeys, Fabrik will be significantly taller than any of the other buildings along this part of Richmond Street (west of Spadina), but will feel more in line with its neighbours, with a step-back beginning after the 10th floor for the remaining floors. 

431 Richmond Street West, Toronto, image by Google

Fabrik Condos, image by Menkes Development

The area still remains heavily garment-oriented. It is dotted with independent designer shops, small clothing factories and design studios and has an abundance of underutilized or vacant space. These sites have been snapped up by developers wishing to take advantage of city planning policy to intensify and diversify the downtown core, evident in other nearby residential projects such as Tableau, Studio, Picasso and QRC West. With such intense development going on, the City of Toronto is proceeding with infrastructure upgrades to the Richmond-Adelaide corridor with permanent bike lanes. 

Fabrik Condos is scheduled to be complete in July 2015, with 174 units contained in its 17 storeys. Suite sizes range from 346 square feet for studios up to 1118 square feet for three bedrooms. Amenities include a party room, rooftop patio and on-site gym. Pricing starts in the mid-$200,000s and goes up to $800,990.

Interested in the latest updates on Fabrik Condos? Join our Forum discussion here.

It's not just an ongoing condo boom that keep construction workers busy in this city: new offices in and around the downtown core have been opening or under construction constantly for a few years now. Shoring is underway for RBC's new Canadian head offices on Harbour Street, while word is that the office component of York Centre, where the Ïce Condos are now rising, is about to go ahead, and where across the street we expect to hear shortly about a new lead tenant for the Bremner Tower at the Southcore Financial Centre.

While all of those complexes have us eager with anticipation for what they will bring to Toronto's emerging southern extension of the core, another highly anticipated complex is now fully underway that will help extend the core to the west - Queen West, or Queen Richmond West - to be exact. Allied Properties REIT has work fully underway bracing the walls of the heritage warehouse building at 134 Peter Street which will make up part of the base of this urban intensification project. Completion of the temporary bracing of the walls will allow excavation of the site to begin soon after.

Bracing for the existing heritage structure goes in for Queen Richmond Centre West, image by Craig White

134 Peter and the building seen in the background, 364 Richmond St West, are to be incorporated into a modern structure which will envelop them on two sides with a 70-foot high L-shaped atrium, supporting a new office tower above on giant X-beams. Respectful of the past, this nevertheless futuristic and very clever design is by &co Architects. It will bring 285,000 square feet of new office space to the area when complete in early 2014.

Bracing for the existing heritage structure goes in for Queen Richmond Centre West, image by Craig White

Bracing for the existing heritage structure goes in for Queen Richmond Centre West, image by Craig White

Here's how this same corner should look in the not-too-distant future, when the new 16-storey tower is finished.

Queen Richmond Centre West when complete, image courtesy of Allied Properties REIT

Below, a view of the giant X-beam supports which will feature as functional sculpture in the building's atrium lobby. This will be one of the most stunning front entries to any office in the city once it opens. With retail being added to ground level, and with Urban Capital's Tableau Condominiums soon to be rising kitty corner from QRC West soon, we anticipate an amazing new locus for Toronto at Richmond and Peter a short time from now.

Queen Richmond Centre West when complete, image courtesy of Allied Properties REIT

We have many more images of the complex and more information about it too in our dataBase listing, linked below. Otherwise, if you'd like to get in on the conversation, choose the associated Projects & Construction Forum link!

While many out there (myself included) feel cheated out of a proper Canadian winter, our city's developers and construction companies sure aren't complaining. We've seen near year-round construction on most of the projects in the downtown core, and the relatively warm temperatures save extra expenditures in heating and wind blocking. One project which is well underway is Tableau — located at Peter Street and Richmond, the past little while it's seen a flock of shutterbugs on site, recording the demolition of the existing building.

Demolition begins at Tableau on February 28th, image by Red Mars

Previously a Pizzaville joint as well as nightclub venue, the site is being cleared to make way for Urban Capital, Malibu and Alit's 36-storey, 410 unit tower, designed by Wallman Architects. Forum members Red Mars, Atlantis and Androiduk have been snapping away at the demolition process, with those heavy machines making quick work on the structure.

Looking at the northwest corner of the site on march 4th, image by androiduk

Cross section cut of old structure on March 4th, image by Atlantis

Tableau will incorporate the historic facade already on site into its podium — the image below shows the brick façade being delicately worked around. Upon completion it will house 25,000 square feet of office space.

Demolition on March 7th, showing old structure with historic facade in background, image by Red Mars

With interiors by Cecconi Simone and street art by Shayne Dark, we're looking forward to seeing the final product upon completion. We're happy to see a formerly derelict intersection coming alive and intergrating into the urban fabric — kitty corner to Tableau is the much talked about Queen Richmond Centre West, sure to enliven the street during the day than the previous tenants were able to. For more renderings of Tableau and the QRC West, the dataBase listings are below.

Since breaking ground earlier this spring, work on the foundation for Studio and Studio2 on Richmond by Aspen Ridge Homes has progressed down four storeys deep. We can expect to see a crane popping up on the site, located at 199 Richmond Street West in the coming weeks. The photos below follow the last few months of construction on Studio, designed by Quadrangle Architects. 

Mid-September:

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond, image by Jack Landau

Late September:

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond, image by Red Mars

Early October:

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond, image by Red Mars

Early November:

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond, image by Red Mars

Late November. Seems the dirt ramp for dump truck access is being removed. 

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond, image by urbandreamer

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond was a finalist in the high-rise community category for the 2012 BILD Awards, with the title eventually going to B.streets Condos by Lindvest Properties. 

At 31 and 41 storeys, the Studio complex brings a combined total of 762 new residential units to downtown Toronto. 

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond, image by Aspen Ridge Homes/Quadrangle

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond join a long list of developments happening on Richmond Street West, both residential and commerical. These projects include Picasso, Fabrik, and QRC West among others. Studio will also include an 8000 square foot gallery space for OCADU and a restaurant. 

An empty shell currently resting on the northwest corner of Richmond and Peter Streets may not look too lively at the moment, but recent work on the building promises that this heritage structure will soon transform into an office complex for the 21st century, with a gleaming tower rising to 17 storeys above. Wraps which covered the historic structure have recently been taken down, moving Phase I of the development of the Queen Richmond Centre West along smoothly.

Rendering for Queen Richmond Centre West, image by &Co Architects

Allied REIT, best known for converting much of the city's stock of heritage commercial and industrial buildings into appealing office spaces, are developing a 300,000 square foot tower which will rest above the current 4-storey building. Work to allow the overhead additional floors while preserving the facade began in early January.

Work at Queen Richmond Centre West from January 2013, image by UT forum member hawc

By February the building was entirely wrapped, and work inside went into high gear.

Construction of Queen Richmond Centre West, image by UT forum member urbandreamer

With the completion of structural alterations of the heritage building, the wraps were recently taken down.

Queen Richmond Centre West unwrapped, image by UT forum member Red Mars

The next steps at QRC West include the delivery and installion of the huge X-supports which will carry the new tower over the surrounding five-storey atrium: the monumental &Co Architects design has certainly caught our eye, and we can't wait to see this exciting space come together.

Rendering of Queen Richmond Centre West lobby, image by &Co Architects

The development of the building is aimed at achieving LEED Gold Standards, promising environmentally friendly practices, and resulting in office spaces with innovative designs, benefitting workers by creating a healthy and appealing work environment.

Check back with us for updated reports on Phase I as we watch this exciting project unfold. Visit the Forum thread if you would like to contribute to the discussion, or for a closer look at the various features of the building you can check out our dataBase page; both are linked below. You can always leave a comment on this page too.

The remarkable challenge at Queen Richmond Centre West involves the suspension of a 13-storey office building over top of two four-storey historic buildings. With the century-old corner property gutted, its interior completely retrofitted and its brick shell restored, attention has shifted to the foundations that will anchor the development's massive supports. 

&Co Architects' design integrates two existing heritage buildings on the site, a new concrete stair/elevator core, and an expansive, L-shaped, 5-storey glass enlosed atrium that will no doubt be the project's pièce de résistance.

Rendering of Queen Richmond Centre West atrium, image by &Co Architects

Facilitating the open design while carrying the tower above will be three 70-foot-tall 'delta frames'. Each is comprised of one-metre-diameter tubular steel members, positioned at angles to intersect at midpoint and connected by cast steel nodes. Local firm Cast ConneX was engaged to engineer, detail and supply these custom castings.

Construction crews are currently preparing the mat foundations in sections, laying the rebar and building the formwork for the concrete pour. The photos below illustrate the 4 touch points of the tubular members.

The frames will be delivered and installed in the next month and the connecting of the steel nodes to the columns where they intersect will be done in the field. An interesting detail will be at the lobby's finished floor, where the perimeter of the tubes will be surrounded by frosted glass and lit from below, emphasizing how it engages with the structure below (see rendering above).

Rebar for mat foundation, photo by UT forum member Red Mars

Rebar for mat foundation, completed mat behind, photo by UT forum member Red Mars

The Queen Richmond Centre West development will be constructed in two phases. Below is a cross-section through the site that illustrates the 70-foot clear height between street level and the underside of the tower.

North-South section looking west, image courtesy of Allied Properties

Aerial view of QRC West, southeast side, by &Co Architects for Allied REIT

Allied REIT, best known for converting much of the city's stock of heritage commercial and industrial buildings into appealing office spaces, are developing a 300,000 square foot tower which will rest above the current 4-storey building. Work to allow the overhead additional floors while preserving the facade began in early January.

Check back with us for updated reports on Phase I as we watch the project unfold. Visit the Forum thread if you would like to contribute to the discussion, or for a closer look at the various features of the building you can check out our dataBase page; both are linked below. You can always leave a comment on this page too.

Queen Richmond Centre West, or QRC West, developed by Allied Properties REIT and designed by &Co. Architects, is destined to be a landmark in Toronto’s Entertainment District. Due for completion in mid-2015, QRC West will impress with its innovative and smart design features, especially in abundance in its L-shaped atrium/lobby which we shall focus on today, but also for less obvious features that include fully-automated daylight harvesting, a glare control system with external solar shades and internal automated blinds; 18” pressurized raised floor system with under floor air distribution, suitable for hidden modular plug-and-play voice, data and power cabling systems that simultaneously improve indoor air quality.

Rendering of Queen Richmond Centre West, image courtest of &Co. Architecs

Targeting LEED-Gold certification, QRC West continues the trend employed across the city of adaptive re-use of old with the new. The glass-clad 11-storey building will stand above the current 4-storey century-old masonry building currently on the site. While the exterior design and details are technically impressive, even if the classic Modernist box design is considered monotonous by some, much of the excitement around this development is due to the beautiful and ingenious “delta frames” that will be supporting the new building above the historic structure, creating a 70 ft. high atrium int he process. These delta frames are currently being assembled on-site by construction crews.

Delta frame with scaffold, image by StructEngGuy

Toronto firm Stephenson Engineering Inc. collaborated with Cast ConneX, also of Toronto, which specializes in designing cast steel structural components, to design an elegant support structure for the 11-storey office space of QRC West.

Delta frame is assembled on site, image by StructEngGuy

Cast ConneX, with design-assist from Walters Inc. of Hamilton, designed three hourglass-shaped space frame supports dubbed “delta frames”. Each of these frames compose of eight support members, with all members connected by a 35,000 lb. cast steel node 30 feet in the air.

Delta frame node is secured in place, image by StructEngGuy

The members too are cast steel, with a diameter of 1 meter and a thickness of 50mm. Due to manufacturing limitations, cast steel tubes are not fabricated in thicknesses greater than 50mm. This restriction means that the support member and node sections of the delta frames have to be filled with concrete to meet composite strength and stiffness requirements.

A support member being transported to QRC West building site, image by livesquid

Aside from a reinforced concrete stair and elevator core, these three delta frames are the only structures supporting the 11-storey office space. Each of these delta frames are engineering to support a mind-blowing 80 meganewtons (approx. 18 million pounds) of axial compression.

We will return to bring more up-to-date shots of the site, but in the meantime to find out more about QRC West, visit our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get in on the discussion? Choose the associated Forum thread link, or add your voice in the comments section on this page.

Yesterday we introduced you to the special construction now going on at Queen Richmond Centre West, a new office complex being developed by Allied Properties REIT and designed by &Co. Architects. Today we return for more images of QCR West's uniquely engineered delta frames, where the upper members, those above the node, are now being attached.

Construction of the delta frame, image by StructEngGuy

When faced with the challenge of adding a new 11-storey section over an existing 4-storey, century old building on the site, &Co Architects asked themselves; 'How can we create a new modern project without harming the existing historical building?' The answer: instead of attempting to fuse the old building with the new one, the firm decided to float the new building above the older structure by means of an engineering marvel; the delta frame. 

Construction of the delta frame, image by StructEngGuy

Toronto firm Stephenson Engineering Inc. collaborated with Cast ConneX, also of Toronto, to design the delta frames' cast steel structural components. Three of these frames will support the 11-storey section and create a 70 ft. high atrium in the process. Aside from a reinforced concrete stair and elevator core, the delta frames are the only structures supporting the new office space. Each frame is engineered to support 80 meganewtons (approx. 18 million pounds) of axial compression. Currently uncoated raw cast steel, the frames' legs will eventually be treated with a white intumescent fire protective coating called FIREFILM by A/D Fire Protection Systems that expands when heated, creating a thermal barrier to protect the structure. 

Rendering of the intumescent fire protective coating legs, image courtesy of Allied REIT

Construction of the delta frame, image by StructEngGuy

QRC West, due for completion in mid-2015, will undoubtedly become a landmark in Toronto’s Entertainment District. By using the delta frames to float the new modern structure, each component of the development is highlighted and will be seen as a building of its own accord. When people think of QRC West, they will envisage the new engineering feat-cum-architectural form which preserves the century old masonry building while allowing for the city's growth. A similar solution employed at OCAD University in Will Alsop's Sharp Centre for Design is now an icon of Toronto. 

Rendering of the new building floating above the old structure by means of the delta frame, image courtesy of &Co. Architects

North-South section looking west, image courtesy of Allied REIT

We will return to bring more up-to-date shots of the work as it progresses over the coming days and weeks. For more insight on QRC West now, visit our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get in on the discussion? Choose the associated Forum thread link, or add your voice in the comments section on this page.

A couple of weeks ago we brought you some of the great shots that the team from engineering firm CastConnex were getting of the installation of the X-shaped delta frames at Allied Properties REIT's Queen Richmond Centre West (or QRC West) construction site. The three frames will hold a new &co-designed 11-storey office tower five floors above a converted heritage warehouse on the site. Check out the first two stories—1 and 2—for more details on this unique project.

Today we start with some recent shots courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributors Jasonzed and Red Mars showing the beginning of work to support the tower above the delta frames:

Delta frames and work above as of November 10, image by Jasonzed

Delta frame ground level detail as of November 10, image by Jasonzed

Delta frames and work above as of November 15, image by Red Mars

Next we have a real treat; CastConnex has now completed a fantastic time lapse video of the installation. The frames, designed by CastConnex, Walters Inc., and Stephenson Engineering, are one of those things that any city development buff can simply revel in, and be glad that not everything in Toronto is supercrazy weird lately: some of it is just supercrazy good.

Want to know even more about this project, including how it will evenutally look when completed? Check out our dataBase file, linked below, for lots of renderings and all the details. Want to talk about QRC West? Choose the associated Forum thread link, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

One of the most fascinating developments in Toronto at the moment is the Queen Richmond Centre West (QRC West), developed by Allied Properties REIT and designed by Sweeny Sterling Finlayson &Co. Architects and Stephenson Engineering, with its awe-inspiring delta frames. In our last look at the QRC West project we noted the start of construction on the "table top" portion of the structure that is the start of the 11-storey office space.

Two delta frames and diaphragm structure under construction at QRC West, image courtesy of Indrid Cold

Thanks to our Forum members for keeping an eye on the development we can see that construction has progressed to the point where all three of the spectacular delta frames have undergone initial assembly and are joined to the web of steel, forming part of the tower's initial floor plate.

View of delta frame, diaphram and heritage building at QRC West, image courtesy of Jasonzed

The delta frames however, are still not yet ready for prime-time. In order for the frames to realize their full structural capabilities they need to be filled from bottom to top with concrete. This process can only commence once when all of the node-to-pipe joint welds on the delta frames and the entire "table-top" steel structure have been finished. Carlos de Oliveira, CEO and Principal Structural Engineer at Cast Connex says this is necessary due to "the unbalanced weight that results as each leg is filled from the base up 70-feet [which] would cause some lateral movement if the steel diaphragm wasn't complete."

QRC West delta frame being tied into structural diaphragm, image courtesy of Jasonzed

QRC West structure starts to rise above its neighbours, image courtesy of The Fusionist

We cannot wait for the next steps here, so be assured that we will return to bring more up-to-date shots of the development as it progresses. In the meantime to find out more about QRC West, visit our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get in on the discussion? Choose the associated Forum thread link, or add your voice in the comments section on this page.