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Hines‘ West House is nearing completion, bringing a new name and a new high-rise to Toronto’s King West. As of last month, the 17-storey rental development at 88 Bathurst Street was branded West House as it approaches leasing. Designed by 3XN, with WZMH Architects as the Architect of Record, the mixed-use development will include boutique office space, a fitness club, and retail.
UrbanToronto last provided an update in June, 2024, when the building had topped off. Since then, crews have been steadily working on the exterior finishes. Positioned at the south end of the site, a mobile crane is seen preparing to dismantle the remaining south tower crane in late June, 2024. The crane’s red carrier is steadied by steel-reinforced outrigger pads, as the white telescopic boom extends skyward for the derrick crane, which will be used for disassembly.
Suspended on a motorized swing stage, a construction worker is seen installing full-height privacy partitions on the balconies in late July, 2024. These triangular three-dimensional assemblies feature ventilation grilles at the top. The partitions are framed in either a copper-coloured or a cream-coloured metal finish, complementing the picket-style balcony railings and the copper-hued aluminum cladding of the window wall.
Positioned atop the L-shaped podium at West House, this October, 2024 view looks east toward the fourth-floor terrace, where crews were spreading soil in preparation for greenery, which will complement the ornamental grasses already planted in perimeter planters.
Below, construction workers are seen on a blue articulating boom lift, just above the retail signage band, where aluminum cladding is being affixed to the steel subframe.
On Bathurst Street, a cement truck discharges fresh concrete for the sidewalk. Along the building’s edge, curtain wall glazing defines the retail frontage.
From an overhead vantage point, construction crews are seen laying patio stone on the fourth-floor terrace, positioning rectangular pavers while spreading sand to ensure a level surface. The terrace is bordered by a glass railing system. Beneath the railing, blue weatherproofing materials line the podium edge, while above, steel hanger brackets project from the underside of the balconies, serving as attachment points for the remaining cladding panels.
By December, 2024, the east facade is nearing completion, with much of the exterior cladding and glazing installed across both the tower and podium. At grade, construction crews continue work on the sidewalk, and on the fourth-floor terrace, construction materials are neatly staged.
The project’s commercial component recently made news with Equinox signing a 38,000 ft² lease, securing its third Toronto location after its existing fitness clubs in the Financial District and Yorkville, expected to open later in 2025. With pre-leasing of its rental suites set to begin in March, 2025 and occupancy to begin soon thereafter in the spring, the 68.3m-tall West House will soon welcome residents into its 307 luxury rental units in the heart of King West.
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, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — 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.