{"id":13200,"date":"2023-02-16T02:25:48","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T10:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/podium-on-the-rise-for-tower-three-construction-at-the-quay\/"},"modified":"2023-02-16T02:25:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T10:25:48","slug":"podium-on-the-rise-for-tower-three-construction-at-the-quay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/podium-on-the-rise-for-tower-three-construction-at-the-quay\/","title":{"rendered":"Podium on the Rise for Tower Three Construction at The Quay"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In a fast growing city like Toronto, with a built-up downtown core featuring an eclectic range of styles and forms, infill development is an increasingly viable strategy to help the existing built form continue adapting to meet the housing demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the 2-tower waterfront rental development, The Quay,<\/a> an intriguing multi-phased infill project is currently underway that will eventually see the addition of two new towers from developers Pacific Reach<\/a>\u00a0on the Queen\u2019s Quay site, beginning with Tower Three<\/a>.\u00a0Emerging from a reconstructed podium connecting the existing towers, the BDP Quadrangle<\/a>-designed Tower Three is currently climbing towards its final height of 21 storeys as concrete forming continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking northwest at the construction progress of The Quay Tower Three, image by UT Forum contributor kv1990<\/span><\/p>\n

Located between Lower Spadina Avenue and Rees Street on Queens Quay West, The Quay has long consisted of two towers connected via a three-storey commercial retail and office podium, surrounding three sides of the Peter Street Slip, an inlet from Toronto Harbour. Queens Quay bridges over the Slip. To the west of the West Tower, an above ground parking garage has fronted Queens Quay with a Shoppers Drug Mart at grade level.<\/p>\n

The former podium along the north side of the Peter Street Slip from the Queens Quay Bridge, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Lachlan Holmes<\/span><\/p>\n

The Quay has been slated for an update since 2016, but the third tower didn\u2019t gain approval until revisions to the plan were submitted to the City in mid-2019.<\/p>\n

Southwest-facing rendering of complete design for The Quay infill additions, image from submission to City of Toronto<\/span><\/p>\n

More recently, a proposal for a fourth tower<\/a>\u00a0in the northwest corner of the site atop the above ground garage, also seeking approval to rise to 21 storeys in total, was submitted in another Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application in August, 2021. That part of the plan, shown to the left in the image below, remains under review.<\/p>\n

Looking north from HTO Park West with new tower at 396 Queens Quay West on the left, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Pacific Reach Properties<\/span><\/p>\n

In the\u00a0meantime, The Quay has transformed into a functional living construction site, with all hands on deck working to advance the growth of Tower Three.<\/p>\n

Looking north at the podium of Tower Three rising to 6 storeys in places, image by UT Forum contributor WestEnd<\/span><\/p>\n

The process started in the Fall of 2021, when demolition began on the original podium linking the towers. The structure came down quickly, and a ground breaking ceremony for Tower Three was held in early November, marking the start of construction. With parking proposed to be handled within the existing above grade structure on the west end of the site, no underground parking levels were needed, notably avoiding a need for below grade work other than to pour footings just below the surface.<\/p>\n

Demolition began on the existing podium in fall 2021, image by UT Forum contributor Rascacielo<\/span><\/p>\n

By August 2022, the site was prepared for the more intensive forming work to begin, moving forward with the installation of its first crane; a second one appeared just a week later. With a pair of cranes now active, the building\u2019s new six-storey podium would soon begin to take shape, once again reuniting the existing towers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Southwest-facing aerial view of site after crane installation, with above grade forming commencing, image by UT Forum contributor A Torontonian Now<\/span><\/p>\n

In the months since, Tower Three\u2019s podium has nearly been completed, with the slab for the sixth and final floor in place, and the makings of the next level above progressing from the west to the east. The future pedestrian thoroughfare offering a north-south passage through the site can be seen in the lower left corner of the image below, while the podium\u2019s connection points to the existing towers appear to be formed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking north at the podium of Tower Three rising to 6 storeys in places, image by UT Forum contributor WestEnd<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon completion, Tower Three will deliver an additional 347 rental units to The Quay with a contemporary massing meant to complement the existing site. It remains to be seen when or if Tower Four with another 163 units will be approved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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UrbanToronto has a research service,\u00a0UrbanToronto Pro<\/a>, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area\u2014from proposal through to completion. We also offer\u00a0Instant\u00a0Reports<\/a>, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter,\u00a0New Development Insider<\/a>, that tracks projects from initial application.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n