Thanks to Hines’ development efforts, a number of new projects are being introduced in Toronto that bear the hallmark of Danish design. Working closely with Copenhagen-based architects 3XN on a mix of commercial and residential projects in different parts of the city, the duo’s most centrally located project at 64-86 Bathurst Street is beginning to take off. Rising 17 stories above the northeast corner of Bathurst Street and Wellington Street, the mixed-use, primarily residential tower is beginning to emerge from its three-story podium and is growing rapidly.
Looking southwest at 64-86 Bathurst, image from filing with the City of Toronto
Work on the site has been going on for almost two years, with demolition first starting in August 2021. Clearing the site of four low-rise industrial/commercial buildings and two semi-detached houses in the Victoria style, demolition. The work progressed quickly and the shoring could already begin in September of the same year.
Looking northwest across the site with excavation in progress August 2021, image by UT Forum staff Red Mars
Excavations began in the months that followed and lasted well into the spring. In the May 2022 image, we can see that the project used a mix of support methods, using a standard wooden stake and trailing retaining wall for parts of the east boundary and most of the south and west boundaries of the site. However, a sturdier caisson wall was built along the northern boundary and the top half of the east side to provide more reliable support for adjacent structures, including Toronto’s oldest bar, The Wheatsheaf, immediately to the north.
Looking north at the retaining walls used in the project, a UT Forum contributor’s image was upset
In the summer of 2022, about a year after demolition began, the construction site hit rock bottom and in August the first of two cranes was installed. The second followed a month later and with both cranes in operation, concrete work began to form the project’s foundations and underground car park.
Looking ahead to this week, the project’s underground footprint as well as the entire concrete framework for the three-story podium have been completed over the last seven months. From the image below we can see where the tower volume begins, separated from the podium by a setback from the Bathurst Street facade and the thicker concrete transition slab on the fourth level. We can also see the mass of the street wall, which has two subtle recesses along the north-south facade.
Looking southwest of the tower volume rising above the three-story podium, image by UT Forum contributor Red Mars
Viewing the site from above, the L-shaped floor plan is more clearly seen, with the podium volume extending west, parallel to King Street. The tower’s recesses allow the project to have an outdoor terrace on the roof of the podium, which is said to be extensively planted to create a park-like atmosphere.
Looking southeast at the building’s L-shaped plan, image by UT Forum contributor Red Mars
The 3XN-designed tower will continue to grow for several months as it nears its 17-story goal. The project is expected to offer 307 rental units, plus two floors of podium commercial office space and class-level retail space, and is expected to be an artfully designed addition to the edge of Toronto’s Fashion District.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more from our database file linked below. If you wish, you can join the discussion in the dedicated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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