As the University of Toronto’s Class of 2023 convocation enters its final week, the redeveloped site of the historic St. George campus has seen one of the highest footfall of its young life. Unfortunately for the photo ops, the project is still a very active construction site as work is ongoing to complete both the underground car park and significant parts of the ground level landscaping, but there are certainly some new, greener vistas to celebrate already !
Looking northeast at King’s College Circle as landscaping work continues, image by UT Forum contributor Limer
The Landmark of Landmark Quality project has progressed after a long and active winter and spring work, the design by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates in collaboration with KPMB is nearing completion. The aerial view related to the image above provides a comprehensive overview of the center of the site. Looking northeast, the focus here is on work at the center of King’s College Circle, where the single-story, underground park structure and geothermal system are now fully enclosed from above.
If we take a closer look at the surface of the circle from the ground up in the image below, we can see that it is paved. Work is currently underway to equip the slab with the necessary irrigation systems to nourish the turf that will eventually cover the surface.
Looking southwest down the surface of King’s College Circle, which is now paved, image by Northern Light, UT Forum contributor
While the circle is far from complete, other parts of the site are practically complete. The image below shows the front steps of King’s College on the right, rejuvenated by the new pavers and planting. Raised granite curbs with a rustic finish line the edge of the footpath, and native species have been planted in the ground to support pollinators and biodiversity.
Footpaths in front of King’s College are now open to the public, image by jamaps, UT Forums contributor
We can also see the same degree of completion at the north-eastern end of the site. Pictured below is one of the U of T’s more whimsical buildings, the Toronto Magnetic Meteorological Observatory, built in 1840. With the new accessible walkways and extensive plantings, the building is gracefully recontextualized into the evolving campus.
The planters were planted with native species, pictured by UT Forum contributor Rascacielo
The situation is different on the central and south-east side of King’s College Circle, where construction is at an earlier stage. If we look northeast and see the Gerstein Science Information Center on the right, we can see that the previous road and landscaping has been completely torn out almost to the door of the building, but no new landscaping has been installed. The rehabilitated landscape includes an underground heating system that will provide snow clearance during the winter months, so the installation process here may still be ongoing.
Looking northeast at the east side of King’s College Circle awaiting repaving, image by UT Forum staff Red Mars
With less student activity expected on campus during the summer, the crew can continue working toward their goal of completing before the end of 2023.
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.
* * *
UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on metro Toronto development projects from concept to completion. We also offer instant reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that follows projects from the first application.