A spate of construction work continues in Toronto’s St. Lawrence neighborhood as a cluster of mid- to large-scale housing projects seek to increase density in an area that is fast becoming a dense urban corridor. One of the largest in this cluster of new developments is Time and Space Condos, a project by Pemberton Group that began construction in 2018. After four years of work, the building designed by Wallman Architects has made a notable impact on its surroundings, a full block on all four elevations and now just short of its final 29-story form.
Looking northeast at the complete design of Time and Space Condos, image from submission to the City of Toronto
With a total gross floor area (GFA) of 124,267 m², the scale of time and space is underestimated by the height. The building is on the southeast corner of Lower Sherbourne Street and Front Street, extends south down the Esplanade and is bordered by Princess Street to the east, giving the building four distinct street frontages. With the amount of formwork that has been completed at this point, the general U-shaped mass of the building and the pronounced setbacks are now apparent and today we look back at how the project has unfolded in a year’s time.
We’ll start in late 2021 with a north-facing image of the south elevation of the building. The two close volumes that we see across the park are the east and west wings of the building and are connected by a more square volume that rises from the north facade. While appearing fairly complete, these volumes are only the first to recede, followed by two more 18-story volumes that will recede once more to the final 29-story towers. Proactively embarking on the installation of cladding on these lower volumes to allow for weather sealing and allow for interior work while the remainder of the complex continues to be sculpted.
Looking north at lower volumes on the south side in December 2021, image by UT Forum contributor Electixsun
Looking at the site from the north a few months later, in March, it almost looks like a different project. However, the lack of distinct east and west wings is only temporary as the formation continues. Once the frame of the building reaches the 11th floor, the two tower bodies will protrude and make their vertical ascent to the final height of 29 floors. As for the cladding, the first panels appear at the northeast corner and will continue to seal the wide facades, slowly covering all sides.
Looking southwest at the concrete molding of the north facade, image by a UT Forum staff member
In July, the first levels of the distinctive east and west tower bodies were clearly visible, rising above the 11-story base building. In the image below, the east tower (left) particularly stands out as a separate volume, while further cladding continues to seal the lower mass of the building.
Looking south at the tower bodies emerging above the base building, image by UT Forum contributor Johnny Au
Concreting continues throughout the summer while productivity increases due to the smaller area of floor slabs to be formed. By September, the two tower bodies stand out clearly from the base building below and exceed the height of the initially protruding southern body.
View southwest of the tower volumes towering high above the base building, image by UT Forum contributor Electrixsun
If we return to the south view we can see the change that has taken place over about a year. Although the lower volumes don’t change drastically, the surrounding building is almost completely different. The step-back motif has become a visually defining element of the building, while various claddings have been installed to seal off the central base structure between the east and west wings.
Looking north at the south view after a year of progress on the northern volumes, image by UT Forums contributor Benito
Finally, a wider view of the site, taken at the end of November, shows the project in relation to the surrounding buildings. With two cranes still active and formwork work continuing, the 29-story towers are marching toward their final floors while cladding continues on the levels below. Interior fit-out will soon become the focus of the project on the upper floors as well, and the astonishing total of 1,586 new residential units will be made available to the first residents later in 2023.
Looking north at the building in broader context, with 2 remaining active cranes, image by mburrrrr, UT Forum contributor
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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