Medium- and high-density residential development is a relatively new phenomenon in the blocks around the Wilson subway station in North York, one of the most recent intensification hubs in Toronto. One of the biggest players in the community is Collecdev, which lives up to its branding with a growing collection of developments in the region, most recently Nordic Condos. Construction of this gh3-designed complex is now in full swing a few hundred meters east of Wilson Station.
Looking west over the grounds of Nordic Condos, picture by Edward Skira
Work on the site began about a year ago with the demolition of a four-story commercial building at 530 Wilson Avenue and two four-story rental apartments at 470 and 490 Wilson. The construction clearance – which was carried out in parallel to the early drilling for the site’s geothermal system – continued until the end of 2020, followed by shoring and excavation until the beginning of 2021. The site reached an important construction milestone in mid-April when the first tower crane was installed at the base the 9.9 meter deep pit.
When we checked in for the last time at the construction site in mid-June, the first crane was working on the first walls and supports of the two-storey underground car park level P2 at the eastern end of the pit. In the meantime, work has progressed to level P1, the first storey shapes and reinforcement cages of which are now visible on the eastern edge of the site.
View to the southwest over the grounds of Nordic Condos, picture by Edward Skira
In the middle of the pit, preparations were made for the installation of a second crane, to which a concrete base and a steel crane base had already been mounted. In the weeks that followed, the second crane was installed so that the formwork activities inside the construction site can proceed.
View to the southwest over the grounds of Nordic Condos, picture by Edward Skira
At the far west end of the pit, the last remaining excavation work removed an earth ramp previously used by crews and equipment to reach the bottom of the pit. A third tower crane will be installed in this area of the construction site in the coming weeks.
Looking east over the grounds of Nordic Condos, picture by Edward Skira
Nordic’s buildings will each be 12 stories high and culminate 41 meters above Wilson Avenue. The complex will bring 429 condominiums to the area and at the same time replace the 160 rental units from demolished buildings with new rental suites.
Nordic Condos, image courtesy Collecdev
You can learn more from our database file for the project linked below. If you wish, you can join the discussion in the associated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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