On L Tower's exterior, our crews are continuing with the window installation. But the big changes this month are on the inside. Boarding is going up throughout all the suites and in the corridors and common areas.
This is essentially the base layer before drywall goes up and as boarding progresses the interiors will really start to take shape.
We'll have more updates on Backstage on the Esplanade, but for now, our friends at Dominus explain what's happening on site, and give us a short lesson on tie backs.
Backstage is currently at the second level of tie backs, which are horizontal wires or rods that reinforce retaining walls for stability. The purpose of the wall is to excavate safely and to support neighbouring lands and structures. Tie backs are tension members set in the soil that hold the wall in a vertical position. Without tiebacks, the wall would not support itself, and would “fall” into the hole.
Click here to see our previous construction update at Backstage, or visit our album for the entire gallery since day one.
This year has graced Cityzen with tons of activity already. Our sales offices are astir, though we do anticipate the pace of sales this year to be somewhat slower than last year. I think this is a good thing for the industry because it was so overheated last year.
We recently visited the corner of Yonge and The Esplanade in downtown Toronto to see the progress of Daniel Libeskind's L Tower, but we also stopped by the Backstage site to see what was new. Our previous trip to the site in November showed that it was truly at the early stages of preparation for excavation.
This time around, there was a bit more to see. Caisson drilling is roughly 80% complete and the first row of tie-backs on the south side of the site are 20% done. We're still in the early phase of excavation, but the main job for the next few months is to dig, dig, dig.
We hope to reach footing elevations in June. If everything goes as planned, we'll be back at street level early in 2013.
So, we're getting there! In one month, we'll provide you with another update. Check out our photos below, and visit Facebook for the full album.
Union Station is one of Backstage on the Esplanade’s biggest amenities, and Canada’s central hub for inter-city and national transit. At its widely recognized home at Front and Bay streets, Union Station was officially opened in 1927 by Edward, the Prince of Wales. Embarking on a journey from Toronto to Alberta, the first ticket ever issued cost Edward $71.20, which would cost around $1,000 today.
Since then, the station has vastly changed. Thousands of TTC and ViaRail customers ride into Union Station daily in addition to over 165,000 by GO train. It’s inevitable that Union Station will play a role in the development of Backstage on the Esplanade at Yonge Street.
Backstage will allow an underground PATH connection, consolidating the condo with Union, and even reaching out to St. Lawrence Market. The south side of Backstage is alongside the railway corridor, but residents will find it quieter than living on your average downtown street. Law require trains to enter at low speeds while residential units are built eighty feet above rail lines.
It only begins there. Union station is undergoing a $640-million revitalization project with expected completion by 2015.
What to expect from Union Station in the future
Union Station strives to be a beautiful entry point into the city for commuters and visitors. With strong levels of economic and urban growth, the city plans on accommodating the central core with the following improvements:
Photo from thestar.com
A number of reports from the Master Plan in 2004, the District Study in 2005 and the Revitalization recommended approach in 2007 address significant issues for Union Station and provide as a blueprint for the future. Such issues include heritage conservation, efficient transit and urban design.
Are you moving to Backstage? For more, see our construction update on Backstage on the Esplanade.
Track to the future: Union Station's proximity to Backstage is quite prized.
For lots of great old photos of Union Station, check out this BlogTO post and this Torontoist post.
We are happy to bring to you our first construction update from the Backstage site on The Esplanade. Don't get too excited, there isn't all that much to see on site yet, other than a lot of dirt. But hey, you have to start somewhere!
The South wall is excavated and excavation for the tie-backs will be starting soon. The caisson holes are being drilled at the moment.
We are waiting on the soil to be removed so that work can progress on bringing the site down to grade. We expect this to begin before the end of the month.
Some structural work has begun in earnest.
Excavation, excavation, excavation!
So, not a whole lot happening but we're very close to starting some serious work. We'll be back in the new year with another update. Questions? Ask us on Facebook or Twitter.
If you were around the St. Lawrence Market area over the weekend you would have noticed a lot of craziness. The Scotiabank BuskerFest was in town for four days and Cityzen were once again involved for the fourth year. We set up a booth in front of the Sony Centre and had some interactive entertainment and amazing prize to lure passer-by's in.
We'd like to thank all who contributed to a great cause, and we are delighted to say that we helped raise over $100,000 for Epilepsy Toronto. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and to everyone who contributed over the course of the weekend.
It was another fantastic year on all accounts, with perfomers from around the world dazzling the crowds on the streets of Toronto. Congratulations to all of our prize winners, and we'll be back next year for BuskerFest 2012!
Some interactive entertainment and prize draws helped bring people to our booth.
Marc and Hess, our fantastic entertainers!
Night-time acrobatics on Front Street
Congratulations to everyone involved for such a terrific four days! Roll on next year! What was your favourite act at BuskerFest this year?
The Third Annual BuskerBall was held in St. Lawrence Market last night and as a proud sponsor of this year's Scotiabank BuskerFest, the Cityzen crew were in attendance to get a sneak peek of what's in store over the next four days.
Some of the best street performers in the world were joined by more than 600 guests with the common goal of raising money for Epilepsy Toronto.
There was plenty of action over the course of the evening, with various performers entertaining the crowd amidst a live auction presided over by Zack Werner (including a special appearance by the Toronto Maple Leaf's Colby Armstrong), with MC Tom Hayes of CTV guiding us through the evening's events.
Here's what you can expect on the St. Lawrence Market streets this weekend:
Contortionist Bendy Em fits herself into a 16 square inch box, with a basketball!
This year, the North Market interior was designed by Jamie Alexander.
The Scotiabank BuskerFest Toronto does fantastic work to help raise awareness for the 1 in 10 people who live with epilepsy.
Zack Werner and Jamie Alexander conduct a bit of live auctioning.
Mexican act Pancho Libre helps wrap up festivities with some impressive acrobatics.
Pyromancer from The Netherlands got the fire show finale started...
...and Flame Oz from Australia finished it off in style.
The Scotiabank Buskerfest runs from Thursday August 25th to Sunday August 29th in the St. Lawrence Market area.
It's a great day out for all ages so if you're planning a trip to downtown Toronto this weekend we fully recommend that you drop by and check out the amazing street performers and help out a great cause in supporting Epilepsy Toronto.
Cityzen will have a booth and we'll be giving away some great prizes so be sure to drop by and say hello!
Things are looking up! This past Saturday saw the official groundbreaking of Backstage on the Esplanade in the heart of downtown Toronto and on-hand to witness the unveiling were a select group including many of our purchasers.
Partners and Purchasers pose for a photo on site.
The overcast day did nothing to spoil what is a great landmark for any project and The Living Room Condo Store, just a short walk away from the Backstage site, was the headquarters for the afternoon.
Alfredo Romano of Castlepoint Realty and Hunter Milborne of Milborne Real Estate spoke to attendees on the great success Backstage has had, the great state that the Toronto Condo Market is in and the very bright future that lies ahead for the city.
A very special thanks to all of our purchasers who came down to help celebrate this occasion with us. Expect a lot of action on site over the next few months and as always, our blog will have all of the latest information and updates, so don't touch that dial!
Backstage on the Esplanade has a select number of units available. Contact The Living Room Condo Store on 416-777-2533 or visit our sales centre at 22 Scott Street to find out more. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to be kept in the loop on all things Cityzen!
