4 Apr 23 | Construct Connect

Crews celebrate topping off milestone at 160 Front Street West

The topping off at Cadillac Fairview’s 160 Front Street West commercial office tower took place recently as ironworkers placed the final curved steel beam 47 storeys above downtown Toronto.

In March the beam was signed during an event hosted by Cadillac Fairview for future tenants TD Bank and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Representatives from PCL, Walters Group and consultants key to the steel program also signed the beam prior to placement.

The 1.25 million square foot building features over 12,000 square feet of retail space, a four-storey summit platform and four levels of below-grade parking for 324 cars and bike storage for 507 bikes. The sky atrium, located on the 47th floor, will contain a large, open-air space to provide views of the city, surrounded by several smaller gardens and trees.

The Structural Steel Project Team Partners include Cadillac Fairview (owner); PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (construction manager); Walters Group (structural steel design-assist partner); Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and B+H Architects (architect); RJC Engineers (structural engineer); and Ironworkers Local 721.

The asymmetrical shape was designed to reflect the surrounding cityscape, indicates a release, adding the building is wrapped in a combination of glass and steel.

The gradual installation of the arced metal frame overlaps the building’s lower southeast corner, with the two curves defining the transition between the preserved heritage brick façade and the glass curtain wall system above.

Lateral loads are oriented to the building’s central axis, resulting in a design tapered at the top and bottom while supporting the structure for optimal wind resistance along with creating spaces with unobstructed corner views, adds the release.

Following groundbreaking in 2019, the team demolished part of an existing six-storey heritage building onsite, while keeping its façade intact to incorporate it into the new structure.

A self-climbing formwork system was used to construct the tower’s concrete core, consisting of a top and bottom deck, two trailing decks and two levels that wrapped around the exterior of the core, enabling it to climb up as one unit.

Completion of the above-grade concrete structure enabled the structural steel partners to move forward in completing the tower’s crown.

Walters Group supplied and erected approximately 12,000 tons of structural steel and 1.07 million square feet of metal deck for the main tower and podium.

Due to the unique geometry of the steel structure, special post-tensioning details along with structural pin connections were incorporated to ensure the interface between the two build materials worked together.

On the ground level, sloping columns and temporary shoring were used to keep the building stable during erection and to protect the heritage façade.

With the steel structure topped off, the next steps for the build include finalizing the structure, removing the tower crane from the building, completing the building envelope, followed by interior finishes.

Cadillac Fairview is pursuing LEED Platinum and WELL Certified certifications. Completion is set for December 2023.