Construction continues throughout the site of Brookfield Properties’ Bay Adelaide Centre East (BAC East), the second office tower of the three-phase development that is the Bay Adelaide Centre office complex. 

The new 44-storey tower is being built above an existing parking garage (read: excavation unrequired), a portion of which is being (reworked) to accommodate the tower's foundations and underground floors. A new crane and shoring machine are on site. Once it reaches ground level, the structure will rise with steel beam construction extending from a concrete core, which allows the perimeter to be sheathed in glass. The building has been designed to LEED-CS Platinum, the highest designation in the internationally-recognized rating program, which is a testament to Brookfield Properties' commitment to sustainability and improved energy performance. 

View looking northeast across the site of the brand new crane, photo by UT forum member Geekaroo

Ongoing underground work at Bay Adelaide Centre East, photo by UT forum member drum118

Concurrent to the ongoing foundation work is a tricky bit of heritage preservation on the eastern edge of the property. The project involved the dismantling earlier this year of two of the façades of a heritage brick commercial building on the site's southeast corner of Yonge and Adelaide and the building's subsequent demolition. 

View looking NW across the site, from the corner of Yonge and Adelaide, photo by UT forum member drum118

The historic façade was moved half a block north and is presently being reapplied to the former AdditionElle building located at the corner of Yonge and Temperance (see below). That building was stripped down to a concrete shell and a steel framework was built around it. It is now being clad in the reconstructed brick. Mechanical equipment to ventilate the garage is hidden behind the upper storeys' facades.

View looking SE across the site, from the corner of Yonge and Richmond, photo by UT forum member Androiduk

Tying historic brickwork back to the structure is no easy feat. The first section of the heritage façade is now up on the Temperance street side. Reinstalling it with proper masonry ties is a costly and time consuming method.

Re-installing the brickwork

The demolition of the historic building on the corner of Yonge and Adelaide makes way for BAC East’s 6-storey podium, seen below. Designed with floor to ceiling glass and elegant interior finishes, it will have a commanding presence when viewed from the street or experienced from within, and connect to the city's dynamic downtown community via the extensive PATH walkway system. The KPMB Architects and Adamson Associates Architects–designed tower is expected to be completed in 2016 and professional services firm Deloitte will be its anchor tenant, leasing 43% of the building's nearly 1 million total square feet of office space.

Rendering of the Adelaide Street podium frontage, image courtesy of Brookfield Properties

The three-phase Bay Adelaide Centre is illustrated in the site plan below. The first phase, the 51-storey West Tower with KPMG signage up top opened in June 2009. The West and East towers are separated by the Arnell Plaza, a half acre urban park that provides a mix of open green space and tree lined walkways and will allow natural light to penetrate both the towers' lobby and tenant spaces. The third phase of the project is proposed for the north side of Temperance Street. It will bring an additional 500,000 square feet of premium office space to the complex. No start date has been released for it yet.

Bay Adelaide Centre Site Plan

For additional information and renderings, please visit the associated dataBase page linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Join the forum conversation, here, or leave a comment in the section provided below.