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We have been keeping a close eye on Lifetime Developments' The Yorkville Condominiums for quite some time now. Heading for an ultimate height of 31 storeys, the Wallman Architects-designed tower now stands 26 storeys tall, and as it continues to grow so too does the impact of its coloured cladding on the largely monochromatic Bloor-Yorkville skyline. Copper-coloured vertical piers plus an extruded bay of striking gold glass set this building apart from surrounding buildings (and it seems everything else being built these days). We stopped in for a tour of the 234-unit development to get a feel for how it is all coming together.
The Yorkville's position at the corner of Davenport and McMurrich is reflected by the unique acute angle that takes Davenport's snaking path into account. This sharp angle makes for a striking view of the building from the southeast, and it also makes for some dramatic spaces on the inside. Upon entering, the first space we come across that takes advantage of the angled corner is the building's lobby.
With ducting and electrical in place, a dropped ceiling is now being applied to the metal framing visible in the image above. Framing is also in place for features such as the fireplace which can be seen in the foreground below, and the residents' mailboxes in behind.
A few floors above, work is proceeding on outdoor amenity space atop the building's McMurrich Street 4-storey high podium, where residents will be able to unwind and take in the changing urban views.
From higher up, our view down gives us a sense of where walls will divide up the spaces this outdoor space will provide.
Time for a closer look at the golden glazing seen on the projecting bay on the tower's eastern façade.
Outside, the view of the gold windows is familiar to anyone who has walked by lately, but the question is what the gold looks like from inside of course. The answer is that a warm, golden hue is cast on the spaces within. In the photo below, you can see the difference between looking out the gold coloured windows on the left from the the un-tinted ones on the right.
The angled southeast corner continues to create impressive spaces further up the tower, where the city's other Bloor-Yorkville area towers and the unconventionally shaped intersection help to create intimate urban vistas.
Climbing higher up the tower, the windows are not in yet, and the spaces still feel very raw.
Directly below the current top floor, we run into the fly forms. They have been used to pour the floor above in the last few days, and are now in the process of being moved up a level to create yet another floor. In the image below you can see a fly form, still in place from the pour. Notice that jacks down on the floor are holding it high against the ceiling.
Int he next bay to the right, these fly forms have been lowered away from the ceiling, jacks removed and now sitting on rollers. The forms were about to be hooked to the crane and hoisted up to the next floor.
Up top, work continues on forming the walls for 26th floor units. A fly form will he hoisted into place between these two walls after the form for the wall on the left has come down.
Much care must be taken by crews working at these heights, and for those passing beyond the barriers, fall protection is a must. This isn't the type of job for everyone, but even those with no aversion to heights can respect the workers who put themselves in precarious positions to complete necessary work.
The 26th floor marks the top of the first of two cantilevered box sections which punctuate the upper part of the building. The change in shape between the 25th and 26th floors is apparent in the photo below, where the beginnings of the next level's floorplate can be seen set behind the future private terrace.
We will return to The Yorkville soon to explore the impressive views from the building's upper floors. In the meantime, we leave you with a taste of what is to come with in our next article.
Additional information and renderings are available in the project's dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or voice your opinion in the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.
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