max
Active Member
What's with the past tense? It surely can be all that and more in the future! Provided the City can find the appropriate partner.
Toronto Bathurst Quay Revitalization | ?m | 2s | City of Toronto | Kearns Mancini
bowen
Active Member
Exactly right. We intend to launch a RFP process for the rooftop ‘head houses’ late next year. The strategy has also been to wait until the site’s revitalization is nearer to completion so that a) we can leverage this $50M investment to find the right partner; but also b) so that the silo RFP doesn’t become an excuse to wait on the critically needed public realm and restoration work underway now. And in support of this future call, there is a staging area and dedicated access being reserved just west of the north silo so that future fit-out work can proceed independently of and without disruption to the new public realm.
bowen
Active Member
Sharing some photo updates below.
From the top:
Courtesy of the Waterfront BIA, a shot of last week’s well-attended ground breaking ceremony for Bathurst Quay Common.
Fresh from completing the remarkable Love Park just down the street, Somerville Construction is starting to get set up on the site.
The last remnants of scaffolding for the south silo rehab should be down by the long weekend, closing out that phase of work.
Courtesy of a local resident, a great shot of rehab work underway on the north silo. We learned a lot at the south silo that is accelerating our progress on the north, which could possibly be done by the end of this year. Of course, also helps that the surface is flat!
From the top:
Courtesy of the Waterfront BIA, a shot of last week’s well-attended ground breaking ceremony for Bathurst Quay Common.
Fresh from completing the remarkable Love Park just down the street, Somerville Construction is starting to get set up on the site.
The last remnants of scaffolding for the south silo rehab should be down by the long weekend, closing out that phase of work.
Courtesy of a local resident, a great shot of rehab work underway on the north silo. We learned a lot at the south silo that is accelerating our progress on the north, which could possibly be done by the end of this year. Of course, also helps that the surface is flat!
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Nice! Do we actually have any detailed final landscape plans available for public consumption?
AoD
mferna
Active Member
New front page story featuring this project is up! https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2023/0...w-waterfront-plaza-bathurst-quay-common.53084
70Challenger
Active Member
Just so I'm clear, the restored silos are painted, right?
tstormers
Senior Member
From this afternoon
DSC
Superstar
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No, it is clean concrete! EDIT: See Bowen's post (#855) below. It is 'tinted concrete'.
Last edited:
70Challenger
Active Member
That's amazing, especially considering how stained and damaged it used to be.
kotsy
Senior Member
rdaner
Senior Member
I am guessing that the black areas are going to be windows.
junctionist
Senior Member
Hopefully, they're good-quality black-framed sash windows.
rdaner
Senior Member
Or maybe punched windows with light purple glass!
DSC
Superstar
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Since this is really a First Class project, I think you can assume it will be done properly. That said, I am doubtful that all are going to be windows in the new scheme and they may be 'permanent' closure over earlier/original openings. @bowen will doubtless confirm sooner or later.
bowen
Active Member
Our Conservation Plan, developed with ERA Architects, landed on this ‘interim’, marine-grade plywood treatment for the windows. The focus of this rehab strategy is about 80% on completing critically needed exterior repairs, and about 20% on enabling investments that help set the stage for future re-use. The window treatments sort of straddle these categories, as every single window and door frame opening has had to be repaired and even mostly re-built in some particularly damaged sections in order to make it safe for public spaces and uses below. And while the City would never on spec take on the cost to replace every single window with new glazing, the rebuilt frames and new weather-tight openings will keep the elements out of the now cleaned-up interiors, and help to reduce future tenant fit-out costs. Per our Conservation Plan, we’ve also kept all the original window frames on site, as these will be used as templates for the design and installation of permanent glazing by tenants.
As for the repaired concrete, after power washing the repaired surfaces, we sprayed on two coats of a mineral-based tint that was carefully selected to match as near as possible the concrete’s original tone. The tint is more expensive than paint, but as it absorbs permanently into the surface, there is no chipping or peeling over time (so no maintenance), and no thickness added, allowing the original texture and aggregate of the concrete to remain more visible.
I’m away on vacation right now, but anyone interested in reading the Conservation Plan in detail is welcome to send me an email and I’ll forward it next week: Bryan.bowen@toronto.ca