Speedy progress continues at the site of Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines’ CIBC Square, where the first phase of a two-tower office complex recently passed grade level at Bay and Lake Shore in Downtown Toronto. We last checked in on the 1,300,000 ft2 office tower at the end of June, when crews had just formed the first section of the building's ground floor. In the short time since, the tower's reinforced concrete core has begun to rise above grade at the centre of the site, with parts of it now standing two storeys tall.

CIBC Square viewed from the northeast, image by Forum contributor Ryan_T

What s fun to watch here is that the elevator core is being constructed using self-climbing jumpform technology, where the formwork is raised from a newly-formed level to the location of the next level above using hydraulic jacks. This process considerably reduces required crane time, allowing for much faster forming than the fly form method used to create most floor slabs, where the reusable forms are flown from one level to the next by hoisting them with the crane.

CIBC Square viewed from the south, image by Forum contributor Michael62

The jumpform method will be used for the remainder of the core's 49-storey ascent, with the office levels to eventually surround the core. This animation makes clear how the method works:

In another part of the site where an arm reaches out to Yonge Street along the north edge of the property, forming is now underway to create a vehicle access ramp to serve the garage and loading areas. Located between a condo at 18 Yonge and the Union Station rail corridor, the narrow strip is just the right width for a driveway. A view of it, captured from the site's minimal frontage on Yonge, looks west towards the main part of the construction site.

CIBC Square viewed from the East on Yonge, image by Forum contributor Jasonzed

Designed by UK-based WilkinsonEyre Architects, with Toronto's Adamson Associates serving as Architects of Record, the first phase of the two-tower complex—expected to open in 2020—will include the new Union GO Bus Terminal on the ground floor, and a park bridging over the rail corridor. The completion of the new bus terminal will unlock the existing bus terminal site to the north, allowing construction to go ahead on the second phase tower, expected to be complete in 2023.

CIBC Square, image courtesy of Ivanhoé Cambridge/Hines

We will keep you updated as construction continues. In the meantime, you can learn more about the project via our updated database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space provided on this page, or join the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum thread.