Earlier in January, the final beam at 141 Bay Street, the second tower of CIBC Square was signed, marking the topping off of this world-class development.

If you’ve had the opportunity to walk or drive past 141 Bay Street, you’ve probably noticed a piece of architectural excellence occupying the area. Featuring two stunning towers, connected with an elevated one-acre park spanning the rail corridor, the building is designed for community focused workspaces that include dining, conferences and fitness facilities. It will also act as an extension to the PATH pedestrian walking system and links Scotiabank Arena to Union Station.

It’s a building to marvel at, but there’s more than meets the eye. From its size to the complexity of the build, right down to the existing infrastructure surrounding the site, 141 Bay stands to be one of the most complex and difficult projects EllisDon has ever executed.

Project Highlights:

• Features an innovative structural design where perimeter columns taper into the core from Level 7 to Level 3 forming a 3000-ton megastructure that supports the tower above. This also creates a rare column-free lobby.
• Adding to the challenge, the building core sits adjacent active rail lines, with nearly half the floor plate cantilevering over the rail corridor.
• Precision engineering was key, with over 19,300 tons of steel and 4,100 metric tonnes of rebar—much of it pre-assembled off-site to create efficiencies.

“The beam signing not only signifies a major milestone and turning point for the project, but a structural marvel celebrating the innovation, ingenuity, and hard work it took to get here,” says Andrew Anderson, Senior Vice President & Area Manager, Toronto. “It’s no small feat, what the teams have done on site at CIBC Square. From developing innovative tower crane lifting and climbing technology to developing construction sequencing plans to suit the complex structural design, they have truly embodied our EllisDon values throughout the whole process.”

Thus far, CIBC Square shines a spotlight on everything EllisDon is: an organization built to be innovative, a culture that enables and empowers ingenuity and entrepreneurialism, and an approach that is unerringly collaborative and client oriented. We look forward to completing this project in true EllisDon fashion: with persistence, dedication, and continuing to build on great relationships.