Buttcon/Atlas JV brings St. Lawrence Market North Building to life with $116.3 million contract

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st lawrence maraket north building rendering

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market North Building is finally under construction with a $116.3 million contract awarded to The Buttcon Ltd./The Atlas Corporation Joint Venture. The new structure at the northwest corner of Front and Jarvis Streets will include space for the antique and farmers markets formerly in the building.  It will also house the Toronto Court Services on the floors above which will relocate outmoded courts from different sites through the city DataBid reports, citing Urban Toronto.

Demolition started in 2015 – with archaeological discoveries of previous market buildings constructed in 1831, 1851 and 1904 including sewer brickworks, foundations and cellars. More artifacts were uncovered in 2016.

However, work then ground to a halt, in part because of the archeological challenges but, more seriously, when Bondfield – the original contractor – collapsed under bankruptcy.

Now the project has been re-tendered and site preparation is in full swing. Urban Toronto reports that overgrowth and debris were cleared earlier this summer, and more recently the site has been backfilled, creating a smooth surface for shoring work. Two rigs are now drilling boreholes around the site’s perimeter with vertical support piles for the lagging.

Once the drilling work is complete, excavation can begin to free up space for a four-level, 250-space underground garage. Foundations must be formed and the underground levels completed before the building begins to rise above street level. Work is expected to be completed by spring 2022,  Toronto.ca reports.

Rogers Stirk Harbour+Partners (design architect) and Adamson Associates Architects (executive architects) have designed the building, located directly across from Toronto’s 200-year-old St. Lawrence Market South building.

The redevelopment includes:

  • Construction of a new four-storey multi-use building;
  • Court rooms and administrative spaces on the upper floors;
  • Ground floor Market Hall;
  • Below grade parking for 250 cars;
  • The historic antique and farmers market on the main floor will be preserved;
  • Five storey atrium will visually connect the North and South Markets;
  • The existing St. Lawrence Hall will be connected to the new North Building.

The designers say the mechanical system will be comprised of innovative energy efficient strategies including chilled beams, radiant floor heating, under floor air distribution and enthalpy recovery on exhaust air streams.

market 19th century
Image of the market building n the 19th century

The mechanical systems will be organized to allow the central atrium to be clear of all mechanical services. A smoke control system will be included in the building design due to the interconnected atrium space, which is creatively integrated with the architecture.

DataBid.com is reporting on this project: Toronto St. Lawrence Market New North Building  (0003101818).

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