On Our Way to the 50th Floor

Standing on Yonge Street, Aura's street presence is making a grand statement in the sky and down low at the retail podium level.

View from Gerrard St.  - Retail Podium

High above downtown's core, construction crews are keeping up with the rigorous schedule of pouring one floor each and every week.  By the end of the month the tower will stand 47 storeys high.

Currently pouring the 47th Floor at Aura

At the base of the tower, Bed Bath & Beyond welcomed its first customers last week to their 50,000 square foot flagship store located on the 2nd floor of Aura.  This popular North American retailer has already attracted thousands of shoppers and daily commuters.

Bed Bath & Beyond Located on 2nd Floor of Retail Podium

Another large service provider, BMO (Bank of Montreal) is also gearing up to open for business on November 30th.  This prime location is accessible at street level off Aura's Yonge St. entrance.  Early next year, watch for the exciting arrival of Marshalls on the 3rd floor of the retail podium.

Motor Court (driveway) Taking Shape

During the course of the winter months, Aura will continue to reach up to the clouds while on the inside of the tower, installation of interior suite finishes on the lower floors continues, along with the forming of the grand entrance lobby and motor court.

Check back soon for more insider progress updates.

Retail Giant Opens Its Doors Today at Aura

Bed Bath and Beyond, one of North America's largest retailers opened its doors to downtown Yonge Street today at Aura. 

Bed Bath & Beyond - Downtown Flagship Store

Located at the busy corner of Yonge and Gerrard St. on the 2nd level of the Aura tower, this 50,000 square foot flagship store has everything you need for your home and more!


50,000 Square Feet of Everything You Need for Your Home

Opening day shoppers are greeted with a 20% discount on anything in the store today.  Bed Bath and Beyond can now service thousands of daily commuters, passers-bys, Toronto visitors, current downtown residents and future residents of Aura.


Located on the 2nd Level of Aura at Yonge and Gerrard Sts.

This is just one of several major openings at Aura - Soon to follow include BMO, RBC, Marshalls and Canyon Creek restaurant.  

Towering North America

Poster of the Day:  T.O. (Toronto, Ontario) currently has 147 skyscraper & high-rises going up. 80% accounts for residential buildings  - Aura towers as the largest across North America.

Celebrate Yonge

Explore Yonge Street in a whole new way.

From Aug 17th to Sept 16 starting from Queen St. to Gerrard St. pedestrians can enjoy a totally different experience along Yonge St. with reduced car lanes and an increase in public spaces that allow for a more enjoyable, leisurely walk.  You can visit 11 themed event areas along the way - its a trial effort to provide wider sidewalks and a more pedestrian oriented streetscape.  Be sure to make your way down and see how you like the new and improved Yonge St.

Learn more at celebrateyonge.com

One Floor Per Week

Recently, we toured the construction site with project site super, Brian MacLean who provided us with the latest construction updates on Aura.

View of Aura from Yonge Street

Currently, Aura's 32nd floor is being poured. The quick progress can be attributed to the use of two systems to pour concrete. The first uses a pumping system that pumps the concrete from the ground level up to the floor that will be poured. As construction progresses upwards, the pump system also moves upwards. The use of cranes lifting buckets to the required floor also helps to speed up the process of pouring concrete for columns. With both systems in place, from start to finish, it takes one week to complete a floor which is pretty impressive considering the enormity of Aura's floor plate size.

32nd Floor Facing East - Slab Pour

Inside the residential tower, the lower and upper floors are at a different stage of construction. The lower floors are well underway with most of the drywall, and tiling installed including primer on walls. Drywall in suites higher up will begin shortly.

Suite With Primer on the Walls 

On the retail podium level, the 2nd floor premises for Bed Bath & Beyond, the North American retail giant is quickly taking shape. Workers are installing drywall to the exterior walls, and completing the Bed, Bath & Beyond interior offices and lobby. The open concept interior of this large retail space boasts 15-16 foot ceilings that allow for an abundance of product shelving. Workers are installing shelving brackets throughout the space, so shelving heights and shelving placement can be tailored for merchandising products. In the next few weeks custom flooring with a polished finish will be completed.

Bed Bath & Beyond Retail Space

Bed Bath & Beyond Offices

All of the retail shops on the subway retail level are now complete with finishing touches to the the food court happening this week. In the next couple of months retailers will be moving in to custom outfit their stores and prepare for their much anticipated public opening later this fall.

Food Court on Subway Retail Level

Every week something new and exciting is happening at Aura.  Check back with us often for more updates.

Aura - Skyscraper Headlines

If you picked up a copy of The Toronto Star this weekend, you may have noticed a familiar face - Canderel Residential's Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Riz Dhanji.

The story Canderel's past and current projects including Aura at College Park, 'Canada's tallest residential skyscraper'. 

Over the years, the Canderel brand has set a precedent for distinctive architecture and continues to raise the bar with each new, upcoming project, such as the most recent addition: Tour Des Canadiens - a 48 storey sports themed tower located at The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec - making it Montreal's tallest residential building.

Read the full article by Tracy Hanes:  Achieving Great New Heights: Canderel is building the tallest residential skyscraper in Canada

Retail Shops at Aura - Taking Shape

Construction on Aura's exterior is progressing quickly as we continue to build up, but, there is also a lot of exciting developments happening down below at Aura's retail shops on the subway level.

The Food Court Services on the Subway Level.

Retail Boutiques and Services on the Subway Level.

Retail Shops on the North end of the Subway Level.

Up Top - The Retail Podium from Yonge Street.

Check back often for more progress news on Aura's retail shops.

As Temperatures Rise, So Does Aura

We are gearing up for the summer months ahead.  There's a lot of exciting progress happening inside the tower.

Corridor on the 10th floor.

Loft Suite on the 9th floor.

Interior of one of the residential elevators.

Concrete pour on the 24th floor, facing East.

A great perspective of the tower.

Keep checking back with us for more updates on Aura at College Park.

Aura by Night

Last night the city of Toronto enjoyed some cooler weather and clear skies.  Take a look at the beautful city lights from our construction webcam.

You can check out our webcam for construction progress 24 hours, 7 days a week on our website:
http://www.collegeparkcondos.com/

Aura Has a New Look for Summer Part 2

Construction of the Aura tower is now on the 22nd floor and a schedule of 1 week per floor is currently being achieved. The installation of the hydraulic windshield system (HWS) is underway at the South East corner of the tower. The HWS will enclose the working deck and provide protection for construction workers and pedestrians below, and will also serve as some eye-catching signage when looking at Aura from down the street.  The HWS will soon be seen from every side of the tower. As construction progresses and moves upwards, so will the HWS.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Aura Has a New Look for Summer

If you have walked by the Yonge and Gerrard area you may have noticed that Aura is sporting a new look.  The covered walkway at street level has been removed on Yonge Street and replaced with an overhead canopy cantilevered from the 5th floor.  This cantilevered structure is for overhead protection so that construction of the tower can continue above.  This impressive overhead canopy is unprecedented in the residential development industry, and is a critical component to allowing the retailers at street level to open for business in the upcoming months without appearing to be operating out of a construction site, and without any obstructions to the retail entrances.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Spring has sprung at Aura

Exciting developments are happening at Aura:
Just today we posted this pic on Twitter and Facebook:

People enjoying the sunshine and relaxing fountains at the Barbara Ann Scott Park which is located behind Aura at College Park.  Just a few weeks ago, this fountain was into a fabulous public skating rink.  This quiet park is one of Toronto's hidden gems!

The 5th floor terrace on the East side.  Promises to be the 'hot spot' for socializing and entertaining.

Planter Walls being installed for landscaping on the 5th floor terrace.

Getting ready to pour concrete slab on the 16th floor.

Escalator on the 2nd level of the retail podium.

View from Yonge Street.

Continue to check back with us frequently for more updates.

Yonge Street - Looking Back

If you're following us on Twitter you may have seen our tweet not too long ago about the great post we found called "100 Years of Yonge Street."  The City of Toronto archives thousands of photographs of different parts of the city and it's amazing to see the transformation of Yonge Street downtown Toronto.  We found some fascinating photos of the Yonge and Gerrard area.

A lot of hard work went into Toronto's oldest and busiest Yonge subway line which opened in 1954:

Excavation for College Subway Station 1950:



Very first Loblaw grocery store in Toronto on Yonge Street 1919:

North-East corner of Yonge and Gerrard Streets 1938:

Check back with us frequently for a more development news!



Past, Present and Future of Yonge Street

Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at 1,896 km, the construction of Yonge Street is an "Event of National Historic Significance".  Since its construction in 1794, Yonge Street has constantly been evolving and has been one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in downtown Toronto. 

Today, Aura's retail component is at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard boasting with sleek granite and glass, quickly taking shape that will soon bring in approximately 180,000 sq.ft. of premier retail shopping to the area.

Just down the street, Ryerson University will be introducing a new Student Learning Centre that will add to the vibrancy of Yonge Street.  Standing at 9 storeys high, this137,000 sq.ft. building will be located at Yonge & Gould streets that will benefit close to 34,000 students.  The Student Learning Centre is estimated to be a $110 million development and will offer approximately 20,000 sq,ft, of retail both at street level and underground.  This exciting new development will open its doors in early 2014.



Homes in the Heaven

When completed, Aura will be 272 meters high in the sky surpassing all other buildings in Toronto except for the CN Tower and the First Canadian Place - Wow!

See what other mega tall buildings dominate the planet.

Read the full story Homes in the Heavens by Susan Pigg (Toronto Star, March 22, 2012)

Aura at College Park Construction Update

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all of our followers!  It's already mid-March and it certianly feels like the cold weather days are behind us!  Construction at Aura is progressing quickly and we have another insider's look to share with you.

A view of Aura from College Park.  Construction is now on the 15th floor.

 Workers are laying out rebar on the 15th floor before pouring concrete.

Progress on the interior retail podium is moving along quickly with escalators being installed on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Along the retail portion facing Yonge Street, curtain wall windows give the exterior of the building a smooth, seamless look. 

We hope everyone has a great weekend and check back with us soon for more updates!

2012 Aura Construction Update - On Location!

Hello and Happy New Year to all of our followers!


2012 promises to be an exciting year of new Aura developments that we'll share with you along the way.

Yesterday, Catelyn from Canderel Residential got a personal tour of the Aura construction site by Reliance's Lead Superintendent, Mark Peaker, and it's all on video.

Starting on the 10th floor (the most recently constructed floor level of the building), Catelyn and Mark take you through the Aura site where you get a close up look at what's happening now and what's planned for the winter months. We also learn some interesting things about the construction process of building Canada's tallest condo.

Click here to see the tour
 
Check back with us soon for more updates.

2011 - The Best Year in Highrise Sales

The Toronto Star sponsored a roundtable discussion with a few of Toronto's real estate experts.  Danny Roth of Brandon Communications who moderated the discussion, asked the panel key questions reflecting on the what made 2011 such a successful year in the pre-construction industry, and what we should look forward to in 2012.

Canderel Residential's very own V.P. of Marketing & Sales, Riz Dhanji explains why size matters, and what retailers are doing to follow the current trends of getting their stores into the downtown core - referencing Aura's much anticipated 180,000 square feet of retail space!

Read more of Ryan Starr's "Highrise sales set records in 2011, but what lies ahead?"  12/30/2011