Construction has begun on the building that will house the new Globe and Mail offices, among others, on King Street East.
"We're now underway," says David Gerofsky, president of First Gulf, the commercial real estate arm of Great Gulf Homes, of which he's CEO. "Foundation, excavation and shoring will begin cirtually immediately, and it will be continuous construction for the next three years for completion in the spring of 2016."
The new 500,000 square foot glass tower, a curtain-wall construction, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt. There will be four levels of underground parking and a raised floor system that allows for the heating and ventilation system to be installed underfloor. A boon to Globe journos and possibly to smokers, there will also be 20,000 square feet of terraces.
The site contained the foundation of
one of Toronto’s oldest houses, built in 1794, the year after the city was founded. Artefacts were found on the construction site, which Gerofsky says will become part of a display, possibly in the building's lobby.
The construction budget for the building is about $250 million.
Gerofsky says the buildings other major tenant has been signed and will be announced as early as this week.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: David Gerofsky