Curious as to how you build a tower overtop of an existing tower while that tower remains fully occupied with offices? The steel columns will encircle the existing occupied tower and provide support for the addition to be built on top.
CORE Architect’s design for this intensification project includes major enhancements to the existing 18 storey office building by incorporating a striking new facade, exterior skin, and a distinctive, sophisticated three storey podium. The project includes the addition of 37 storeys of residential condominiums and shared amenity space above the existing office structure for a total of 55 storeys. Approximately 453 residential units are proposed within a mix of one-bedroom to three-bedroom family units. Two full floors will be dedicated to shared amenity space.
The total area of office space within the existing building is proposed to be retained as part of the development intensification project. The ground floor of the three storey podium will continue to accommodate retail and service commercial uses accessible from University Avenue.
The recessed footprint of the existing building enabled the structural engineers to introduce new vertical structural steel columns all along the exterior face of the building on all four exposures that go vertically down to sound rock. These new vertical structure columns surrounding the existing building will support the new residential floors independently of the existing building structure.
There are also new horizontal perimeter steel beams along the face of the existing building exterior and cross bracing to attract the lateral load from the additional residential floors. Long span transfer beams will be utilized in the 20th floor. These transfer beams will distribute the load of the new tower directly to the new vertical steel structure that surrounds the existing building. The new vertical structure will go down to the foundation rock without stressing any of the existing structure
I liked the brutalist design, but this concept for building around existing office space sounds like an innovative challenge, with this process for a new exterior being pretty interesting.
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