In the residential construction world, one goal stands above all: delivering homeowners their dream homes as quickly and safely as possible, while maintaining the highest standards of quality. For Metropia, Capital Developments and RioCan Living, this guiding principle shaped the planning for the world-class 11 Yorkville condominium, and PCL was determined to bring that vision to life.

Nestled in Toronto’s one-of-a-kind Yorkville district, 11 Yorkville is a new 65-story luxury residential tower situated on one of the most recognizable and marquee streets in the city. Spanning 717,000 square feet, the building consists of 698 premium suites, best-in-class amenities and a two-story retail space.

The project broke ground in the fall of 2020, with the initial construction schedule targeting early 2025 for first occupancy. When the client challenged the team to advance that milestone to the end of 2024, PCL and its partners calibrated a revised schedule, using their collective expertise to navigate the project's scale and complexity.

Leveraging strong relationships, collaboration and determination, PCL and a team of expert partners and consultants achieved occupancy of the first 19 floors just 10 weeks after beginning mechanical systems installation, allowing residents to move in much earlier than scheduled — a rare feat. 

When the structural phase of construction was completed in August 2024, the countdown to year-end occupancy began. With the crane scheduled for dismantling by November, the team faced a tight timeline to transition from formwork to commissioning. The formwork trade partners needed to demobilize before mechanical and electrical partners could begin their critical work. However, turnover delays pushed the commissioning start date to October 2024.

“Phased occupancy on a project is critical — it can make or break the overall project schedule,” explains Jeff Anttila, senior project manager.

In order to achieve occupancy, a building must be deemed structurally and architecturally sound, and fit for its intended use. In the case of a residential tower, suites need to be completed, and the building’s mechanical and electrical systems need to be commissioned and operating as intended. Anttila explains that process typically takes 20 to 24 weeks.

“Despite the late start, the team completed the installation and commissioning activities and provided all documentation to be ready for the city’s inspection in less than eight weeks,” says Anttila. “After two weeks of inspections, we achieved occupancy in just under 10 weeks. Reaching this milestone in such a short amount of time is unheard of.”

So how did the team execute early completion on such a massive project? From groundbreaking to occupancy, strong relationships proved to be the team’s greatest asset. By prioritizing trust and open communication, the team fostered a strong partnership between PCL and the building inspector, ensuring a smooth approval process throughout the project.

“We built a strong level of trust with the inspector assigned to our project,” says Ziad Khaled, construction manager. “He trusted that any deficiencies that he pointed out would be promptly corrected, as our team consistently demonstrated this commitment from the beginning of the project.”

Due to the building's height, the crane remained in use during the occupancy process to safely complete window installations at the top — a rare occurrence at this stage. Building inspectors are often hesitant to initiate occupancy when a crane is still on-site, as it can suggest the building is unfinished. However, despite the crane still being in place, the first 19 floors were completed and ready for inspection.

“Typically, the building inspector will come by once to point out any deficiencies and will not return until every deficiency is complete,” explains Khaled. “The building inspector was keen on returning to the site whenever it was needed to make sure any concerns were mitigated.”

It was vital that all trade partners fully understood the expectations and were committed to delivering excellence. The PCL team worked closely with each partner to ensure each requirement was met before the building inspector was called to the site.

“It was important for us to complete our due diligence before we expected the building inspector to come back to the site,” says Anttila. “Despite the fast-track schedule, we kept to PCL’s quality standards at every point. We implemented a thorough quality assurance and quality control process, where any potential concerns were identified and corrected. We were determined to embody PCL’s mantra of building it right, once.”

With such an ambitious schedule, it was imperative that everyone involved bought into the accelerated occupancy timeline and stayed motivated to reach the milestone on time. The client led by example.

“The owner was on our side and was determined to do whatever it took to make this process as easy for us as possible,” says Arnie Kalnins, residential manager. “Whether it was making quick decisions or overcoming any obstacles, Metropia, Capital Developments and RioCan Living created a clear runway for PCL to achieve this milestone.”

Through trust, teamwork, and a shared vision, PCL and its partners turned a complex challenge into a remarkable success.