Construction is officially underway on an innovative building on Toronto’s eastern waterfront.

Developers Hines, an international real-estate company, hosted a small groundbreaking ceremony on July 27 to mark the occasion. Also participating were federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna, provincial Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott, Toronto Mayor John Tory and representatives from Hines and Waterfront Toronto.

The project is dubbed T3 Bayside. It is the first of two twin heavy-timber office buildings on the site. The building will feature an innovative and highly sustainable mass timber structure, and market-leading amenities.

“With the groundbreaking of T3 Bayside today, we deliver on the commitment we made to Waterfront Toronto and to the City of Toronto to bring employment use to the water’s edge” said Hines’ senior marketing director Avi Tesciuba. “We are humbled and proud of the role Bayside has played in kick starting a whole wave of development along the eastern waterfront as we deliver a truly mixed-use community that will also include affordable rental housing, a day care facility and a recreation center.”

T3 Bayside is the latest in a global series of creative, mass timber workplaces built by Hines. Phase one will bring 251,000 square feet of commercial office space to Toronto’s eastern waterfront in early 2023, and feature 30,000-square-foot floorplates. The buildings were designed by Danish architects 3XN, after the studio emerged as the winner of an international design competition. CBRE Limited has been awarded the marketing and leasing of Phase One.

“The work we do focuses on building complete communities,” said Waterfront Toronto president and CEO George Zegarac. “We are building a waterfront where everyone can access the water, lush green park spaces to enjoy, places for all kinds of families to call home. T3 Bayside is a great example of the innovative approach we have taken over the past two decades to promote environmental sustainability as part of the foundation of our development projects.”

Once complete, Bayside Toronto will include two million square feet of new residential housing, including market condominiums and affordable housing, modern office space, shopping and restaurant destinations and cultural venues, along with a newly activated and engaging public realm.

“I am proud that our city is supporting projects like T3 Bayside that will not only enhance our Waterfront but contribute to our growing economy by creating new jobs and office and retail space,” said Tory.