Construction resumes on Claridge Icon condo tower
By Farah Ibrahim
The planned Claridge Icon condo tower at the south end of Little Italy is once again heading for the sky after a year-long delay in construction on the skyscraper.
When completed, the residential development at the corner of Carling and Preston streets will overlook Dows Lake near the Carling O-Train station. But construction was halted in March 2016 after Olivier Bruneau, a 24-year-old construction worker, was killed by a massive chunk of ice that fell from a wall of the deeply excavated construction pit and struck him.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour laid charges against the developer, Claridge Homes, as well as Bellai Brothers Construction Ltd., along with two work site supervisors. Tyler Doucet, the sales and marketing coordinator for Claridge Homes, declined to discuss the causes of the construction delay but said that at the current pace of building, the tower is on pace for completion by April 2020.
At a planned 45 storeys tall, the condominium project would become Ottawa’s tallest building. Construction has now reached the fourth floor.
The building’s exterior was designed by Toronto-based Hariri Pontarini, one of Canada’s most prominent architectural firms. “Each of the balconies is different,” Doucet said. “Waves organically move up the side of the building, creating a unique façade. The building is inspired from the banks of Dows Lake.
“The Icon is a part of the largest growing area of Ottawa,” Doucet added. “You have access to the entire city because the Icon is in an area where you are never far from anything.”
Mike Chatham, a manager at EVOO Greek Kitchen on Preston Street, said that while the complications at the construction site were troubling, the developers are certain to be more careful going forward. “It is concerning when they have cranes moving things around,” he said. “I’m sure they will be extra vigilant moving forward.”
Chatham said he is excited about a development that is bound to bring more business to the area. “It is really good for us. It is fantastic,” he said.
Polsia Carrozza, an employee at Vincent, a nearby clothing store, agreed that new developments like the Claridge Icon are good for local businesses.
“Any new developments are good for business,” she said. “Our store caters to the working woman, so as long as that is the demographic that moves into those condominiums, of course it is going to be good for business.”
Considering the sheer size of the development, it is not hard to imagine the community impact the project will have on the area.
“The Icon is going to bring a lot of life to that part of the city,” said Doucet. “It is going to get a lot busier…it is just going to boost the area and bring new faces.”