Forming of The Dawes’ 38-storey south tower has reached its mechanical penthouse, according to UrbanToronto. The Arcadis-designed development for Marlin Spring Developments and Osmington, rising east of Rushden Station near Main Street and Danforth GO in Toronto’s Danforth Village, has progressed toward topping off since UrbanToronto’s May 2026 update. Construction of the 24-storey north tower is still to follow.
Although a 2024 Minor Variance approved 43 storeys for the south tower, an April 2026 Site Plan Approval resubmission returned to the originally Ontario Land Tribunal-approved 38 storeys, UrbanToronto reported. That means the current forming and cladding work is proceeding on the lower, tribunal-approved height. Once complete, The Dawes’ north and south towers will rise 83.7m and 143.91m respectively, delivering 688 condominium units, according to UrbanToronto.
Cladding pace from July to September
Photographed in July 2026, reflective vision glazing and opaque spandrel panels within white framing and mullions covered approximately 10 storeys above the tower’s substantial concrete transfer slab, according to UrbanToronto. That month, the south tower stood approximately 36 storeys tall, with a crane above perimeter formwork and decking for the 37th-floor slab. The broad east elevation revealed an elongated floor-plate with narrow north and south faces, and glazing and spandrel glass were interrupted by balcony stacks and a contrasting vertical band of light-coloured panels surrounding dark glazing. Projecting balconies retain red temporary guardrails beneath the unclad upper frame, and a construction hoist is visible on the east elevation.
In late August, west elevation cladding reached approximately 13 storeys above the podium, with balcony guards another two floors higher, UrbanToronto reported. Exposed slab edges continued above, with tall rebar projecting beneath the tower crane. At the base, substantial transfer slabs bridged open structural bays, while the podium extended northward toward the second crane. The second crane will support construction of the 24-storey north tower.
This month, an elevated view shows cladding reaching approximately the 21st floor, with residential floors completed and formwork and decking outlining the final mechanical penthouse levels, according to the same UrbanToronto update.
- July 2026: glazing and spandrel panels covered approximately 10 storeys above the concrete transfer slab, while the tower stood approximately 36 storeys tall.
- Late August 2026: west elevation cladding reached approximately 13 storeys above the podium, with balcony guards another two floors higher.
- September 2026: cladding reached approximately the 21st floor, with residential floors completed.
Even without an installer name or a glazing schedule, the sequence is useful for trade contractors tracking Toronto envelope work. The reflective vision glazing and opaque spandrel panels sit within white framing and mullions, and the broad east elevation is broken by balcony stacks and a contrasting vertical band of light-coloured panels around dark glazing. Those details suggest a window wall or curtain wall package with spandrel zones rather than a pure vision-glass curtain wall, though UrbanToronto does not state the system type.
Heritage grain elevator and podium details
From Dawes Road in August 2026, heritage restoration has brought dark-framed glazing to the retained and restored 1906 grain elevator and adjoining buff-brick facade, UrbanToronto noted. The buff-brick facade features shallow arched window heads and pale projecting sills, along with decorative brick banding. The grain elevator’s lower walls retain an unfinished surface around new windows, while the central entrance remains open.
The six-storey podium combines cylindrical supports, pale precast panels, and bays awaiting glazing. A boom lift reached the third floor in July, according to UrbanToronto. Concrete columns support the tower over the restored grain elevator, where scaffold wrapping removal revealed brown corrugated-metal siding, adjoining brickwork, and stripped lower walls with exposed window openings.
South elevation step-backs and north tower
South elevation step-backs around the 35th and 38th floors form terraces edged by concrete parapets. One crane rises above the crown, while another stands over the north tower footprint, where the first elevated slab has been formed beside the connecting podium. To the west, Rushden Station's three towers border the Lakeshore East rail corridor beside Danforth GO station.
Looking southwest from Danforth Avenue, the narrow north elevation features a central balcony stack with pale guard panels between dark glazed bays framed by white vertical strips. Below, the podium’s open structural bays extend northward to a broad concrete end wall, partly obscured by Danforth Avenue storefronts. The blue crane mast marks the future north tower’s location closer to Danforth.
What the milestone signals for Toronto cladding crews
The update does not identify the glazing manufacturer or the specific window-wall or curtain-wall specification. For Canadian glazing and metal contractors, however, the visible progression from approximately 10 storeys in July to roughly the 21st floor this month offers a concrete read on how quickly a Toronto high-rise residential envelope can move once transfer-slab work clears the lower floors. High-rise residential window wall and curtain wall assemblies in Ontario are generally evaluated under the Ontario Building Code and CSA A440, though this project’s heritage restoration component adds sequencing pressure around the retained grain elevator. ENERGY STAR Canada criteria may also inform the glazing selection, though the update does not state which performance path Marlin Spring Developments has targeted.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on the development, and its database file and project forum thread provide additional details on the Marlin Spring Developments and Osmington project. The publication’s research service, UTPro, tracks construction projects across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and New Development Insider follows projects from initial application. The update also includes photographs from July, August, and this month.