Case Study: Akelius Canada Ltd renovates historic 533 College Street headquarters with Thornton Tomasetti

Akelius Canada Ltd renovates 45,000 ft² Toronto headquarters with Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design services to Akelius Canada Ltd. for the gut renovation of their historic Toronto building, which was to become the firm's Canadian headquarters. The project's challenges included renovating the historic brick masonry and heavy timber structure while some existing tenants continued to operate, requiring significant coordination for construction sequencing and temporary works to maintain access.

The solution from Thornton Tomasetti included designing a new steel transfer frame to lower the basement slab by four feet, underpinning wall footings with shotcrete, and founding new steel columns on helical pile groups. They also completely rebuilt the stairs and elevator shaft to serve a new rooftop deck. This allowed Akelius to occupy the upper floors with a more spacious basement and a new deck for corporate activities, successfully transforming the historic manufacturing building into a modern commercial headquarters.

Akelius Canada Ltd