February 2015
Water is the number one source of damage in condo buildings.
One early morning residents of Cinema Tower, the recently completed 43-storey condo building located behind the TIFF Bell Lightbox and down the street from the Royal Alexandra Theatre, learned how damaging water can be to their property.
Cinema Tower had a major flooding event in November 2014.
At around 3 am on a Sunday morning, residents heard water running above them and though the walls. By 4 am alarms were ringing and everyone was awake.
A stand pipe on an upper floor was gushing water. Elevators and stairs were inaccessible. With water rushing down the stairwell and into the elevator shaft, there was no safe way to exit the building.
Pictures accompanying this article show water settling on floors damaging hardwood and carpeting.
The Toronto Fire Department managed to stop the flow of water but not until after damage was done to common areas and condo suites on many floors.
Within days large drying fans were strategically placed in condo suites to dry out affected areas. These loud and large fans remained in place for days.
Baseboards were removed, floors covered and holes cut into walls to prevent future mould and further damage.
Once all moisture has dried out the repair process commenced.
Weeks later elevators were still not fully operational. Months later residents still live in a construction zone as repairs continue and the building dries out.
