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Often referred to as the city's most important, the intersection of Yonge and Bloor is being transformed by high density projects; its current centrepiece, Great Gulf Homes' One Bloor East, is rising on the south-east corner.
A milestone was passed a few weeks ago when the structure became taller than its Two Bloor East neighbour, reaching 46 floors for a height of approximately 150 metres. Now dominating the area, the Hariri Pontarini-designed condominium tower still has 29 more floors or approximately 100 additional metres to go before topping off at 257 metres, but already the building can be seen from several vantage points in the city. The tower now clearly overtakes the existing buildings around the intersection and has now become visible from Midtown, as in the photo below, from Yonge and St Clair.
Harsh temperatures since the beginning of the year have somewhat slowed down the construction process of late across Toronto, so like other towers, this $450 million project is rising at a more moderate pace compared to warmer months. Despite that, along with the concrete, the tower's curtain wall glazing has made its way higher since our last update, and it is getting easier to appreciate both its high quality and reflectivity, especially on sunny days. We can't wait for the balconies' translucent white-fritted glass to be put in place on the floors above the podium to highlight the unique curves and shape of the structure.
On the podium levels, insulation and waterproofing has been applied on the terraces, protecting the interiors below from leaks that could damage the interior finishes.
Once complete in 2016, the tower will bring 100,000 sq. ft. of new prime retail on three levels, and add 732 new residential suites to the neighbourhood, while targeting the LEED environmental certification.
We will be back with periodic updates on One Bloor East. In the meantime, additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. If you want to get involved in the discussion, you can check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.
