A revised design for 1 Eglinton East has recently come to light, with Davpart Inc.'s showpiece Yonge & Eglinton tower slightly reduced in height to 65 storeys from 68. Height aside, the most significant changes to the Hariri Pontarini design come at the tower's base. The tower has been redesigned to meet the City's requirement to provide a one-for-one replacement of the office space in the eight-storey commercial building that now occupies the site.

The revised elevation drawing, image courtesy of Davpart Inc.

The revised design means that the tower's second storey will be reconfigured along with plans for 26 live/work units which will now be given over to commercial office space. This means that the second floor restaurant area and its wrap-around balcony have now been replaced with offices, with a new 3D elevation drawing showing a noticeable aesthetic change. Nonetheless, the slight redesign keeps the visual vocabulary of the tower intact, maintaining the spirit of the original design. The proposal still features a public piazza, with the tower pulled 10 metres back from the sidewalk along Yonge Street for approximately 24 metres.

The podium from the May renderings features a wraparound balcony on the second floor, image courtesy of Davpart Inc.

The tower's slight reduction in density will see the total number of units slightly reduced from 672 to 660, while the original design's 111,757 square feet of commercial/retail and amenity space has been expanded to more closely match the 138,929 square feet of space in the existing building. In total, however, 1 Eglinton East's height has been modestly reduced from 224 to 211 metres. 

The revised podium, image courtesy of Davpart Inc.

When the first renderings for the project were revealed at a May 11 meeting, some members of the community—including Ward 22 Councillor Josh Matlow—expressed concerns about elements of the project. The reduction of office space was a particular concern, with worries that a relative lack of commercial presence would cause the area to empty out during the workday. Height was another point of contention, with some feeling that 68 storeys—which would make the project the tallest in the area—would be too tall for the Midtown neighbourhood. The revised design addresses both of these concerns to some degree.

We will continue to keep a close eye on the project as it evolves, with renderings of the revised design expected in the coming months. In the meantime, make sure to check out our associated dataBase file for more information. Want to share your thoughts on the redesigned proposal? Leave a comment in the space below, or join in the conversation on our Forum.