Toronto One Bloor West | 308.6m | 85s | Tridel | Foster + Partners

Photos taken today, Friday (Sept. 12). A quicker note today... Some visible milestones since I posted last Friday. Two of the blue corner scaffolds at top are now gone, maybe more as I was there noonish. Maybe that means world on the crown will soon start. The external elevator now goes up to the roof, level 85, and the Rail Climbing Systems installing the building's skin have all moved up, save the west one. So, the east, north and the mini RCSs are up to level 68, west still at 67. 16 floors to go!

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With progress moving along at a reasonable rate, has there been any hint of what will go in to the base of the building (retail ground floor)? I know an Apple Store was originally planned, and the space seems perfect for that. Trying to figure out what else might go in there if the Apple deal is dead. It's a great but very unique space and I'm guessing must have a huge price tag ...
 
It's odd to say this looks stubby despite being so tall, but I'd love it if Tridel suddenly dropped a pair of radio masts on top of this. There's honestly no better place for another radio tower than right in the middle of Yonge & Bloor that could support downtown unobstructed and reach mid and uptown where the CN Tower is now getting out of view with so much in the downtown cluster.

Diagram from Stephen Velasco with added Willis Tower masts:
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nightstreak said:
It's odd to say this looks stubby despite being so tall, but I'd love it if Tridel suddenly dropped a pair of radio masts on top of this. There's honestly no better place for another radio tower than right in the middle of Yonge & Bloor that could support downtown unobstructed and reach mid and uptown where the CN Tower is now getting out of view with so much in the downtown cluster.

Diagram from Stephen Velasco with added Willis Tower masts:
View attachment 681103
Click to expand...
Are you serious? Please no
 
Koops65 said:
It's a residential building... would never happen.
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“One Bloor West is a bold new development in Toronto that will set new standards for commercial and retail accommodation in Canada.” — Foster & Partners

One Bloor West is a hotel, retail, restaurant and condominium. It’s a business. If there is an opportunity to monetize its height, Tridel would take it. It’s currently deep in red ink and landing a long term telecommunications deal could help bring it into the black.
 
Koops65 said:
It's a residential building... would never happen.
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Residential buildings all over Toronto are full of cellular antennae.

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330 Gerrard St E.

Koops65 said:
Maybe you're totally right... but I still think the chances of getting twin antennas up there are pretty slim.
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The chances of One Bloor West getting cell antennae attached to its crown even without a mast are more than 50/50. It’s common practice.

The opportunity to monetize height for long distance radio towers is only reserved for the tallest buildings in a city. Whether Tridel takes the opportunity is another thing. I hope they do, the lines on this building are conducive to 2 spires continuing beyond the crown.
 
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nightstreak said:
It's odd to say this looks stubby despite being so tall, but I'd love it if Tridel suddenly dropped a pair of radio masts on top of this. There's honestly no better place for another radio tower than right in the middle of Yonge & Bloor that could support downtown unobstructed and reach mid and uptown where the CN Tower is now getting out of view with so much in the downtown cluster.

Diagram from Stephen Velasco with added Willis Tower masts:
View attachment 681103
Click to expand...
Not likely to happen. There's only a limited number of broadcasters in any city and the CN tower and FCP likely already provide ample space for their equipment already.

nightstreak said:
Residential buildings all over Toronto are full of cellular antennae.

View attachment 681177
330 Gerrard St E.



The chances of One Bloor West getting cell antennae attached to its crown even without a mast are more than 50/50. It’s common practice.

The opportunity to monetize height for long distance radio towers is only reserved for the tallest buildings in a city. Whether Tridel takes the opportunity is another thing. I hope they do, the lines on this building are conducive to 2 spires continuing beyond the crown.
Click to expand...
You won't ever see cellular antenna on top of One Bloor West.

AM/FM/TV frequencies are such that they travel far, bend over the horizon, and diffract around obstacles. That's why to maximize coverage they build very tall towers or place them on tall structures/high land where that the signal can reach as much territory as possible. Cellular networks however use much higher frequencies (hundreds of MHz to many GHz). These don’t bend or penetrate well and are absorbed by trees, buildings or even the rain. Their effective range is much, much, shorter which is why the system is designed as a patchwork of small “cells” - hence the naming convention of "cell" phone and "cellular" network. Having many shorter towers closer to users allows the same frequencies to be reused across neighborhoods without interference and the network is built for capacity as much as coverage.

With 4G, 5G, and 6G, the trend continues higher still into millimeter waves around 24 GHz+, which travel only a few hundred meters at best. That’s why you now see antennas proliferating lower to the ground on rooftops, utility towers & poles, and even streetlights. Placing them on the tall buildings would be counterintuitive.
 
nightstreak said:
Residential buildings all over Toronto are full of cellular antennae.

View attachment 681177
330 Gerrard St E.



The chances of One Bloor West getting cell antennae attached to its crown even without a mast are more than 50/50. It’s common practice.

The opportunity to monetize height for long distance radio towers is only reserved for the tallest buildings in a city. Whether Tridel takes the opportunity is another thing. I hope they do, the lines on this building are conducive to 2 spires continuing beyond the crown.
Click to expand...
I understand that this may be your assumption, but how would you love that? It would look terrible. It’s like putting a couple of those on Big Ben or hanging a few advertising screens on the Eiffel Tower
 
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