Toronto The One | 308.6m | 85s | Tridel | Foster + Partners

Hopefully this building will help usher in a trend of no balconies on tall buildings. Beyond 20 stories, balconies are windswept and mostly useless. Why frigid Toronto - of all places - is obsessed with balconies is mind-boggling to me.

Interesting to note that several other hotel-residential towers throughout the city (Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, St Regis, Shangri-la) also do not feature wrap around balconies, or every unit having access to one.
IIRC, earlier iterations The One featured convertible indoor/outdoor spaces at every level in between the mega-columns - not quite a balcony but functionally similar and a much cleaner look. This was later scrapped in favour of the current design.

Source: https://talkcondo.s3.ca-central-1.a...17/10/the-one-condos-rendering-8-1030x672.jpg
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We haven't had a skyscraper of this quality go up since Scotia Plaza. In 1988, I didn't think I'd have to wait 35 years to see another as good although CIBC Square deserves a mention.
CIBC Square is easily the nicest office tower since Scotia Plaza or Brookfield Place.

In terms of residential buildings, I don't think anything comes close to this beauty.
 
My turn: Photos taken April 10th, 2023:

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Now we're going to step back and look at this one from Yorkville Avenue, including some zoomed views of the work up top:

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Now we're moving on to shoot from Cumberland:

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Now back to Yonge/Bloor:

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Finishing up, two from Balmuto to track the ongoing disappearance of One Bloor East from view:

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Just love the depth of the diagrid and mega-columns cladding... married to that smokey glazing, this will be stunning @ 85 storeys (or 94 ;-).

Very 3D 🙃.
 
CIBC Square is easily the nicest office tower since Scotia Plaza or Brookfield Place.

In terms of residential buildings, I don't think anything comes close to this beauty.


I'm not sure that's true. 160 Front can go toe to toe with CIBC square. The only time I like CIBC Square more then 160 Front is a dusk.
 
Hopefully this building will help usher in a trend of no balconies on tall buildings. Beyond 20 stories, balconies are windswept and mostly useless. Why frigid Toronto - of all places - is obsessed with balconies is mind-boggling to me.

personally i love balconies. i was on the 26th floor and loved my balcony. i used it daily (not to store tires). in the spring and summer my balcony door was open pretty much 24hrs to bring the sounds and breeze into my unit and it gave me a great open air feeling to me unit. i had my morning coffee on it. During COVID, i was working on it with my laptop.

there's a case for balconies. if there wasn't, you wouldn't see so many being offered.
 
personally i love balconies. i was on the 26th floor and loved my balcony. i used it daily (not to store tires). in the spring and summer my balcony door was open pretty much 24hrs to bring the sounds and breeze into my unit and it gave me a great open air feeling to me unit. i had my morning coffee on it. During COVID, i was working on it with my laptop.

there's a case for balconies. if there wasn't, you wouldn't see so many being offered.


I agree. I don't like the looks of them on buildings, but if I lived in an apartment or condo I much prefer that I have one.
 
personally i love balconies. i was on the 26th floor and loved my balcony. i used it daily (not to store tires). in the spring and summer my balcony door was open pretty much 24hrs to bring the sounds and breeze into my unit and it gave me a great open air feeling to me unit. i had my morning coffee on it. During COVID, i was working on it with my laptop.

there's a case for balconies. if there wasn't, you wouldn't see so many being offered.
You may use yours, but you are definitely an exception. Most balconies in high rises, particularly high up, are underused, and they drive a lot of heat out of the apartment in the winter. Many of the benefits you list could be provided by windows or vents, or communal spaces with balconies.

One of the main reasons they are added to apartments in Toronto is to artificially inflate the square footage of the floorplan. I suspect that balcony square footage helps sell the apartments to investors, who are just looking at numbers and floorplans, and who never intend to live there.
 
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