It has been a little while since we last caught up with One Bloor East, Great Gulf Homes’ flagship 75-storey condominium tower under construction at the southeast corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets, and a highly anticipated project we have been following since well before ground was broken. Through the massive excavation and shoring operation, the subsequent race to ground level and the current podium construction, excitement has been mounting for the Hariri Pontarini-designed tower to begin its ascent high up into our skyline.

One Bloor East viewed from the northwest corner of Yonge and Bloor, image by Jack Landau

Before the project can kick into high gear with the repetitive typical floorplates of the tower, crews must first finish constructing the tower’s seven-storey podium. While the construction of tower podiums can be inherently complicated with non-repeating interior layouts, building the irregular shaped floorplates on One Bloor East’s podium requires a great deal of extra work and precision than a typical orthogonal design would involve. The podium’s northern and western frontage currently stands two storeys above grade, and what you see above is just a hint of what's to come. As a quick reminder, here's what is on the way from a similar vantage point:

Rendering depicting One Bloor East's podium from Yonge and Bloor, image courtesy of Great Gulf

Some UrbanToronto contributors have been complaining lately that construction on One Bloor East’s podium seems a tad slower than most box-shaped tower bases. Chalk that up to the undulating curving north and west elevations: a closer look at the Bloor Street East frontage reveals the first curves there. The location of this complicated concrete edge can be easily compared in the following photo and in rendering below it.

Curved concrete edges on the north side of the podium, image by Jack Landau

Rendering depicting the north side of One Bloor East's podium

While progress on the northern half of the site has only reached the second floor, the simpler rectilinear southern frontage along Hayden Street has jumped out in front, with concrete now being poured on the fourth floor.

Podium construction on the project's south side, image by Jack Landau

Concrete delivery for a column on One Bloor East's fourth floor, image by Jack landau

The multi-level "Green P" parking structure on the south side of Hayden Street has provided a great aerial vantage point of the One Bloor East construction site ever since ground was broken on the project. With concrete on One Bloor’s podium now roughly level with the roof of the parking garage, wide angle lenses and photo-stitching are required to get the entire site in frame from this vantage point, truly highlighting the scale of this project.

Panorama of One Bloor East construction site, image by Jack Landau

Slated for completion in 2015, the $450 million, 844 foot tall project will bring 100,000 square-feet of new retail and 789 residential units to the Yonge and Bloor intersection. Until then, additional project information, including building facts, renderings and floorplans, can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or voice your opinion using the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.