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As common as the cranes scattered across Toronto's skyline are the hoists that shuttle crews, material, and equipment up and down towers mid-construction. New technologies may make those construction hoists less prevalent, however, as the elevator shafts built in the cores of the towers can now be made available for construction hoists with specialized building techniques and equipment. This is how Mizrahi Developments' The One—aiming for the title of Canada's tallest building as it rises above grade at Yonge and Bloor—is to be built.
The 85-storey luxury condominium and hotel tower, designed by UK starchitects Foster + Partners working with Toronto's Core Architects, will be constructed with 21 elevators by Otis Elevator. These will include three types of elevator, with 11 being "SkyRise" elevators which will carry passengers up the tower at speeds up to 12.5 meters per second. Four of the 11 will be "SkyBuild" elevators, which will rise in step with the tower through the unfinished interior elevator shafts, and will be converted into the standard SkyRise elevators once construction is complete.
"Our crews will be using our SkyBuild elevators every day to move people and equipment around the job site, both during active construction hours as well as off-hours for cleaning and material distribution," reads a statement issued from Joshua Lax, Vice President of Development at Mizrahi Developments. "The most important and decisive factor that led us to work with Otis for this ambitious project is the SkyBuild elevator's ability to execute its floor climbs during off-hours. We're simply able to show up for work the next day ready to go—we are predicting a substantial productivity boost, based on the time we'll save with the SkyBuild system."
The building is also set to include eight "Gen2" elevators, which replace standard ropes and cables with flat-belt drive technology for a smoother ride than standard elevators. The One's central elevator core itself will also be unique, as it is structurally "floated" above the tower's flagship ground-floor retail space in a process explained in our previous construction update on the project.
The first instance UrbanToronto noted use of interior construction hoists in Toronto was when One Bloor East was built immediately across Yonge Street. It used KONE's JumpLift elevator system alongside standard exterior construction hoists. Otis' SkyBuild system is similar in concept, but adds the overnight extension capability.
Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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