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On the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor in Downtown Toronto, every step in the complex construction process of Mizrahi Developments' The One has been exciting to watch and narrate. Now, the building has reached another important milestone—its first exterior finishing material is being installed—the very precisely made glass that will ensconce The One's soaring flagship retail space.
Manufactured by sedak GmbH of Gersthofen, Germany, the massive glazing units are 109.34mm thick, and made up of 6 sheets of 12mm-tick laminated glass with a low-E coating, sandwiching a 16mm insulated air space and 2 sheets of 8mm-thick laminated glass on the inside. A typical unit is 2388mm (7'10") wide by 11521mm (37' 9") high.
With a typical weight of 6,346 kilograms, the units require specialized equipment to lift them into place: a mobile hydraulic crane is assisted by a glass vacuum lifter with 60 suction mounts, while crews fix the panels to internal mounting with the help of a scissor lift.
Sam Mizrahi, President of Mizrahi Developments tells us, "We are so proud to reach this milestone for the ground floor glass cladding to commence… This is truly a one-of-a-kind glass in Canada and it adds to the Jewelry of the Building in regards to the architectural details and the engineering. There is nothing like it Canada. This is high definition glass."
With all of the retail glass having arrived in Toronto and being stored offsite, units will be delivered on a daily basis for installation, with the last units expected to be installed by August 30. In the meantime, Mizrahi is working on its next milestone, arranging the rebar for a transfer slab on the fifth floor. To be completed in two pours, the first will take place on July, 12 and the second on July, 15.
Designed by UK-based architects Foster + Partners with Toronto's Core Architects, the project has been captivating UrbanToronto audiences for its sheer scale, its contemporary High Tech design that incorporates an atypical structural exoskeletal support system, and the developer's engagement in a height race for the title of Canada's tallest building, evocative of the Depression-era Manhattan race for the skies. Approved at 85 storeys and a height of 308.6 metres—taller than the current title holder of First Canadian Place at 298 metres—Mizrahi Developments is seeking a height increase that would see The One top off at 94 storeys and 338.3 metres high. This would bring its peak above the 312.5-metre SkyTower at Pinnacle One Yonge, now in the early stages of construction a couple kilometres to the south.
You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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ED NOTE: This story has been updated with more information regarding the glass and the transfer slab pour, and correcting a photo attribution.
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