5.4K 
The One, located at 1 Bloor Street West in downtown Toronto, is making steady progress on its journey to becoming Canada's tallest mixed-use tower. Along the way, construction updates captured by many UrbanToronto Forum contributors, but there's one in particular whom we are going to single out in this article as the building has reached a milestone particular to him, and therefore us. Our contributor Benito, who provides a unique perspective from his vantage point in a high floor suite in the building known as 'The Uptown', has been a regular photographer of the project ever since its inception. Now, having gradually grown upwards from a deep pit in the ground, The One has surpassed the level where Benito lives.
On its way to 91 storeys, The One is set to be a mix of hotel, retail, and condo, just steps from Bloor-Yonge subway station. The project is helmed by Mizrahi Developments and designed by Foster + Partners and Core Architects. Notably, the tower's current construction phase focuses on the concrete pours above the first mechanical section, with the construction crew working on the 35th floor by mid-July.
While hundreds of photos from many members have been submitted over the last several weeks as per usual, all of the images in this report are by Benito, starting with one from June 28, where a view looking northwest across Yonge Street shows the Rail Climbing System (RCS) fully hung on the pre-installed truss on the east side. A yellow crane towers over the work so far, while green and white tarps and scaffolds hover just above the sidewalk at grade, hiding various cladding work behind them. The Uptown Residences stands overhead to the left.
Two days later, on June 30, Benito captures his balcony's eye view looking northeast. The One's height has reached Benito's eye level while it is approaching the height of 2 Bloor Street West, across the street to the immediate north, sporting the CIBC logo below left, and currently undergoing its own podium redevelopment. A sea of protective blue panels wrap around the current forming areas, while the safety netting sticks out from the building several storeys below. Beside the yellow crane, a pair of yellow construction hoists rise to all but the highest half dozen floors.
That same day, a zoomed-in view shows crew members actively working with form placement. The crane's red and white striped jib, equipped with a chain hoist, hangs overhead, while the red concrete pump awaits its next use. In the backdrop to the east, One Bloor East stands as the tallest tower in the neighbourhood — until The One eclipses it.
On July 13, Benito comes to ground level for a southwest view looking up at the tower's progress. The cladding on the east and north elevations has seen significant progress, with the reflective glass extending up to the RCS system. Despite the desaturation of colour in this skywards-aiming photo, the champagne-tinted cladding of the supercolumns and hangers still stands out. Here, the first cladding of the soffits above the huge retail windows was in place on the east side as of early July.
That same day, a close-up image of the crew at work showcases intricate operations where glazing is being applied on the north elevation of the elevator lobby. The JLG lift guides our eyes down to the crew carefully working with an hydraulic vacuum lifter, attached to a clear glass panel set to be added to the exterior.
A day later, we see that the building has now surpassed Benito's bird's eye view, showing us the rapid pace of construction. As a concrete pour takes place, the arm of the concrete pump stands out against the blue sky. This closer look gives us a better view of a grid frame and equipment on the platform several storeys below, as well as shoring poles rising up from one slab to another, left there while the concrete cures.
Most recently, on July 18, Benito captured The One now looking down at him. Within days it will match the height of the 34-storey 2 Bloor Street West. The platform deck is above Benito, while the corners are still catching up. In a couple months, the cladding may soon match the height of this viewpoint, with the tower soon to cover the CIBC logo hovering in the background.
As The One continues its rise, Benito's visual narrative tells the story, several shots at a time.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
* * *
UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
