13K 
About five weeks ago, the team at UrbanToronto donned hard hats to weave through the forest of concrete and steel that characterizes the construction site of The One, an exclusive tour that provided us with an inside look at progress on the Mizrahi Developments project at Toronto’s Yonge and Bloor intersection, including an update from developer Sam Mizrahi himself. Now, we’re catching up with the month's worth of construction since, this time focusing on exterior changes.
The building, designed by Foster + Partners and Core Architects, is on way to becoming a supertall, and just ascended to skyscraper status in November, having crossed the 150 metre threshold.
Below, looking north up Yonge Street with a telephoto lens, the tower's climb continues with the articulated arm of the concrete pump extending from the centre of the tower to where the latest batch of liquid concrete is flowing into forms. Both the top three-or-four floors and another four floors below — with a gap of four floors between — are surrounded by auto-climbing formwork, the bright blue walls providing weather and fall protection for the workers inside. While the the uppermost section creates the building in a cruciform shape, the lower section is used to square off the building, filling in the corners with more floor slab. The corner sections are supported from 'hangers', canted steel members that extend from the super columns every six floors. The hangers can be made out in a few spaces in the image below.
Below, looking east along Bloor Street, we get a look at progress on the lower floors too. Here close to ground level, the lower elevator volume dominates, currently covered in two stages of insulating materials, all of it awaiting its exterior finishes. Behind it, the lowest levels of the tower are now completed sealed in by glazing, and the hangers expressed on the exterior by champagne-coloured frames. Above the completed floors, another weather protection measure wraps about six-storeys worth of the tower. This time in black, the Rail Climbing System (RCS) is in use to facilitate the installation of the building's window panels and frames. The RCS, applied in sections to the west, north, and east walls — the south side where the crane and hoists are attached does not have an RCS section — can be raised independently on each wall. This is image, the west RCS hangs just above the 11th floor, while the north RCS, which we see in side view, is positioned just above the 12th.
Below, looking up from the constrained vantage point of the alleys that access the west side of The One, we see the boom of a red knuckle picker being used for the ongoing installation of the building envelope sections. To the right, steel tubing partially hides windows in the building's south podium.
Below, a snow-dusted scene showcases the tower amidst a flurry of construction from the corner of Yonge and Bloor. Here, the east RCS to the left is a couple of storeys ahead of the north RCS on the right.
Below, this southwestward perspective offers a snowy view of the tower's eastern side, with glazing completed up to the 14th floor.
Below, from the vantage point of a high-floor suite at One Bloor East, we get a look at the intricacies at the top of the tower, with the blue forms having moved up another level, and the central core of the building about three floors further advanced than the surrounding floor plates. The 47th floor is being prepared for its concrete pour, with rebar and conduits being laid in advance of being encased in liquid concrete.
The One now stretches over half way towards its eventual height of 328.4m and 91 storeys. It will introduce 647 residential units to the heart of the city, along with a hotel and retail spaces.
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.
