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At Toronto's 85-storey ‘supertall’ One Bloor West, all eyes are now concentrated on the tower’s crown, where the gradual dismantling of the Rail Climbing System (RCS) that has wrapped the building's exterior is revealing a near-complete facade. Above, structural work continues on the tuned mass damper (TMD) enclosure. UrbanToronto last provided an update in November, 2025, looking at early assembly of the crown. The Foster + Partners and Core Architects-designed tower at Yonge and Bloor streets in Yorkville is being completed by Tridel.
From Queen's Park to the southwest, the upper levels show the RCS partially dismantled, with remaining black panelized screens still enclosing portions of the highest residential levels. The tower’s megacolumn structural support system is clearly visible through the facade, with 6-storey diagonal hangers articulated across the exterior, while bands of mechanical floors separate 18 residential levels into blocks. Above, the steel structure of the TMD enclosure is complete, with exterior panels still to come. The multi-tonne TMD is a counterweight that shifts in opposition to wind-induced movement, reducing sway to preserve resident comfort.
Seen below at the far left, the crane is engaged in dismantling an RCS section, employing a suspended rig to lift a panel from the west elevation. Behind the RCS at the southwest corner, it can be seen that some windows are still to be installed.
Looking upward, that same section of the RCS is being lowered, revealing the backside of the panelized enclosure, a lattice of steel framing, bracing members, and platform decking that supported protected cladding operations. The suspended unit shows the work platforms and guardrails used by crews to install curtain wall glazing and aluminum cladding. Behind it, the tower’s south side is largely complete, with the area behind the exterior construction hoists and where the crane is attached to the structure still to be clad.
The removed section at the northwest corner exposes the transition between completed facade work and the upper levels, while the remaining black panelized screens continue to wrap the north elevation. These panels provide wind protection and a controlled working environment for crews. The underside of the RCS reveals its suspended platform decks and support brackets, which climbed the building incrementally. Beneath the RCS, the upper mechanical level is partially visible, with blue weatherproofing lining the sides of the megacolumns.
When complete, One Bloor West will stand 308.6m tall. Before its interior reconfiguration by Tridel, the building was to house 416 residential units. A new number has not been announced yet. An announcement regarding an operator for the 139-room hotel on lower levels is also anticipated.
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.
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UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
