Designs revealed for ‘The One’ in Toronto

Designs were recently unveiled in Toronto for ‘The One’, an 80-storey mixed-use tower on a prominent downtown site at One Bloor West, which pioneers a new model of vertical retail in the city. Designed by Foster + Partners and rising to 318 metres, it will be Toronto’s second tallest building after CN Tower’s 553 metres, and the tallest habitable building.

Image © Foster + Partners

The One combines a residential tower with a retail base, which is integrated with the city’s underground pedestrian ‘PATH’ network. The base comprises nine levels of shops, cafes and restaurants, arranged around a soaring 60-metre atrium.

Image © Foster + Partners

A flexible ‘urban room’ is elevated two storeys above the street, protected from the weather and accessed by two express escalators. The apartments are reached via a glass bridge at level 12, and incorporate winter-gardens with panoramic city views. In contrast to the typical glass residential tower with shallow balconies, the façade is characterized by warm metallic tones and a distinctive bronze exoskeleton frame, which transforms as the tower rises to articulate the change in function.

*All images and information courtesy of Foster + Partners.