Construction continues on the distinctive crown of One Bloor West, the 85-storey supertall at Yonge and Bloor streets in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, according to an October 2026 update from UrbanToronto. Designed by Foster + Partners and Core Architects and being completed by developer Tridel, the tower has advanced its exterior enclosure since UrbanToronto's July 2026 report. The Yorkville site gives Ontario glazing contractors a high-profile reference for curtain wall execution on a supertall structure.
UrbanToronto reported that a view southwest across the intersection shows largely continuous curtain wall glazing across the north and east elevations, framed by anodized aluminum-clad megacolumns and six-storey diagonal hangers. Recessed mechanical sections punctuate the stacked residential volumes. The report does not provide a percentage of enclosure, but the language points to a facade that is now substantially closed on its main exposures.
At the base, tall glazed bays and broad cladding panels enclose commercial levels planned for retail and hotel uses. Red Tridel branding spans the street-level hoarding and lower-floor glazing, with a narrow strip of white weatherproofing exposed beside the ground-floor enclosure to the right, according to UrbanToronto.
Upper floors and the open south strip
The exterior now appears substantially enclosed, including the uppermost six-storey residential volume that remained partially open in July. A south-facing strip behind the crane mast remains to be glazed: plywood barriers close slab-edge openings to approximately the 65th floor, while exposed concrete slabs and temporary guardrails follow through the highest residential levels. Steel crane ties bridge the mast and tower at intervals along that strip.
White weatherproofing remains exposed beside the black louvres of the upper mechanical section, and rooftop steel subframes await exterior panels, UrbanToronto reported. The report does not estimate a date for completing that strip. The presence of crane ties suggests final glazing along the south line cannot proceed until the mast is removed or adjusted, but UrbanToronto stops short of stating that sequence explicitly.
Mechanical louvres and cladding details
A close-up of the first two-storey mechanical section at floors 17 and 18 highlights deep horizontal louvres that screen equipment behind roofs edged with glass balustrades. Anodized aluminum cladding features regularly spaced panel joints and finished soffits beneath the projecting residential floors. Triangulated crane ties cross the foreground, anchored through the unfinished strip, while green weatherproofing and exposed concrete mark incomplete enclosure work served by scaffolding and temporary guardrails.
For glazing contractors, the close-up offers a useful view of how louvred mechanical sections integrate with adjacent curtain wall and edge-of-slab details. UrbanToronto's description does not include performance data such as thermal or air-leakage values, so those remain outside the update.
Crown access equipment comes down
Across the west and north elevations, the long west-side Rail Climbing System (RCS) truss and remaining north-side climbing units have been dismantled, clearing the crown of the facade installation system. Metal framing is visible between the megacolumns where penthouse suites will get top-floor interior space beside corner terraces, UrbanToronto said.
A recent drone view at sunset shows completed panels covering the Tuned Mass Damper chamber’s east-facing wall. Below, framing is underway for the four penthouse top-level interior lounge spaces, each with a corner terrace. The RCS removal and the covered damper wall are the clearest signals in the update that the crown enclosure has moved past the main facade-access stage.
Enclosure status at a glance
- North and east elevations: largely continuous curtain wall glazing framed by anodized aluminum-clad megacolumns and six-storey diagonal hangers.
- South-facing strip behind the crane mast: plywood barriers to approximately the 65th floor, with exposed concrete slabs and temporary guardrails above.
- Base: tall glazed bays and broad cladding panels for retail and hotel uses, with red Tridel branding.
- Mechanical sections: deep horizontal louvres at floors 17 and 18; white weatherproofing and black louvres at the upper mechanical section.
- Crown: west-side RCS truss and north-side climbing units dismantled; Tuned Mass Damper chamber east-facing wall covered with completed panels.
Hotel and unit counts still pending
Standing 308.6 metres tall, One Bloor West was to contain 416 residential units before Tridel's interior reconfiguration. A revised total and an operator for the planned 139-room hotel on the lower levels have yet to be announced, according to UrbanToronto.
Reading the enclosure for Canadian glazing work
The UrbanToronto update does not discuss Ontario Building Code compliance, CSA A440 performance classes, or NAFS ratings. For Canadian glazing professionals, the project is nevertheless a live reference for how a supertall curtain wall system is sequenced: continuous glazing goes in across the main elevations, open strips remain behind crane ties, mechanical louvres are integrated with glass balustrades, and the crown is cleared of access equipment as panels close the damper chamber. Those observations rest on the source text; the code and standard references are background only, not claims about this building.
What the update leaves open
UrbanToronto does not report a revised unit total, a hotel operator, or a completion date for the remaining south strip. It also does not describe any glazing system manufacturer, fabricator, or installer by name. For Canadian glazing readers looking to benchmark the project, those gaps mean the update is best read as a progress snapshot rather than a technical specification sheet. The source text offers no U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient, or air leakage figure for the curtain wall, and this article does not add any. Readers can follow further updates through UrbanToronto's database file. The update is based on site photography and reporting.