During the winter break, graduate students from the University of Toronto’s Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering (CivMin) participated in a structural engineering tour of the construction site for The One.
The February 20 tour began with a presentation at the SKYGRiD office by alumna Cora Pulnicki (MEng 1T8), who is the project’s structural design engineer with RJC. Presenters also included SKYGRiD construction manager Giancarlo Fucile (CivE 9T7 + PEY), RJC associate Dr. Andrew Voth (CivE 0T4, CivMin PhD 1T0), as well as David DeVisser and Corneil Byl, engineers from the project’s steel fabricator Walters Group Inc..
Reflecting on the tour, CivMin Professor Packer says, “It’s a good reminder that structural design has a real outcome – it actually results in a physical building – which gives a tremendous sense of pride for the designers, but it’s also a great responsibility.
The pinnacle of the tour was a visit to the 74th floor of The One, offering spectacular vistas over the downtown core and Lake Ontario. Once completed, the tower will be Canada’s tallest residential building and its first supertall skyscraper – exceeding 300 metres – as defined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The revised height stands at 308.6 metres (1,013 feet) with 85 storeys. The structure is centred around a 100-by-100-foot retail space featuring soaring 37-foot ceilings, with no interior or corner columns, showcasing its unique structural system and inclined struts.
Commenting on the value of the experience for students, Prof. Packer reflects, “Seeing how a record-breaking tower gets built – even on the coldest days of winter – and finding our very own alumni presenting on their design and construction roles offered a unique perspective.”
By Galina Nikitina