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Canada’s tallest residential tower revealed for downtown Toronto
Hariri Pontarini Architects has revealed what’s set to become Canada’s tallest residential tower at just over 1,027 feet tall.
Slated for downtown Toronto, the 95-story project—dubbed SkyTower—will be part of a three-tower luxury condo development called Pinnacle One Yonge.
A thin, glass skyscraper protected by a crystal-like, faceted exoskeleton, Sky Tower will anchor the 4.4-million-square-foot waterfront site imagined by Canadian developer Pinnacle International. Hariri Pontarini conceived the masterplan and designed the trio of high-rise buildings that will define the lot. The first tower, the 65-story ‘Prestige,’ is currently under construction, while SkyTower, which was only just released to the public, will feature 800 units ranging from 520 square feet to 2,300 square feet and will begin its build-out soon.
According to the architects, the mega-project is meant to “densify and enhance the urban streetscape.” Located just yards away from Toronto’s CN Tower, the high-rise development will dramatically change the skyline as viewed from Lake Ontario. One Yonge will be connected to a revamped public transit system and include improved pedestrian and cycling access via widened sidewalks, a 2.5-acre public park, and an inner courtyard set between the three buildings.
At the base of SkyTower, The Prestige, and the future 80-story structure slated for the northern corner of the site, there will also be multi-level podiums connected by glass atriums, wide walkways, and international gathering spaces, per Hariri Pontarini. These areas will hold 160,000-square-feet of retail, a 50,000-square-foot community center, and a 250-room hotel. Across all of the towers, One Yonge will house over 2,200 condominiums and 1.5 million square feet of office space.
While SkyTower is vying for the title of Canada’s tallest residential complex, other projects set for various sites throughout the city are also gunning for major accolades. For example, Sidewalk Labs recently unveiled a digital model of what could become the world’s tallest tower made of timber. The company’s controversial Quayside development is supposed to be a high-tech neighborhood full of high-design, sustainable structures by firms like Snøhetta, Gensler, 3XN, Heatherwick Studios, and Michael Green Architecture, among others.
Last summer, Pelli Clarke Pelli announced its vision for a 4.3-million-square-foot megadevelopment comprised of four glassy towers and an urban park. The ground-up project is set to be built even closer to CN Tower in the adjacent Union Park and involves a slew of partners, including Adamson Associates and OJB Landscape Architecture. Hudson Yards’ very own Oxford Properties is spearheading the project.
