A mountain range-shaped condo development is proving to be one of the hottest new architectural additions to the city, arriving in an era of the Toronto development scene dominated by tall towers and megacomplexes.

A sprawling artificial mountainscape known as King Toronto is well under construction at 489 King St. W., between Spadina and Portland.

The unique addition is soon to redefine this block with what will almost certainly be one of the city's most revered architectural landmarks, and its visual appeal is already evident to passersby.

Work on the new 16-storey complex from developers Westbank Corp and Allied Properties REIT has been underway since mid-2020, and after almost four years of construction, its mountainous massing is emerging above a group of preserved heritage buildings and facades.

The condo development marks the first Toronto commission for acclaimed Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group, or BIG.

Looking south to KING Toronto. Photo by Becky Robertson.

And, despite the modest height, it's a commission that is already changing the face of King Street West with its 140-metre-long frontage along the busy artery — a length comparable to the height of a 40-storey residential tower.

Looking south to KING Toronto. Photo by Becky Robertson.

According to a recent Winter 2024 update shared by the project team, the building currently stands ten storeys tall, and the forming of its sawtooth-edge floorplates is expected to reach a final height of almost 58 metres within the coming months.

Aerial views of the construction site. Photos via Westbank/Allied.

Construction crossed an important milestone during the first week of February, when crews began to install the first panels of curtainwall glazing to seal off the building's exterior.

Looking west to KING Toronto. Photo by Becky Robertson.

The more prominent glass block facades are expected to begin installation in the coming weeks, and crews predict these features will be visible to passersby by the end of March.

King Street heritage facades incorporated into KING Toronto. Photo by Becky Robertson.

Despite the outward appearance of an imposing massif, the building features a hollowed-out core, providing space for a large courtyard and allowing light to reach the interior of the cluster.

Looking north to KING Toronto from Wellington Street. Photo by Becky Robertson.

A massive multi-storey opening through the large block will allow foot traffic to filter through the site, linking King Street in the north with a new cat-themed park that will be constructed to the south, from the same designers of Toronto's iconic dog fountain.