Toronto's new country-shaped building cost $41M and is on track to open next year

The new KESKUS International Estonian Centre under construction in The Annex will be unlike any other building in Toronto, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Toronto has achieved many impressive building feats, including what was once the world's tallest freestanding structure and the first retractable-roof stadium. And, in case that wasn't enough, the city will soon add Canada's first building-shaped country to that already illustrious list of structural achievements.

Now under construction at 9 Madison Ave., the new three-storey facility will offer a new educational and cultural gathering place for the Estonian diaspora upon completion next year.

But, unlike other such facilities in Toronto, the new KESKUS centre will pay visual homage to its community with a courtyard framed by sculptural wings that form an outline of Estonia's national borders.

KESKUS/Kongats

Designed by architect Alar Kongats, KESKUS (the Estonian word for "centre," combining the words "KES/who" and "KUS/where" will house a range of functions, including an Estonian and Latvian credit union, a bistro, a music performance space, classrooms, and other community amenities.

KESKUS/Kongats

The $41 million project was greenlit at the start of 2021, with demolition following in early 2022 ahead of construction, which commenced later that year.

Early stages of construction involved the careful drilling and excavation of the site, which sits atop a Line 2 subway tunnel, followed by the construction of a foundation system bridging over the active transit infrastructure below.

As of August 2025, construction is quickly progressing on the steel structure of the building, with metal decks installed and north and south gallery decking to follow.

The metal decking now being installed will soon be topped with poured concrete to form the surfaces of the centre's upper levels.

According to a recent construction update shared by KESKUS, "The individual welding of over 2000 Nelson studs is almost complete to be ready for the concrete pour that is scheduled for August."

The formation of these steel floorplates is now providing a preview of the Estonia-shaped outline that will form the facility's central courtyard.

With the upper floors now offering views over surrounding rooftops, the project team notes that "views from the top are something to behold - the height from the rooftop garden allows the eye to graze over the tops of the Annex tree canopy and the view includes that of CN Tower to the south, and plenty of sun to the west."

Meanwhile, as work progresses on the modern structure, the existing heritage wing pre-dating the current construction is nearing the completion of its restoration process ahead of integration into the renewed complex.

The recent construction update highlights "the care and detail that has been given to the front facade to match the mortar and brick to maintain fidelity to the West Annex Heritage Conservation Plan."

Though restoration is nearly complete, the project team notes that heritage windows will be restored at a later stage of the construction process. Other work on the heritage component includes connections to the new structure in the form of openings carved into the structure for adjoining bridges.

Meanwhile, the final stages of TTC remediation work below grade have been completed, with the project team anticipating further waterproofing of underground support beams to wrap up this month.

KESKUS is expected to open in 2026.