Record-breaking 106-storey mega-scraper in Toronto crosses huge milestone
The gargantuan Pinnacle SkyTower is fast approaching its final 106-storey height at the foot of Yonge Street, and the instant Toronto landmark just crossed an impressive milestone on its way to becoming Canada's new tallest building.
Vancouver-based developer Pinnacle International is shaking up the city skyline in a way not seen since the transformative boom of the 1970s, and postcard views of the downtown cityscape will never be the same again as the city's most prominent landmark in generations rises to a record-breaking height.
Just a few months ago, Canada was home to a grand total of 0 "supertall" skyscrapers, which, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), are buildings at or exceeding 300 metres in height. Now, there are two of them — and they're both Toronto condo towers.
What does that mean in practical terms? Absolutely nothing. Do people still care about this seemingly meaningless designation? Of course they do.
But how did we get to this moment of monumental changes for the city's skyline?
After years of ambitious plans and buildings constructed just metres shy of supertall status, a real race for the title of Canada's new tallest emerged in Toronto during the late 2010s between a pair of contenders a few kilometres apart on Yonge Street.
The problem-plagued 85-storey One Bloor West project ultimately became Canada's first supertall earlier this year — after many challenges along the way — when it crossed the 300-metre mark, ending the 298-metre First Canadian Place's 50-year reign as the country's tallest building.
However, One Bloor West's time in the record books will soon come to an end after just a few short months, as the even taller Pinnacle SkyTower has now crossed this entirely arbitrary 300-metre mark and is preparing to overtake the competition.
Now, the SkyTower stands at a megalithic height of 98 storeys on its way to an eventual 106-storey floor count. According to architectural plans for the skyscraper, the 97th floor marked the 300-metre point of the tower's ascent, but there's still plenty of height left before the building tops out.
SkyTower will top out (likely early in the new year) at a mind-melting height of almost 352 metres. To put that immense height into perspective, the main observation level of the CN Tower sits at a slightly lower 346 metres.
The 106th-floor amenity level, soon to crown this impressive skyscraper, will undoubtedly offer some of the best city views short of an aircraft or drone, with the height of the CN Tower without having to sacrifice views of the CN Tower.
If the immense height of this new skyscraper didn't seem transformative enough for you, the building marks just the second tower in a long-term redevelopment of the Toronto Star lands at 1 Yonge Street.
While development has so far been limited to the vast former parking lot north of the former Toronto Star building and printing facility, the aging concrete structure is set to be demolished to make way for even more density.
Pinnacle International recently tabled updated plans for the future phases of their One Yonge community, with more imposing towers that would rank among the tallest in the country if built today.
Fareen Karim
