Shimmering new skyscraper is taking over the Toronto skyline

It's been an immense few years of vertical growth for Toronto's skyline. The city has produced two new titleholders for the record of Canada's tallest building in the last year alone, while other megaprojects continue to wow passersby on major downtown streets.

And anyone who has traversed King Street West in the past several months has likely noticed the glittering new behemoth rising next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, where the final legacy of legendary hometown architect Frank Gehry is taking shape.

The project from Great Gulf, Dream Unlimited, and Westdale Properties was first revealed in 2012 under its former ownership, evolving over the years and ultimately coming to rest as a two-tower complex known as Forma.

Designed by Gehry Partners with Adamson Associates, the complex is to consist of a 73-storey east tower and an 84-storey west tower. Only the former is currently under construction, with sales yet to begin for the taller component amid the current housing market downturn.

 But despite the second phase's uncertain future, the still-enormous east tower has been turning heads along King West, not just for its ever-increasing stature but, most notably, for its crimped stainless-steel exterior cladding, which has gradually been enclosing the structure since last October.

The tower now stands approximately 40 storeys tall, with its distinctive cladding installed up to the 19th level.

Sadly, Frank Gehry was unable to see his vision for a Toronto skyscraper complex to fruition. Gehry was on hand in Toronto to announce the project in fall 2012, and guided it through several design revisions and even a change in ownership before shovels finally hit the ground in 2023.

Gehry would pass away at the age of 96 in December 2025, over thirteen years after the project was first announced.

While the legendary Toronto-born architect only got to see a fraction of his plan realized before his passing last winter, the project — despite extensive value engineering and the switch from three towers down to two — still bears many of the hallmarks of Gehry's "deconstructivist" style.

Gehry was best known for sweeping facades of stainless steel, often compared to "crumpled paper." Though he left a limited imprint on Toronto's built form, Gehry developed a reputation as one of the 20th century's most sought-after designers, with a borderline celebrity profile that included a guest appearance on The Simpsons, often earning him the title of "starchitect."

Forma's 73-storey first-phase tower, pictured on the right. Great Gulf/Dream Unlimited/Westdale Properties

And though the full vision of the complex may be in jeopardy, the first tower is quickly making its mark on the local skyline, while adding a shimmering presence to views from the surrounding blocks and David Pecaut Square across King Street.