Toronto's new 106-storey megatower hit with last-minute cheap-out
Canada's new tallest building now soars 106 storeys above Toronto, but a last-minute twist in the building's exterior cladding installation is proving to be a major letdown after years of construction hype.
The enormous Pinnacle SkyTower from Vancouver-based developer Pinnacle International has claimed the title of Canada's tallest building from longstanding record holder First Canadian Place.
Taller than any other habitable structure in the country, the building now dominates the skyline with an immense height of 352 metres — sitting roughly eye-level with the CN Tower's observation pod.
But at the very top of this new monolithic landmark, a quiet late-game change in the project's design by Hariri Pontarini Architects will leave a bare concrete patch on the downtown skyline's newest statement piece.
Pre-construction renderings of the record-setting condo tower depicted a sleek glass parapet and screen extending beyond the tower's roofline, obscuring the projecting mechanical floor marking the building's structural peak.
Pinnacle International
Instead, the as-built SkyTower's sleek, curving glass exterior terminates in a blocky, bare concrete section that abruptly breaks the building's cohesive look, like pairing a nice tuxedo with a ratty old baseball cap.
Local photographer Kotsy shared close-up views of the tower's uppermost levels with blogTO, showing how the mechanical level and the permanent, crane-like building maintenance unit used to support window-washing equipment will remain clearly visible behind the low glass parapet.
The revised roofline of the SkyTower may prove a letdown in terms of skyline appeal, but the tower's sky-scraping height alone is enough to make it one of the crown jewels of Toronto's skyline.
And if the view of the tower isn't doing it for you, you'll soon be able to take in views from the tower — practically the only place in Toronto where its ugly roofline isn't visible. SkyTower's 106th floor will be home to a restaurant with views rivalling the CN Tower's famous 360 Restaurant.
The tower has evolved considerably in the over 13 years since the first supersized plan emerged. Redevelopment visions for the Toronto Star lands have always included a massive tower, but the scope has grown steadily over the past several years, from an 88-storey plan over a decade ago to the 106-storey behemoth on the skyline today.
blogTO has reached out to Pinnacle International for comment on the design change.
For a building that has been in planning and development for the better part of a decade and a half and boasts the title of Canada's tallest, is a bare concrete crown a cop-out? Let us know in the comments.
