Construction on the Hariri Pontarini Architects-designed SkyTower, set to be Canada’s tallest supertall skyscraper, is underway in Toronto, with cladding already going up on the base of the structure as the tower reaches towards its planned 351-metre height.
If completed, SkyTower will have 106 storeys and stand 351.85 metres (1,154 feet) tall, making it the tallest skyscraper in Canada and placing it in the supertall skyscraper range.
It will edge out the current record holder, the 281-metre-tall (921 feet) First Canadian Place and the under-construction One Tower by Foster + Partners, which is set to reach 306 metres (1,003 feet).
Developed by Canadian group Pinnacle International, SkyTower is part of the larger Pinnacle One Yonge development located in Toronto’s Central Waterfront neighbourhood, which will include three new residential towers, two office buildings and updates to the surrounding block. The construction of SkyTower is part of the project’s second phase.
Currently, construction on the building has reached the 71st floor. On its lower levels, some cladding, interior framing and electrical wiring have been installed.
According to its developers and design team, the architecture studio sought to align the building with the observation deck of Toronto’s CN Tower that sits nearby, as the City of Toronto did not want the skyscraper to extend above it.
The project was recently granted a March 2025 variance request to extend its height to 106 storeys. Its original design had only 95.
The project is expected to top out later this year. Renderings of the building show a multi-level podium topped with a glass-clad tower. White, vertical fins stretch along the facade and expand at the bottom to merge with the podium.
“To make an architectural statement and to mitigate wind-induced loads, the tower features a sleek, glazed exterior and a tapered form with wind slots and chamfered corners,” said Hariri Pontarini Architects.
The podium is expected to contain a Le Meridien hotel, while the tower will hold 950 residential units.
The development’s first residential tower, The Prestige, was completed in 2022 and reaches 65 storeys tall at 216 metres (708 feet). It is currently occupied, although the surrounding urban site is still under construction.
Construction on the third tower has not begun.
Other projects under construction in Toronto include a residential development designed by BIG and a Frank Gehry skyscraper that is set to be his tallest residential building.
Photography by Ellen Eberhardt unless otherwise stated.
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