‘Skyscraper Race’ Underway in Toronto

Developer Pinnacle International is proposing two supertall skyscrapers—one at 92 stories and other at 105 stories—potentially rising among the two or three tallest buildings in the city.

Pinnacle is seeking an increase in height for both buildings, already approved at heights 12 and ten stories shorter, respectively, at the current site of the Toronto Star building. If approved at the newly proposed heights, the buildings would jump past the approved development of “The One,” proposed for the corner of Yonge and Bloor.

The taller of Pinnacle’s two buildings, called SkyTower, would reach 346 meters (just over 1,135 feet). SkyTower would be the first building in Canada to exceed 100 stories.

A paywalled article by May Warren, linked below, provides more local commentary on the city’s new skyscraper race. As noted by Warren, the city’s famous CN Tower, which reaches 553 meters (1,815 feet) doesn’t qualify for the discussion, though it is much taller than any of the buildings reported here.

“The CN Tower doesn’t technically count as a building, he added. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, to be considered a building at least half of its height must be occupiable. Telecommunications or observation towers don’t make the cut,” writes Warren.

Toronto has long outpaced all other North American cities in the scope of skyscraper construction. Planetizen documented Toronto’s development pace with articles in 2015 and 2012.