Canada’s skyline has reached a historic era, with a development in Toronto surpassing the 300-meter (984-foot) mark, making it the country’s first “supertall” building.
“Supertall” is a term used globally to describe skyscrapers that rise above 300 meters in height.
Upon completion in mid-2028, cloud-scraping One Bloor West will have 85 stories and a height of 308.6 meters, or 1,012 feet. That’s about four-fifths as tall as the Empire State Building.
This behemoth won’t, however, be Canada’s tallest structure. That honor will remain with Toronto’s CN Tower. It’s 553 meters in height, or 1,814 feet, but doesn’t count as a “supertall building” because it’s technically a freestanding communications tower. A building is classified as a structure with continuous floors from the ground up, a feature absent from the CN Tower.
One Bloor West was designed by renowned Foster + Partners and Toronto-based Core Architects, and developed by Tridel.
Core Architects said in a statement: “One Bloor West is now among an elite class of skyscrapers worldwide.”
And Foster + Partners described the skyscraper as a “bold new development” that will “set new standards for commercial and retail accommodation in Canada”.
The skyscraper is located at the border of downtown and the fashionable Yorkville neighborhood and will comprise 476 residential units on its upper levels, and hotel and retail floors lower down.
The skyscraper will be topped by a series of luxurious duplex penthouses, accessed via a “sky lobby”, which Foster + Partners says will have “sweeping views across Lake Ontario and beyond”.
Amenities will include a spa with fitness facilities, a library and a large south-facing terrace.
“As the first supertall in the country, One Bloor West marks a pivotal moment not just for Toronto, but all of Canada,” said Jim Ritchie, President and CEO of Tridel.
“We are moving into a new era of development, marked by a level of ambition and engineering excellence not previously seen before. We’re proud to be part of the team delivering a new landmark to Toronto’s skyline and look forward to future buildings joining One Bloor West’s supertall status.”
Tridel added that “construction continues to progress steadily, with major structural milestones now complete and interior work soon to advance across multiple levels”.
One Bloor West, however, won’t be Canada’s tallest building for long.
SkyTower at Pinnacle One Yonge, under construction in Toronto’s Central Waterfront neighborhood, will top out at 1,154 feet (351 meters) when complete, with views from the top at eye level with the CN Tower’s observation pod.
These new skyscrapers are both lofty, but far shorter than the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which at 2,717 ft (828 meters) is more than double the height of both of them.
