Top 10 Tallest Building In Canada Today

Sally Polly October 01, 2021 | 04:36

Canada is not really famous for a large number of skyscrapers like US, but this country has 10 of the tallest and most beautiful buildings with majestic architecture that will astonish you.

Top 10 Tallest buildings in Canada

Impressive architecture comes in all shapes and sizes, but tall buildings are still among the most awe-inspiring features of the built world.

Records for the tallest buildings are kept around the world. Each time one is broken, the entire world applauds. While Toronto is home to the majority of Canada’s tallest buildings others can be found in Montreal and Calgary.

Here is 10 tallest and most beautiful buildings that you can visit in Canada today.

The List of top 10 tallest and most beautiful buildings in Canada today

10. One Bloor

9. M3 at M City Condos

8. TD Canada Trust Tower (Brookfield Place, Tower 1)

7. Aura

6. Scotia Plaza

5. The St. Regis Toronto

4. First Canadian Place

3. YSL Residences

2. The One

1. Sky Tower

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What are the 10 tallest buildings in Canada today?

10. One Bloor

Photo: BuzzBuzzHome

TRANSFORMING THE SKY AND REVITALIZING THE STREET. Designed by Hairi Pontarini Architects and developed by Great Gulf, One Bloor will introduce 700 premium residential suites at the corner of Yonge and Bloor in downtown Toronto. Once complete in 2017, this unparalleled development will be the tallest residential building in Canada. But with a walkability score of 100% and a coveted position on the Mink Mile, One Bloor also offers the most unique and advantageous retail opportunity on Bloor Street in recent memory. Our retail leasing team has worked alongside the Great Gulf team from the earliest stages of One Bloor, ensuring that the three-storeys of prime retail space provide the flexibility and visibility that retail tenants need. Tenants can select the space that best suits their customers – retail which is directly connected to the busiest subway station in Canada, or street space which faces directly onto one of the most highly-trafficked corners in the city.

The building is defined by undulating forms. The flowing lines of the façade begin at the podium terraces and continue up the tower to the sloped rooftop, dramatically contrasting with the surrounding modernist high rises and adding a sculptural element to the skyline. The rectangular form of the tower allows for effective suite layouts and serves as a backdrop for the façade’s curves, created by frit glass balconies. The balconies pinwheel around the tower, increasing in size for the larger corner units to maximize views and light. High performance curtain wall (instead of window wall) and heavily landscaped roofs contribute to the building’s energy efficiency. However, the most significant aspect of One Bloor’s sustainability is the very nature of its urban character—the embodied efficiency of concentrating 700 units over a one-acre site, in close proximity to public transit and compact civic services.

9. M3 at M City Condos

Photo: UrbanToronto

The M City Condos are an under construction / proposed 10 tower site, owned by Rogers Real Estate, in the city centre of Mississauga, Ontario. The flagship tower, expected to be completed in 2022, will be 62 stories, and will stand at 198 metres (650 ft) tall. The most recently announced building was M3, which would be the tallest building in Mississauga, standing at 260 m. (853 ft). According to Mark Reeve, "M City’s original plan called for 10 residential buildings. However, because the first two towers are higher than originally envisioned, the developers might opt for eight larger buildings."

Tower One

The M City Phase One tower, or the flagship tower was the first to be announced. It will stand 60 stories and rise 198 m. (650 ft). Upon completion, it would become the tallest building in Mississauga, until M3 is completed. The tower is currently under construction, and is designed in a "zig-zag" shape.

Tower Two

The second phase of M City, or M2 is designed like Phase One. Along with M1, it is currently under construction.

M3 @ M City

Phase Three, or M3 is expected to become the tallest building in Mississauga, surpassing the Absolute World condos, and even Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto. It's expected to be the tallest building in Canada, outside of Toronto, standing at 260 m. (853 ft). It's currently been approved by the city of Mississauga. It's expected to be complete in 2022, or early 2023 along with M1 and M2. The name of the building could change, but most people refer to it as M3. It was officially announced on Sept 24, at the site with Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

8. TD Canada Trust Tower (Brookfield Place, Tower 1)

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Brookfield Place (formerly BCE Place), as in it was a former property of Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE Inc.) , is an office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, comprising the 2.1 ha (5.2-acre) block bounded by Yonge Street, Wellington Street West, Bay Street, and Front Street. The complex contains 242,000 m2 (2,604,866 sq ft) of office space, and consists of two towers, Bay Wellington Tower and TD Canada Trust Tower, linked by the Allen Lambert Galleria. Brookfield Place is also the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame (housed in an opulent former bank from 1885).

The TD Canada Trust Tower is noted for its recessed design and spire on the upper levels and stands at 53 storeys. Designed by Bregman + Hamann Architects and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the tower was completed in 1990 and was known as the Canada Trust Tower until 2000 when Toronto-Dominion Bank purchased Canada Trust. Canada Trust signage was atop the spire of building until 2000 when it was replaced by "TD" logo. Until July 2015, the "TD" logo in the downtown Toronto skyline was solely displayed on the Canada Trust Tower, unlike the nearby towers of the Toronto-Dominion Centre which lacked signage.

Bay Wellington Tower is a 49-story office tower, designed by Bregman + Hamann Architects and completed in 1992. Architecturally it is meant to complement the Canada Trust Tower; for instance parts of the Bay Wellington Tower are recessed while that of the Canada Trust Tower would protrude out and vice versa, and the Bay Wellington Tower has a twin peak or double spires compared to the Canada Trust Tower's single spire.

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7. Aura

Photo: Condo

Aura is a mixed-use skyscraper completed in 2014 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the final phase of a series of condominium buildings near College Park in Toronto's Downtown Yonge district. It is part of the Residences of College Park project. Construction lasted from 2010 to 2014. With 79 floors, as of 2018 it is the tallest residential building in Canada and the 34th tallest residential building in the world.

The original design proposed two towers. The building would have featured a ten-storey podium, with two towers on top. The taller tower would have been (including podium) 60 storeys and 196.5 m tall. The shorter tower (including podium) would have been 20 stories and 74.5 m tall. In February 2012, Toronto city council approved a three-storey increase to 78 floors, meaning that Aura is Canada's tallest residential building.

The lower floors of the building were occupied while the upper floors were still being constructed. Floors 1-31 were opened for occupancy in Fall 2013, while floors 32-80 were still bare concrete. The second set of floors, 32 to 57, were occupied in spring 2014. The final phase, floors 58-80, were expected to be completed in December 2014.

On August 2, 2016, several residents - including members of the condo board - went public to describe the unreliable condition of the elevators. At this time only one elevator served all floors above the 50th. Many residents on the upper floors were not able to rely on the elevators to exit the building, and believed that design flaws did not account for passenger demand. Property management blamed flooding for the outages.

On January 25, 2020, the residents of the Aura condominium were notified that all water would be shut off for seven weeks. Cold water was restored the next day. Property management blamed the city's water main and requested residents to find "alternative accommodations". It was later demonstrated that several pumps had failed inside the building.

6. Scotia Plaza

Photo: Wikipedia

Scotia Plaza is a commercial skyscraper in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the financial district of the downtown core bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Street West on the north. At 275 m (902 ft), Scotia Plaza is Canada's third tallest skyscraper and the 22nd tallest building in North America. It is connected to the PATH network, and contains 190,000 m2 (2,045,143 sq ft) of office space on 68 floors and 40 retail stores.

Olympia and York developed the complex as an expansion of the adjacent headquarters of Scotiabank and the bank continues to occupy approximately 24 floors of the structure. Olympia and York owned the complex from its completion until the company was liquidated due to overwhelming debt in 1993. Scotiabank led a consortium of banks to purchase the mortgage for Scotia Plaza and over the next five years, it purchased additional shares from its partners until it was the property's majority owner.

On January 19, 2012, Scotiabank announced it would sell the iconic building[9] and on May 22, announced a final agreement with Dundee Real Estate Investment Trust (now Dream Office REIT) and H&R Real Estate Investment Trust for $1.27 billion, making it the last of Canada's major banks to divest ownership of its Toronto headquarters property. In 2016, H&R and Dream sold 50% of the building to KingSett Capital and AIMCo; in 2017, Dream sold its remaining 50% stake in 2017 to the same two companies.

5. The St. Regis Toronto

Photo: Urban Toronto

Trendsetting and boundary-breaking, The St. Regis Toronto marks its Canadian debut at the city’s most coveted address in the heart of downtown. Soaring 65-stories above Canada’s international enclave for business and culture, The St. Regis Toronto hotel offers a remarkably central location, steps from Toronto’s most preeminent downtown landmarks including the CN Tower, Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, Toronto International Film Festival and the city’s premier shopping, theatre and entertainment. Modern elegance and bespoke butler service unite amongst 258 of the city’s largest luxury hotel guestrooms and suites, defining the new standard for luxury in Canada.

Located in the heart of the city’s cultural corridor, The St. Regis Toronto is perfectly situated as the city’s finest address. As Canada’s newest luxury hotel and the country’s first St. Regis hotel, the property provides the finest features and amenities for business and leisure travelers with direct access to all of downtown Toronto’s noteworthy points of interest.

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4. First Canadian Place

Photo: First Canadian Place

First Canadian Place (originally First Bank Building) is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and serves as the global operational headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At 298 m (978 ft), it is Canada's tallest skyscraper and the 15th tallest building in North America to structural top (spires) and 9th highest to the roof top, and the 105th tallest in the world. It is the third tallest free-standing structure in Canada, after the CN Tower (also in Toronto) and the Inco Superstack chimney in Sudbury, Ontario. The building is owned by Manulife Financial Corporation (50%) in addition to a private consortium of investors including CPP Investments. The building is managed by Brookfield Office Properties.

First Canadian Place is named for Canada's first bank, the Bank of Montreal. Designed by B+H Architects with Edward Durell Stone as design consultant, First Canadian Place was constructed in 1975 and originally named First Bank Building. The tower and associated buildings occupy a block once home to two major newspapers, the Toronto Star’s Toronto Star Building and The Globe and Mail's William H. Wright Building. The site was the last of the corners at King and Bay to be redeveloped in the 1960s and 1970s, and a major bidding war began over the property. Then little known, the firm of Olympia and York eventually obtained nearly the whole city block, but the election of reformist mayor David Crombie led to new rules banning skyscrapers. It took three years of lobbying before permission for First Canadian Place was granted. When completed, the building was nearly identical in appearance to Stone's Aon Center in Chicago, Illinois; completed two years previous as the Standard Oil Building, the Chicago tower is of the same floor plan and clad in the same marble, the only overtly visible difference being the vertical orientation of the windows, as opposed to the horizontal run of those on First Canadian Place.

3. YSL Residences

Photo: UrbanToronto

YSL Residences is a mixed-use skyscraper proposed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. YSL is an acronym for "Yonge Street Living". Upon completion, the building will surpass First Canadian Place in height to become Canada's second-tallest skyscraper, after The One. If YSL Residences is completed before The One is finished, the building will briefly become the tallest building in Canada.

When YSL Residences was first proposed in 2017, the plan called for the construction of a 98-storey, 343.9 m (1128 ft) tall building with a sloping south face that was pinched-in partway up. However, following a hearing with the LPAT in 2018, the building's height was scaled back considerably to 299 m (981 ft) (making it a mere 1 m (3 ft) shy of supertall status), but had various community amenities not present in the original proposal added. The building now features a sloping north face with inset balconies.

In 2020, the project was put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Developer Cresford Development went into receivership and construction has not resumed. The existing building on site was removed except for its facade, which is to be preserved, leaving a pit and construction office on site.

2. The One

Photo: The Globe and Mail

The One is an 85-storey mixed-use building being developed at 1 Bloor West in Toronto, Canada.

The 318m-tall (1,043ft) structure will be Canada’s tallest building upon completion and also Toronto’s first $1bn condo development. It will also be the second tallest man-made structure after Toronto’s CN Tower. It will comprise 416 spacious residential suites.

Construction of the skyscraper started in October 2017 and is scheduled for completion in mid-2022. Mizrahi Developments is the project developer.

The One location details

The One building will be located within the tower cluster of Yonge and Bloor node, a famous intersection in the city.

The building will create a connection between downtown Toronto and the Yorkville neighbourhood. In addition, it will connect Yorkville with Bloor and Yonge Streets.

The residential building will be integrated with the city’s underground pedestrian ‘PATH’ network. It will also include bright and airy passageways connecting to the north-south and east-west subway lines.

The One design

The One building will feature a hybrid exoskeleton structural system, wherein the exterior will be covered by metallic trusses, which provide support. Many of the windows all the way up the tower open to the outside air.

The podium of the building will include nine levels of retail, restaurant and cafe space surrounded by a 60m atrium. The retail floors will be located 49.8m above street level and will create the most distinguished indoor shopping experience in Toronto.

1. Sky Tower

Photo: Anthony C. Davies

The Sky Tower is a telecommunications and observation tower in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets within the city's CBD, it is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall, as measured from ground level to the top of the mast, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere and the 27th tallest tower in the world. It has become an iconic landmark in Auckland's skyline due to its height and design.

The tower is part of the SkyCity Auckland casino complex, originally built in 1994–1997 for Harrah's Entertainment. Several upper levels are accessible to the public, attracting an average of 1,150 visitors per day (over 415,000 per year).

The Sky Tower has several upper levels that are accessible to the public:

Level 50: Sky Cafe

Level 51: Main Observation Deck

Level 52: Orbit 360° Dining

Level 53: The Sugar Club restaurant, SkyWalk and SkyJump

Level 60: Sky Deck

The upper portion of the tower contains two restaurants and a cafe—including New Zealand's only revolving restaurant, located 190 m (620 ft) from the ground, which turns 360 degrees every hour. There is also a brasserie-style buffet located one floor above the main observatory level. It has three observation decks at different heights, each providing 360-degree views of the city. The main observation level at 186 m (610 ft) has 38 mm (1.5 in) thick glass sections of flooring giving a view straight to the ground. The top observation deck labeled "Skydeck" sits just below the main antenna at 220 m (720 ft) and gives views of up to 82 km (51 mi) in the distance.

The tower also features the "SkyJump", a 192-metre (630 ft) jump from the observation deck, during which a jumper can reach up to 85 km/h (53 mph). The jump is guide-cable-controlled to prevent jumpers from colliding with the tower in case of wind gusts. Climbs into the antenna mast portion (300 m or 980 ft heights) are also possible for tour groups, as is a walk around the exterior.