Toronto Pinnacle One Yonge | 345.5m | 105s | Pinnacle | Hariri Pontarini

I don't see this site rising far above Pinnacle Centre's heights and the average height will likely end up lower. This block and the LCBO/Loblaws block are ideal trasition blocks from the 70 storey towers proposed on York and the East Bayfront masterplan.

I don't like the idea of supertall here either but understand the logic that every single parking lot capable of supporting one should have one. A supertall here would block out so much of the skyline depth when viewed from the islands.
 
maestro said:
I don't like the idea of supertall here either but understand the logic that every single parking lot capable of supporting one should have one..
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LOL, agreed. Too bad there's no filter on the term "supertall" to automatically give the person posting a slap on the wrist or something. Height aside, I'd be interested in seeing what a few buildings here can do to the landscape. The east side of Yonge feels like a completely desolate wasteland for a good 200 meters or so.
 
To me, Toronto will move past the traditional view of the downtown core, or it will languish. If all the buildings have to leave room for the rather banal towers we have now, the new Toronto will not be nearly as exciting as it could be. Today's technology and aesthetics will allow us to move past the towering box and toward something better, I hope. FCP is alright, and was huge for its time, but I would like to see it supplanted as Toronto's tallest building. The Scotia tower is better, but I don't really think we should plan the future around the past in this manner. We will still see all the buildings from the east and west - the combination of tall towers next to the lake with the traditional business district would really pull the centre of gravity toward the lake, which I would welcome. Of course this all assumes iconic and beautiful architecture! If not it would be a shame to block everything else from the lake, which has a nice depth and shape to it when viewed from that vantage point. Though I would still argue that when viewed from the west or east, the CN tower looks painfully tall and painfully alone by the lake.
 
cassius said:
LOL, agreed. Too bad there's no filter on the term "supertall" to automatically give the person posting a slap on the wrist or something. Height aside, I'd be interested in seeing what a few buildings here can do to the landscape. The east side of Yonge feels like a completely desolate wasteland for a good 200 meters or so.
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We'll see what happens with the Toronto Star property. East of there is pretty much the St. Lawrence Market area, there's no way a 'supertall' is going up there, north of that becomes greatly residential which sets up a whole new set of problems.
 
This is a great site for a "supertall" but it likely won't have one. And neither will any of the other potential supertall sites in Toronto. The reason is you need more than an ideal site to build a supertall you need a driving force, an individual or company looking to make its mark or someone egotistcal and brash (Trump). Canada doesn't have many of these people or companies. We had one shot - Manulife - but alas, Manulife is now more an American company and would be more likely to build a building in Chicago than Toronto.

The Burj Khalifa was built with oil money by people with billions to burn and they built it to give America the finger - and it has been argued that it will never likely be profitable (Dubai's towers sit with very high vacancies). So what would be the scenario that would justify a supertall in Toronto? It won't be economics. Who in Canada would have an appetite or the wherewithall to build a supertall?
 
Trump is highly overated. Many of his skyscraper developments (especially international) are through partnerships where he is a minority partner. Toronto has more than a few that equal his brashness. Also, I love how Manulife presists as the one to build a new tallest over some rumour posted on the forum five years ago. Pretty sure their real estate arm hasn't built a thing in downtown in over 30 years with all efforts being put towards developing their suburban holdings. Their own campus has more than enough space to meet their future requirements too.

How exactly is this the ideal spot for a supertall nevermind the availability and size of the property? I just don't see it. This isn't Bay or York Street and a block and a half away is a planned waterfront community comprised mainly of medium to moderate high rises. It's a reason why the Pinnacle Centre towers facing Yonge are a good 10 to 20 storeys shorter than the Bay towers.


The necessity and/or brashness needed to build the city's first supertall will probably come from a blue chip property requiring extensive upfront demolition and years of consolidation and not some long standing, ready to build parking lot. To add some creativity beyond Manulife I'm thinking the block bounded by Pearl, Adelaide, University and York is a suitable contender.
 
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I agree the site is somewhat locationally challenged, but it certainly has the size and is close enough to "downtown" to at least make one wonder. The possibility exists but the drive and desire for something outstanding seems to be the real show stopper.


Wouldn't it be cool if - for example - the Royal Bank wanted to consolidate and make a statement to the world as it tries to compete with the worlds biggest banks?

Thats the sort of impetus we need - thats how we could get a "supertall".

Just building another condo tower won't do it because it wouldn't be financially prudent.
 
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Big Daddy said:
Wouldn't it be cool if - for example - the Royal Bank wanted to consolidate and make a statement to the world as it tries to compete with the worlds biggest banks?

Thats the sort of impetus we need - thats how we could get a "supertall".
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I'd prefer to see the opposite -- for companies like Royal Bank to decentralize and spread out, increasing the size of the financial core and, with it, the neighbourhood growth that comes with centres of employment; make a statement that actually matters for Toronto as a whole -- that the city is more than just a sparse handful of towers, and in fact it's a great place to live and work.
 
A respected forumer over at SSP has stated he spoke with someone who has confirmed rumours of two or more supertalls coming to Toronto. One north of Queen and one south of queen. He didn't give exact details, but said there could potentially be more to follow. The only location south of Queen, I could think of as the site was 1 Yonge. Lots of land and it would create an iconic look to the Toronto skyline from the water. Also the news regarding the splitting of the property fairly recently, thought this area would be as good as any.
 
I am becoming increasingly convinced that the Toronto Star lands will be home to Synergy. This development is described as "100+ stories", and its own website states that it is "coming this fall to Yonge Street in downtown Toronto". Maybe there will be an official announcement sometime in the next few months, perhaps with a render or two.
 
caltrane74 said:
A respected forumer over at SSP has stated he spoke with someone who has confirmed rumours of two or more supertalls coming to Toronto. One north of Queen and one south of queen. He didn't give exact details, but said there could potentially be more to follow. The only location south of Queen, I could think of as the site was 1 Yonge. Lots of land and it would create an iconic look to the Toronto skyline from the water. Also the news regarding the splitting of the property fairly recently, thought this area would be as good as any.
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Interesting news indeed! I hope it's true. As for the site north of Queen, I wonder if it's the 199 - 205 Yonge St. site, as that is north of Queen and has the potential to be a tall/super-tall. There are rumblings about something big for that site anyway....I hope the 1 Yonge St. re-development is at least mixed-use (office/hotel and residential) instead of just residential. One can at least hope/dream, right? :)
 
caltrane74 said:
A respected forumer over at SSP has stated he spoke with someone who has confirmed rumours of two or more supertalls coming to Toronto. One north of Queen and one south of queen. He didn't give exact details, but said there could potentially be more to follow. The only location south of Queen, I could think of as the site was 1 Yonge. Lots of land and it would create an iconic look to the Toronto skyline from the water. Also the news regarding the splitting of the property fairly recently, thought this area would be as good as any.
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What about that big empty lot just east of the ACC? That would be a perfect place for a super tall. Wasn't there talk of that, a while back?
 
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