An 87-storey, mixed-use tower is being proposed for Bay and Bloor in the heart of Uptown Toronto. The plan by Dutch developers Kroonenberg Groep and ProWinko brings Pritzker Prize-winning, Switzerland-based architects Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with Toronto-based Quadrangle to design a pencil-thin tower at 1200 Bay Street.

Looking south to 1200 Bay, image © Herzog & de Meuron

The slender tower would rise on the northwest corner of Bay and Bloor streets where there is currently a 12-storey office and retail building. The property, which has a 19.1m frontage on Bloor Street and a 49.06m frontage on Bay Street means that 1200 Bay's new profile would have ratio of 3:1 for the north-south length compared to its east-west length, creating an ultra-slender presence in views from north or south of the building, as per the rendering above. A linear tower core would hug the building's west facade to maximize usable floor area, while providing future privacy from the 80 Bloor West site to the immediate west, which is proposed to be home to another tall tower in the coming years.

The building would include a base containing 13 floors of office and retail space, topped by a private amenity level and 332 condominium units spread across 64 floors. The top floor of the tower would house a restaurant offering views that would rival the CN Tower's observation deck and offer a completely new publicly-accessible view of the region. 

Looking north to 1200 Bay, image © Herzog & de Meuron

A double-skin glass facade would enclose the tower, described in a news release as "interior glazing (thermal envelope), exterior timber roller shades and an outer layer of transparent, open-jointed glass." A statement issued by Lesley Bamberger, owner of Kroonenberg Groep, elaborates on the choice to build a landmark project at this site, saying “This is an iconic block in the neighbourhood and Toronto at large. We have an opportunity to deliver a project that sets a new benchmark for design and strives to give something back to the city.”

Looking southwest to 1200 Bay, image © Herzog & de Meuron

The tower is proposed to reach a height of 324 metres, which would be the tallest in Canada if completed today, but this height falls five metres short of the planned 329-metre west tower at Mirvish+Gehry Toronto, already far along in the planning process.

The project marks Herzog & de Meuron's first commission in Toronto, along with the first Toronto development from Kroonenberg, and the second local project from ProWinko, who are a partner on the Ace Hotel Toronto, now under construction at Brant and Camden streets.

You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for a free trial of our New Development Insider here.