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The results are in for UrbanToronto's 12th Annual Year-End Readers' Poll of Favourite New Buildings that were completed in 2025. Our readers voted for 121 buildings — a major jump from our previous high of 91 completions last year — this time spread across 12 height categories to keep the categories somewhat manageable. We group by height ranges as opposed to by type, as like every year, the vast majority of the new buildings were primarily residential in nature. With only a handful of non-residential buildings having opened, there simply aren't enough non-residential buildings of similar stature being completed to judge one against others. The poll starts at 6 storeys, as buildings below that number of storeys, with some exceptions, do not normally attract a lot of attention in UrbanToronto threads. That said, here's how those voting reacted to what was on tap this year.
Category Winners:
6-7 Storeys
There were 14 entries in this section — our largest category, which could have potentially spread the majority of votes across many entries — but instead, we had a runaway winner here: 10 Prince Arthur, which captured 41.34% of the votes, with runners-up far behind. Here, a heritage home is hugged by seven terraced storeys of new construction designed by Richard Wengle Architect Inc for North Drive Investments Inc, on this Annex street just west of Avenue Road.
10 Prince Arthurs's competition was a fairly standard mix on the short side of mid-rise, mostly residential buildings, most with little to differentiate one from another, plus a couple of outliers. Trailing the group was a self-storage building, 498 Gilbert, for which 4 people were happy to smash 'best in category!'
8 Storeys
There were 12 entries in this section: nine residential, one retirement home, and two hotels. A Toronto condo, Junction Point, designed by architects—Alliance for Gairloch Developments, garnered 29.14% of the votes to convincingly take the category.
The Rhodes, another Toronto condo with 20.67% of the votes, was solid second place, while the rest divided up the other 50% of the votes, with no building left particularly embarrassed.
9 Storeys
There were only 7 entries in this section, with office building Crosstown Place designed by Core Architects for Metrus Properties with a strong win at 31.38% of the vote.
In second place, Reina Condos grabbed 24.78% of the vote, while Forest Hill Residences notched 20.17% for third. With only 2.24% of the vote, 1029 West 5th Street in Hamilton closed the category.
10 Storeys
There were 9 entries in this section: one institutional building and eight residential buildings. Maybe this wasn't a fair fight, as George Brown College's innovative and acclaimed new Limberlost Place building — designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects and Acton Ostry Architects — was the runaway winner here, with 51.68% of the vote.
Residential buildings seldom have the budget to compete with such buildings, so it's best to also highlight the favourite from among peers: The Dylan with 10.96% took the crown here. Its competitors all garnered between 3.11 and 8.34% of the vote.
11-13 Storeys
There were 11 entries in this section. All were residential buildings, although one can boast an institutional portion, and in fact, that complex, Birch House and Indigenous Hub, won the category with 31.88% of the vote. Not a runaway winner, its closest competitor was actually the other half of the same block, Canary House, taking 23.79%. Clearly, this concurrently built complex of buildings — developed by Dream Unlimited, Kilmer Group, Anishnawbe Health Toronto, and Tricon Residential, and with architectural work by BDP Quadrangle, Two Row Architect, and Stantec — is a well-liked addition to the city.
Far behind in this category are a pair of residential buildings to the east of the central city; East Pointe Condominiums in Scarborough, and Modo 55 in Clarington, both with just over 1% of the vote each, and begging the question whether some unfamiliarity with our voters may be partly responsible for the poor showing.
14-15 Storeys
Another 12 entries in this category, and another time where all of them were primarily residential buildings…
…other than one commercial building, Portland Commons, which easily won the category. Designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for Carttera Private Equities and WolfeCorp, it took 33.29% of the vote.
The favourite residential building in the category was Tridel's MRKT, with 18.12% of the vote, a good deal ahead of its competitors, the closest being another Tridel building, Royal Bayview in Markham, taking second place with 12.72%
16-19 Storeys
Another 12 entries yet again, but this time the entries were exclusively residential. One stood out, and stood out so much that it's the biggest breakout win in our whole poll: Aqualuna at Bayside, designed by 3XN and Kirkor Architects and Planners for Tridel (on a bit of a roll here!) and Hines, wiped the floor with 59.33% of the vote.
The runners-up here garnered no more than 6.44% of the vote, with the lowest polling at 1.54%. Best not to single out any of these.
20-25 Storeys
Of the 10 entries in this category, we have a clear winner, if not quite a runaway one here. The EQ Bank Tower, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for First Gulf, was the sole commercial building in this set, yet again, winning with 29.92% of the vote.
There were 9 other entries, including 8 typical residential buildings and one student residence… and that one, the U of T's Oak House Student Residence, was the only other building to garner double digits, getting 15.54% of the vote. Of the remainder, they all jostled for between 8.9 and 5.7% of the vote… other than one building, Richgrove Village, which managed a mere 2 votes, the lowest in any category in our poll this year.
26-32 Storeys
All 11 entries in this category were predominantly residential buildings, and one conjoined pair stood out: Fitzrovia Real Estate's Elm-Ledbury twins. The complex, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects, grabbed 34.14% of the vote.
In second place, Abeja District Phase 1 in Vaughan took 17.71%. Other than Westerly Condos in Etobicoke with 10.76%, no other entries climbed into double-digit territory.
33-39 storeys
Of the 11 entries in this category, only one building managed over 7% of the vote, and this one crushed it: Artists' Alley, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Lanterra Developments, snatched up 52.57% of the vote for itself.
Amongst the also-rans here, two projects battled it out for last place, with Bela Square's 2.24% edging out Pearl Place's 3.29% for dishonours.
40-49 Storeys
Only 5 buildings were completed this year in this height range, all of them residential towers… but one that also incorporated a hotel and a row of restored Victorians, and it, the Theatre District Residences and Riu Hotel — designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza and Cranson Capital — vacuumed up 41.32% of the love.
In second place was Auberge on the Park in North York with a respectable 24.5% of the vote.
50-Plus Storeys
Capping off the poll were 7 entries of 50 storeys and up that were completed in the GTHA last year, with the CG Tower in Vaughan stacked above the rest, claiming 32.25% of the vote. Designed by BDP Quadrangle for the Cortel Group, the tower tapers and shifts sideways as it rises 60 storeys into the [mist].
Nipping at its heels was 11YV in Yorkville with 22.98% and 8 Wellesley Residences at Yonge with 18.93%. 88 Queen was the only other entry to break into double digits, with 10.57% choosing it as their favourite.
That's it for the winners this year. Congratulations to all those that rose to the top of their categories, and here's to an upcoming year of dozens more new buildings being completed across the region.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
