The ambitious Pinnacle SkyTower has reached a major milestone. The under-construction supertall skyscraper has topped out at 106 floors and now holds the record for the most floors of any residential building in North America.
Developed by Pinnacle International and designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the Pinnacle SkyTower is located in Toronto and boasts bragging rights as Canada’s tallest building, with a height of 351.85 m (1,154 ft). However, the matter of skyscraper heights is rarely as straightforward as you’d think, and the 1970s-era First Canadian Place is actually slightly taller if you include its antenna, but this is something typically excluded from official rankings – since otherwise architects could just slap a giant antenna on top of their builds to claim height records. It’s also worth mentioning that the nearby CN Tower is actually taller, but this is officially counted as a structure, and not a building. Indeed, the Pinnacle SkyTower’s highest floor is in line with the CN Tower’s main observation level.
Additionally, though it has more floors than any other North American residential skyscraper, it’s surprisingly not the tallest on the continent, with that honor going to the Central Park Tower, which has fewer floors due, in part, to its high ceilings.
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The Pinnacle SkyTower supertall takes the form of a twelve-sided, tapered tower that incorporates angular, diamond-shaped motifs to reflect its surroundings. We reached out to the firm for more information on its design.
“The twelve-sided form at 1 Yonge Street was developed as a balance between architectural expression and performance,” Jodi Buck, Associate Partner, Hariri Pontarini Architects told us over email. “Moving beyond a conventional rectangular tower allowed us to create a more slender, sculpted presence on the skyline while opening up views in multiple directions. The tower was also conceived as the landmark building within the master plan, establishing a strong architectural presence on this important site. The faceted geometry also plays a technical role, helping to diffuse wind as it moves around the building.”
Now that it has reached its maximum number of floors, work continues on finishing both the exterior of the Pinnacle SkyTower and its interior. This will be home to 958 luxurious residential units, along with the new 220-room Le Méridien Toronto Pinnacle Hotel, and roughly 80,000 sq ft (7,432 sq m) of amenities. The project forms part of the larger Pinnacle One Yonge development and is due to be completed sometime in 2026.
Source: Hariri Pontarini Architects
