Multiple towers and transit station upgrades

Country’s Tallest Residential Tower Part of Toronto Plan

Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the 95-story SkyTower is part of a three-tower project — Pinnacle One Yonge (ELEVATOR WORLD, January 2018) — rising close to CN Tower in downtown Toronto, The Architect’s Newspaper reported. Upon completion, the 1,027-ft-tall structure, with a glassy, faceted façade, would become Canada’s tallest residential building. Developed by Pinnacle International, Pinnacle One Yonge includes the under-construction, 65-story Prestige and a future 80-story structure on a 4.4 million-ft2 waterfront site. In total, the skyline-altering development aims to deliver more than 2,200 condominiums, 160,000 ft2 of retail, 1.5 million ft2 of office space, a 250-room hotel and a 50,000-ft2 community center.

Escalator Projects Progress at Vancouver SkyTrain Stations

TransLink escalator projects, including the rebuilding of three super-long units at Granville Station (EW, August 2018) in downtown Vancouver, are progressing at various light rapid transit SkyTrain stations, Daily Hive reported in March. Dating to the 1980s and 115 ft long and 46 ft high with 167 steps, the rebuilt Granville escalators that connect the concourse and platform areas had been expected to debut sometime this spring. The station pathway had been closed since May 2018 due to the work. Funded partially by the federal and provincial governments, the CAD14.5-million (US$10.8-million) Granville escalator replacement is within budget, according to TransLink. Elsewhere, the four escalators serving the Waterfront Station’s SeaBus Terminal reopened in March, and construction was progressing on an escalator replacement project at Commercial-Broadway Station.

Residential Skyscraper Tops Out in Suburban Toronto

The Vanguard, a 27-story-tall residential tower developed by Devron Developments and designed by Kirkor Architects Planners, has topped out in Markham, just outside the Toronto city limits, Urban Toronto reported in March. Located a block north of Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue, the structure sits atop a retail podium and is clad in contrasting white and dark precast panels. Unusual for residential towers, the building is aiming for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification, incorporating programs that result in 35% renewable energy and require that 30% of construction materials be locally sourced. SKYGRiD Construction Inc. is the builder.

Coquitlam Council Considers High-Rise Proposal

The city council in Coquitlam is weighing a developer’s proposal to build a high-rise residential tower on a site where a rental building burned down in 2019, TriCity News reported in March. Amacon Developments hopes to build a 44-story tower, with a separate, six-story tower at the south end of the site at North Road and Foster Avenue. The development would include 12 “non-market” units in the tower’s podium that would be run by the YWCA, with market-rate rentals planned in both the tower and mid-rise building. Amacon had proposed a 41-story project at the site in 2018, but the council sent it back, because it did not include affordable units. The 2019 fire displaced dozens of people, and Amacon offered support, including moving some of the people into a vacant structure. One councilor voiced concerns that these people would again be displaced.