Here's my (much too detailed) list.
And to make things more interesting, I'm going to do a count down to my #1.
# 10. Leviathan (306ft tall)
And I'm going to start of with... a roller coaster ride? Well I just had to put this one in here. I mean, this WILL become the most excited(legal) ride in all of Canada when finished. 306ft up - that's 30 floors...! and almost 150kph going down! I can't even go that fast on the highways anymore without losing my license
Also, since the drop actually goes under ground, it'll likely surpass Steel Dragon's record (306ft) for the largest full-circuit, none-launched roller coaster drop in the world, a little something to brag about.
Images courtesy of Canada's Wonderland
# 9. Port Mann Cable-Stayed Bridge (535ft tall)
I don't know too much about this bridge going up on the other side of the country, but what I do know is that it'll have a main span of 470m/1542ft and rise to a height of 163m/535ft. Which makes it by far the longest and tallest bridge u/c in Canada today. When completed it'll become the 3rd longest cable-stayed bridge span in the Western Hemisphere and Canada's 5th longest bridge span overall (behind only Pont de Québec, Lions Gate, Ambassador and Pierre Laporte Bridge) It's been a long time since a bridge in Canada has put up those kinds of numbers and for that reason alone its clearly worthy to be on anyone's top 10 list.
Image courtesy of IBT Engineers
Image courtesy of the Government of BC
# 8. The ARL - Airport Rail Link, Toronto and Georgetown sub upgrades
Yes another transit project in the top 10 and there's still more to come. They count as 'construction' right? And 2 billion dollars worth of it! (that includes all construction on the line, which benefits the ARL as well)
If Toronto wants to be world class, then they should have what most world class cities have - a direct transit link to the airport. It took the arrival of the Pan Am games to spur this development on, if anything I'm grateful to it for that.
Image courtesy of Toronto Star
Image courtesy of Transit Toronto
# 7. ICE (768ft & 663ft tall)
Toronto's version of Mississauga's Absolute Twin's. Minus the twist, but plus about 200ft in height (and probably better finishes). Toronto desperately
needed something curvy (that's tall) and our prays have been answered with this project. Currently at ground level, its perhaps the most under appreciated project of its size going up right now. Make no mistake about it, these 2 will be the true 'pinnacle' of the waterfront.
Image courtesy of condosintoronto4u.ca
Image courtesy of Jasonzed on UT(Urban Toronto)
# 6. Union Station Upgrading, Refurbishment & Rebuild
The country's largest railway hub has long sat neglected. Finally much need work is underway to restore the train shed to its original glory. But more importantly a spectacular new glass atrium will be installed as well as a green roof. Also, the vital upgrading of the tracks and signals in the rail corridor is now underway to support future growth which is expected to double to 100,000,000 users by 2030. To help with the increased passenger growth a new passenger concourse will be built on the East side of the station as well as a second subway platform. And lastly, phew, an entire new floor is being built
underneath the station to create a proper retail concourse (where I can finally buy a decent lunch if I happen to forget mine at home
).
Image courtesy of Halcrow
Image courtesy of The Grid TO
Image courtesy of hawc on UT
half way there...
# 5. Shangri-La (702ft)
Currently my favorite project that's actually visible in the skyline. This is Toronto's response to Vancouver's Shangri-La and West Pender Place, both lovey projects in their own right. As with another project further down on the list, I feel that the render understated this projects full quality, which is now being made abundantly clear.
Image courtesy of Atlantis on UT
Image courtesy of UT
# 4. The Eglinton Crosstown Subway
Yet another transit project and probably the most important one for the entire GTA. Decades in the making, the Eglinton Crosstown is finally on the way. A desperately needed and long over due addition to Toronto's (comparatively) pitiful subway system. At 8.2
Billion dollars, it is the single most expensive construction project in the country. Only problem is, it'll take about a decade to finish.
This is a map of the previous version of the project. The one major change is that it is entirely underground now.
Image courtesy of Top 100 Projects.ca
Image courtesy of Urban Toronto
# 3. L Tower (673ft tall)
The closest thing we have to a 'glass shard' going up. Construction has reached the 8th floor and test cladding is on site. Progress has been slow recently but its only going to get more exciting from here on out for Toronto's most dramatic 'out of the box' offering.
I had it number 2, but the test cladding was a slight disappointment(not that its bad, it just not quite as good as I was expecting). I was expecting Shangri-La type curtain-wall, which was unrealistic considering the price points. But overall still an amazing development.
Image courtesy of udo on UT
Image courtesy of drum on UT
# 2. One Bloor (780ft tall)
Probably the most hyped-up, anticipated and frustrating project in the entire country(for the numerous previous cancellations and long delays) is about to hit the launch button. Excavation has begin on the 780ft tall structure that will define the Yorkville skyline with its wave-like facade and is a very close second on my top 10.
Image courtesy of bloorcondos.com
Image courtesy of DC83 on UT
And that brings us too...
# 1. Aura (+864ft tall)
The building going up that will make perhaps the biggest single difference in any skyline in this country. (Though those twin towers purposed for Halifax would certainly give it a run for its money in that category). Nearly twice as tall as any building currently built within a kilometer and the true tallest building to go up in this boom(i.e. roof height is most legitimate!).
I don't think the renders do it any justice, its terms of showing the buildings massing. The floor model is better;
Love the curves, love the set backs, love the curtain wall glass. Its tall and huge (at 1.3 million sq/ft) yet somehow still looks slender. If I could love a Canadian building and it had to be only one, this is it. Hopefully she doesn't disappoint, I've got high expectations for her. Currently on level 4 of the massive podium;
Image courtesy of androiduk on UT
And that's my list.
Btw, the BOW and Absolute would of been on here except that they're no longer 'projects' and are basically complete. I would of had the BOW at around 2 or 3 and Absolute at maybe 9.
I hope other peoples lists have some transit projects as well. I know Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa all have major projects going on which are probably just as important to those cities as the ones in Toronto are to it.