When will Canada get a supertall???

[MolsonExport]

I think Drummondville will get a supertall first.

[davidivivid]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I think Drummondville will get a supertall first.

Saguenay would have been my guess but perhaps you know something that I don't?!

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I think Drummondville will get a supertall first.

Don't be silly, Kuujjuaq will be first.

[Dwils01]

My bet is that Wawa will be the first.

[suburbanite]

In all seriousness my guess would be Toronto or Calgary withing the next ten years.

[cormiermax]

We can't forget about St. John's now!

[jmt18325]

My home town of Waterhen, Manitoba started building a super tall, but we stopped so that everyone else would have a chance to catch up.

[caltrane74]

Urbandreamer mentioned to me last night on Twitter that 50 Bloor west is owned by Morguard which specializes in (or focuses on) apartment rentals. He speculated the Holts site could end up being ultra-luxury rentals a la Manhattan

Now that the general application is in, we wont have to wait long for confirmed details.

[ssiguy]

Toronto is the only city in the country that could support a supertall.
Building big towers always has a sense of ego to it but I hope that anyone who does eventually build one does so out of sound economic reasons and not just for the sake of doing it.
Nothing is worse than a very high tower that is half empty or worse yet doesn't get completed. Toronto already had that in the 90s with Bay/Adelaide Centre.
It is funny to think that the tallest tower in Canada was built way back in the 1970s.

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Toronto is the only city in the country that could support a supertall.

I doubt that.
With Calgary emerging as a major economic hub (albeit centred around one industry) in Canada, I would be willing to say Calgary would be the frontrunner for a supertall. Granted, the city would have to allow it given their 'shadowing concerns' when they downsized the Bow.

Vancouver has strict height limits to protect views of the mountains, otherwise I'm sure someone would have built a 1000' condo tower by now.

[losername]

I too believe Calgary will have the first super tall built, but Toronto may have the first proposal.

[Andrewjm3D]

Originally Posted by losername

I too believe Calgary will have the first super tall built, but Toronto may have the first proposal.

Even if they are the first, Toronto will be the first to have multiple. I also don't see an office tower being the first super-tall in the country. In order for an office tower to be tall it needs to have at least one major tenant. Unless Calgary comes up with another oil firm, or Toronto a new bank I don't see the need for a new mega tower in Canada. In fact the only real possibility will be if the Scotia Bank moves out of it's current head office across the road into a new build.

In all honesty though I think the first super-tall will be a mixed use condo in Toronto.

[caltrane74]

A General Application for redevelopment of the Holt Renfrew has been filed with the city of Toronto


Suspiciously, the height (storeys) and GFA were left off the Application.

This is the long rumoured site of Toronto's first supertall.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

He speculated the Holts site could end up being ultra-luxury rentals a la Manhattan

Awesome! The one thing missing from Toronto's inventory are pre-war apartment mid-rises!

The Holt's site has been rumoured for eons. In fact, it has been even brought up that a foundation was built capable of supporting a 100 storey building. Why? Because a large, low slung building doesn't make sense for this location. Morguard manages the property.

[Andrewjm3D]

Not to burst your bubbles but there is no way the Yorkville BIA will allow a Super-tall on that site. It's smack dab in the middle of Yorkville on Bloor and would cast major shadows over all the low-rise shops and restaurants.

[caltrane74]

Whether they like it or not a very tall building(s) will be happening on the site.

You don't need an MBA to figure out the most effective use of real estate when the going price is 1000 dollars a square foot.

Btw: the poser's sipping cafe au lait at Zaza will be far enough from this beast. Eastside of Cumberland and Yorkville are set to be redeveloped anyway so any protest is mute.

[Boris2k7]

Originally Posted by Mininari

I doubt that.
With Calgary emerging as a major economic hub (albeit centred around one industry) in Canada, I would be willing to say Calgary would be the frontrunner for a supertall. Granted, the city would have to allow it given their 'shadowing concerns' when they downsized the Bow.

Vancouver has strict height limits to protect views of the mountains, otherwise I'm sure someone would have built a 1000' condo tower by now.

There isn't really a need for the City to change the rules or make an exemption here. If someone wants to build a supertall, all they have to do is buy the right lot. There are plenty of sites around downtown where a supertall could be built without being affected by shadowing restrictions. Those rules were in place long before the Bow was ever planned, and anyone designing the tower should have and likely already did know about them.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Whether they like it or not a very tall building(s) will be happening on the site.

You don't need an MBA to figure out the most effective use of real estate when the going price is 1000 dollars a square foot.

Btw: the poser's sipping cafe au lait at Zaza will be far enough from this beast. Eastside of Cumberland and Yorkville are set to be redeveloped anyway so any protest is mute.

The cost of construction is high as well not to mention losing control of the property by sticking residential condos on top of a profitable department store. With that said, I think the ownership will still take advantage of the real estate to offset the costs of expanding the store but it won't be anywhere near 300 metres. I envision a mid rise retail podium with higher than average commercial floor heights and maybe 35 to 40 storeys with higher than average residential floors.

=3.3*35= 132 metres
=4.5*8 = 36 metres
=+15 metres

I'd estimate 175 to 210 metres


What you continue to fail to realize with your silly little Manhattan comparison is that the rich want intimacy and control. They certainly do not want to live in a mega structure with hundreds of units. The prestigious properties in Manhattan are the pre-war co-ops that average 10 to 20 storeys with full floor units.

[caltrane74]

How is my Manhattan comparison silly? You've used it yourself in your last two post with regards to rental housing.

As for how tall the building will be, its a wait and see situation.

[DrNest]

Well the most expensive penthouse in NYC is more than $100m and 1000ft in the air, so there's definitely a market for the mega-rich high up in 80+ story towers.