Cresford Unveil 98 Storey YSL Residences
Cresford have lifted the lid on YSL Residences – their brand new 98 storey condominium tower at Yonge & Gerrard, which, if approved will become the tallest condominium in Canada.
This is a very exciting new proposal, which features a design by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), one of the worlds most renowned architecture firms that have designed some of the worlds most iconic towers, including the Shanghai World Finance Center (the “bottle opener” building) and the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong that stands 118 storeys tall.
We couldn’t be more excited about this calibre of building coming to Toronto. For us, there is two key take aways:
1. Toronto is embracing the “Super Tall”
Aura Condos currently holds the title for the Tallest in Toronto standing at 272 meters, however, since Aura was completed, the tallest condo title has changed hands four times. Super tall towers are considered anything taller than 300 meters.
| Rank | Condo Project | Storeys | Height (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YSL Residences | 98 | 343.9 |
| 2 | The One Condos | 80 | 328.6 |
| 3 | Mirvish+Gehry | 82 | 304.2 |
| 4 | 1 Yonge Condos | 96 | 303.0 |
| 5 | Aura Condos | 78 | 272.0 |
1 Yonge Condos by Pinnacle International became the first condominium to jump past the 300 meter mark. The land was originally purchased in the summer of 2012 and we got our first glimpse of their super tall proposal a year later. Their proposal for a 96 storey condominium stands at 303 meters (994 feet).
Next up to take the crown was Mirvish+Gehry towers located in the Entertainment District, beating out 1 Yonge by a mere 1.2 meters (or 4 feet). The west tower will stand 92 storeys at 304.2 meters (or 998 feet).
Not to be outdone by the Entertainment District, Mizrahi’s proposal for The One Condos, their super tower in Yorkville at Yonge & Bloor clearly wanted to outdo the competition and their 80 storey tower would become the new champion standing at 328.6 meters (approximately 10% taller than Mirvish + Gehry), towering over their neighbour at One Bloor Condos.
The latest proposal for YSL Residences at Yonge & Gerrard will best all of the previous towers, and at 343.9 meters become the tallest condominium in Toronto.
One thing is for certain, Toronto is embracing the new Super Tall and we don’t think it will be long before we see our first 100+ storey condominium project in Downtown Toronto.
2. Toronto will be shaped by World Class Architecture Firms
One of the most exciting takeaways from the YSL proposal is the involvement of KPF Architects. Toronto has slowly started to attract world class architecture firms to design our condominium towers which speaks volumes to the growing stature and maturity of our City.
In recent years we have attracted some of the absolute best architecture firms from around the world, responsible for designing iconic towers around the globe and will help bring a new flaire into Toronto high rises.
Below is a list of some of the leading “starchitects” bringing their designs to our City:
- Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) – designer for 2 World Trade Centre is working on an unnamed condo in King West
- Moshe Safdie – best known for his work in Montreal with Habitat 67 and the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is the designer behind Monde Condos
- Foster + Partners – known for their signature “Pickle” building in London, Heart Tower in New York City, and most recently the brand new “spaceship” Apple Campus designed The One Condos and Bay + Scollard Condos
- Frank Gehry – The architect behind Mirvish+Gehry has designed countless iconic projects around the world including the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Beekman Tower in New York City
- Daniel Libeskind – You have to be bold to have your initial be the inspiration behind your Toronto condo, but the L Tower is the brainchild of Daniel Libeskind who has notable work at the new World Trade Centre in New York and is the designer of the Dancing Towers in South Korea
- 3XN Architects – showing that not all world class buildings need to reach the clouds, their work at Aquabella is one of the outstanding waterfront condominiums that takes full advantage of the silhouette to maximize outdoor space and views of the water. Notable projects include the Porsche Design Tower in Frankfurt
- KPF Architects – The newest kid on the Toronto block, the designers of YSL Residences are known as one of the leading architecture firms on the planet with iconic buildings including the Hong Kong Ritz Carlton on their CV
We don’t think it’s any coincidence that these world class designers are coming to Toronto now. Our City is growing at a rapid rate and is quickly being seen as a place to be. One thing is for sure, our skyline is going to be shaped by some of the finest designers in the world and we couldn’t be more excited.
