Although Toronto is already home to Canada's tallest building, it is set to welcome another towering landmark as soon as 2025. With over 50 storeys, the Union Centre Tower will have no shortage of curb appeal, but physical grandeur is just one of several elements that will make the building especially notable.
Rendering via Adamson Associates
The forthcoming development will be located at 171 Front Street West -- in between the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Union Station. Allied Properties REIT and Westbank Corp are the developers behind the project, while architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group and executive architects Adamson Associates will execute the design.
In addition to connections to the PATH (SkyWalk), parking amenities, 37 storeys of office space, and three storeys for retail and commercial use, south-facing portions of the Union Centre Tower will be embellished with green walls. Meanwhile, the top of the tower will be terraced, offering unrivalled city views.
Rendering via Adamson Associates
Rendering via Adamson Associates
"The building’s primary function is to provide high-end, flexible and future-proof office space that draws from its adjacency to the data centre as well as its immediate connections to public transportation," Adamson Associates wrote in a project overview. "The tower also provides three storeys of space for the planned expansion of the existing data centre at 151 Front Street West and provides an additional five storeys as flexible office space which can also be converted for potential further expansion of the data centre in the future."
Rendering via Adamson Associates
The Union Centre Development was first proposed in 2019. Since that time, there have been some changes to the plan. Initially, a live performance and presentation venue was proposed for the upper levels of the podium. But due to uncertainty around demand for large-scale live performance venues, the performance venue space is no longer shown in the development program. Although the venue hasn't been axed completely and may be considered in future, retail uses are being planned for the upper levels of the podium in lieu.
