Toronto The Pemberton | 215.79m | 68s | Pemberton | a—A

In a stealthy way this cluster has emerged as arguably the most important build opportunity I can recall in Toronto. Bloor street is the spot visitors see, and it remains our premier retail strip. Aside from some historic institutional gems west of Avenue, Bloor is banal.
This cluster MUST be iconic or of the highest material standard. The city should insist on bold ideas in exchange for height exemptions. Its make or break time, developments of this size in these locations dont come along often.
 
To construct a mixed-use development comprised of 2 residential towers having a heights of 44 and 58 storeys on top of an 11 storey podium base. The total height of the north tower is 218.3 metres plus a 19.5 metres mechanical penthouse. The total height of the south tower is 124.7 metres plus a 13.5 metre mechnical penthouse. The first two storeys of the 11-storey podium consist of retail uses; floors 3 to 9 contain a Toronto Parking Authority parking garage with 802 parking spaces; and the remaining floors are residential uses. Residential parking is located in 3 levels of underground parking. In total there are 1,172 vehicular parking spaces (370 residential parking spaces and 802 Toronto Parking Authority spaces) and 1,205 bicycle parking spaces. A total of 1,166 residential units are proposed.

I am trying to make sense of these numbers, they simply don't work. That listed height for the south tower of 124.7m for 55 floors (11 podium + 44 tower) would mean an average floor height of 2.267m, which is ridiculously low -- after accounting for floor thickness etc. your head would be brushing the ceiling. If the height is just for the tower portion, the average floor height would be 2.834m, which is still very low, but possible. But considering the north tower (218.3m / 69 floors = 3.164m, which is a typical average floor height in Toronto), if the south tower had the same average floor height it would be 3.164m x 55 floors = 174m plus 13.5m = 187.5m total height, compared to 218.3m plus 19.5m = 237.8m for the north tower.

I suspect that the actual total height of the south tower will be 188.2m instead of 138.2m, a 50m difference.
 
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I am trying to make sense of these numbers, they simply don't work. That listed height for the south tower of 124.7m for 55 floors (11 podium + 44 tower) would mean an average floor height of 2.267m, which is ridiculously low -- after accounting for floor thickness etc. your head would be brushing the ceiling. If the height is just for the tower portion, the average floor height would be 2.834m, which is still very low, but possible. But considering the north tower (218.3m / 69 floors = 3.164m, which is a typical average floor height in Toronto), if the south tower had the same average floor height it would be 3.164m x 55 floors = 174m plus 13.5m = 187.5m total height, compared to 218.3m plus 19.5m = 237.8m for the north tower.

I suspect that the actual total height of the south tower will be 188.2m instead of 138.2m, a 50m difference.

Maybe the podium is already included in the floor count
 
Maybe the podium is already included in the floor count

Possible, but extremely doubtful, since the south tower floor heights would still be extremely low The podium would have 2 floors of retail, 7 floors of parking and 2 floors of residential, adding up to at least 36m. That would leave 88.7m for 33 floors, for an average floor height of 2.688m, which would be among the lowest average floor heights in Toronto. The north tower, on the other hand, would have 182.3m for 47 floors for an average floor height of 3.879m, well above average, and almost 1.2m more than in the south tower. It's possible, but I think highly unlikely. It seems more likely to me that somebody simply made a mistake in calculating the south tower's height.
 
Thousands of buildings are 2.65 metres. It's the standard for 8 foot ceilings. It doesn't make sense in relation to this project however, it's not unthinkable as you suggest. Seven floors of parking and two floors of retail could be anywhere from a low 26 metres to a high 36 metres.
 
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The synopsis states clearly that the towers sit atop the podium.

Why is it that so much speculation and confusion seem to develop every time an announcement like this is made? For those that feel confused or unsure of what is being said, I`m sure there will be a more detailed explanation and drawings to come...
 
The height of the south tower must be a typo. It should be closer to 174 metres. We'll try to get that clarified tomorrow.
 
I suspect that the actual total height of the south tower will be 188.2m instead of 138.2m, a 50m difference.

Most likely.... 174.7 instead of 124.7 metres plus a 13.5 metre mechnical penthouse.....total height approx. 188.2 meters

Great minds think alike? Or is this simply the most probable explanation for the ridiculously low listed height?
 
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In a stealthy way this cluster has emerged as arguably the most important build opportunity I can recall in Toronto. Bloor street is the spot visitors see, and it remains our premier retail strip. Aside from some historic institutional gems west of Avenue, Bloor is banal.
This cluster MUST be iconic or of the highest material standard. The city should insist on bold ideas in exchange for height exemptions. Its make or break time, developments of this size in these locations dont come along often.

Hey, on the bright side, maybe Toronto can try for the "most skyscrapers built without any of them being memorable" award. It's a three way race between us, Vancouver and Sao Paulo.
 
Toronto's new tourism slogan could be...' Where blandness is taken to new heights!"
 
City signage is up on the parking garage with a black and white 2D render.

The pair have modern sharp pompadours as mechanicals on the roof. It looks like the tower will be glass with different shades of glass that appear like blades of grass stretching across 20-50s of the tower (think of the renders of U Condo). The base appears to be be stone (limestone, please!).
 

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