Another tall building has just been proposed for Toronto’s Hospital Row. An existing office tower at 522 University Avenue is the latest large building on the chopping block, with property owners iA Financial Group proposing to tear down the 15-story structure on site and replace it with a 65-story mixed-use skyscraper.
Known as the National Life Building, the concrete structure was completed in 1972 with a design by John B. Parkin Associates, a firm responsible for some of the most celebrated Toronto buildings of the 1960s and 70s. In its place, the new WZMH Architects-designed building proposes a height of almost 234 meters, delivering over 23,350 square meters of office space in a 13-story podium, with some retail integrated into the podium.
The upper 49 stories would contain over 35,150 square meters of residential space, including a total of 611 condominiums, planned with 94 studios, 329 one-bedrooms, 127 two-bedrooms, and 61 three-bedroom units. At the tower’s pinnacle, a multi-level mechanical penthouse includes an almost 295 square-meter outdoor amenity deck atop the 62nd floor, offering views to the north, south, and east.
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