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January 13, 2026 1.3K
The Best of 2025: Winners of UrbanToronto’s 12th Annual Year-End Survey, Presented by Diverso Energy
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The results are in for UrbanToronto’s 12th annual year-end reader survey of the most popular new buildings completed in 2025. Our readers voted for 121 buildings – a significant jump from our previous high of 91 completions last year – this time spread across 12 height categories to keep the categories fairly manageable. We are grouping by height range rather than type because, as is the case every year, the vast majority of new buildings were primarily residential. Because only a handful of non-residential buildings have opened, there simply aren’t enough non-residential buildings of similar size being completed to compare with the others. The survey starts at 6 stories because, with some exceptions, buildings below that floor number typically don’t attract much attention in UrbanToronto threads. But here’s how voters responded to what was on the agenda this year.
Category winner:
6-7 floors
There were 14 entries in this section – our largest category, which could potentially have spread the majority of votes across many entries – but instead we had a clear winner here: 10 Prince Arthur, who received 41.34% of the vote, with the runners-up far behind. Here, a landmark home is enclosed by seven rows of rows of new construction designed by Richard Wengle Architect Inc. for North Drive Investments Inc. on this side street west of Avenue Road.
10 Prince Arthur, designed by Richard Wengle Architect Inc. for North Drive Investments Inc., image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Paclo
10 Prince Arthur’s competition was a fairly standard mix of medium-rise, predominantly residential buildings, most of which didn’t differ much from one another, with a few outliers. Following the group was a self-storage building, 498 Gilbert, for which four people were pleased to receive the “Best in Category” award!
8 floors
There were 12 entries in this section: nine residential homes, one retirement home and two hotels. A Toronto condominium, Junction Point, designed by architects Alliance for Gairloch Developments, received 29.14% of the vote, claiming a convincing win in the category.
Junction Point, designed by Architects – Alliance for Gairloch Developments, image by Lachlan Holmes, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
The Rhodes, another Toronto condo, came in a solid second place with 20.67% of the vote, with the rest splitting the remaining 50% of the vote, leaving no building particularly embarrassed.
9 floors
There were only 7 entries in this section, with the Crosstown Place office building designed by Core Architects for Metrus Properties taking a strong win with 31.38% of the vote.
Crosstown Place designed by Core Architects for Metrus Properties, image by Flonicky, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
In second place, Reina Condos received 24.78% of the vote, while Forest Hill Residences came third with 20.17%. With just 2.24% of the vote, 1029 West 5th Street in Hamilton closed out the category.
10 floors
There were 9 entries in this section: one institutional building and eight residential buildings. Perhaps this wasn’t a fair fight, as George Brown College’s innovative and acclaimed new Limberlost Place building – designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects and Acton Ostry Architects – was the clear winner with 51.68% of the vote.
George Brown College’s Limberlost Place, designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects and Acton Ostry Architects, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor rdaner
Since residential buildings rarely have the necessary budget to compete with such buildings, it is best to highlight the favorite among the competitors: The Dylan came out on top with 10.96%. All competitors received between 3.11 and 8.34% of the votes.
11-13 floors
There were 11 entries in this section. All were residential, although they boast an institutional component, and in fact this complex, Birch House and Indigenous Hub, won the category with 31.88% of the vote. Not an overwhelming winner, its closest competitor was actually the other half of the same block, Canary House, which took 23.79%. This concurrent building complex – developed by Dream Unlimited, Kilmer Group, Anishnawbe Health Toronto and Tricon Residential and featuring architectural work by BDP Quadrangle, Two Row Architect and Stantec – is clearly a popular addition to the city.
Birch House and Indigenous Hub designed by BDP Quadrangle, Two Row Architect and Stantec for Dream Unlimited, Kilmer Group, Anishnawbe Health Toronto and Tricon Residential, image by Skycandy, UrbanToronto Forum contributorCanary House designed by BDP Quadrangle for Dream Unlimited, Kilmer Group and Tricon Residential, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Rascacielo
Far behind in this category are two residential buildings east of the city center; East Pointe Condominiums in Scarborough and Modo 55 in Clarington, both with just over 1% of the vote each, raising the question of whether some ignorance among our voters may be partly to blame for the poor showing.
14-15 floors
Another 12 entries in this category and one more time, all of which were mostly residential…
…except for one commercial building, Portland Commons, which handily won the category. It was designed by Sweeny & Co Architects for Carttera Private Equities and WolfeCorp and received 33.29% of the vote.
Portland Commons designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for Carttera Private Equities and WolfeCorp, image by AHK, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
The most popular residential building in this category was Tridel’s MRKT with 18.12% of the vote, well ahead of its competitors. The closest was another Tridel building, Royal Bayview in Markham, which came in second with 12.72%.
16-19 floors
Another 12 entries, but this time they were all residential entries. One stood out, so much so that it’s the biggest runaway win in our entire poll: Aqualuna at Bayside, designed by 3XN and Kirkor Architects and Planners for Tridel (things are going pretty well here!) and Hines, wiped the floor with 59.33% of the vote.
Aqualuna at Bayside, designed by 3XN and Kirkor Architects and Planners for Tridel and Hines, image by Kotsy, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
The runners-up received no more than 6.44% of the votes, the lowest value was 1.54%. It’s best not to single out any of them.
20-25 floors
Of the 10 entries in this category, we have a clear winner, although not a completely out-of-control one. EQ Bank Tower, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for First Gulf, was the only commercial building in the group and won again with 29.92% of the vote.
EQ Bank Tower designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for First Gulf, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor ProjectEnd
There were 9 other entries, including 8 typical residential buildings and a student residence… and this one, U of T’s Oak House Student Residence, was the only other building to reach double digits, receiving 15.54% of the vote. Of the rest, they all competed for 8.9 to 5.7 percent of the vote… except for one building, Richgrove Village, which received just two votes, the lowest of any category in our survey this year.
26-32 floors
All 11 entries in this category were predominantly residential, and one related pair stood out: the Elm Ledbury twins from Fitzrovia Real Estate. The complex, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects, received 34.14% of the vote.
Elm-Ledbury designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate, image by Craig White
Second place was taken by Abeja District Phase 1 in Vaughan with 17.71%. Other than Westerly Condos in Etobicoke at 10.76%, no other listings climbed into double digits.
33-39 floors
Of the 11 entries in this category, only one building managed more than 7% of the vote, and this one outperformed them: Artists’ Alley, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Lanterra Developments, secured 52.57% of the vote.
Artists’ Alley designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Lanterra Developments, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Rascacielo
Among the other participants, two projects fought for last place, with Bela Square with 2.24% displacing Pearl Place with 3.29% in the “Dishonor” category.
40-49 floors
Only five buildings were completed in this altitude range this year, all residential towers… but one that also included a hotel and a number of restored Victorian buildings, and the Theater District Residences and the Riu Hotel – designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza and Cranson Capital – soaked up 41.32% of the love.
Theater District Residences and Riu Hotel designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza and Cranson Capital, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor far9521
Second place went to Auberge on the Park in North York with a respectable 24.5% of the vote.
Over 50 floors
Rounding out the survey were seven entries of 50 stories and over completed in the GTHA last year, with the CG Tower in Vaughan topping the rest with 32.25% of the vote. Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Cortel Group, the tower tapers and shifts sideways as it rises 60 stories [mist].
CG Tower designed by BDP Quadrangle for Cortel Group, image by Edward Skira
Hot on its heels were 11YV in Yorkville at 22.98% and 8 Wellesley Residences in Yonge at 18.93%. 88 Queen was the only other entry to reach double figures, with 10.57% choosing it as their favorite.
That’s it for this year’s winners. Congratulations to everyone who made it to the top of their category, and here’s to a year ahead that sees dozens more new buildings completed across the region.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, from proposal to completion. We also offer instant reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from the first application.
| Related companies: |
Architects – Alliance, BDP Quadrangle, Bousfields, Carttera Private Equities, Citi-Core Group, Cope Group Inc, Core Architects, Counterpoint Engineering, Diamond Corp, Doka Canada Ltd./Ltee, Dream Unlimited, Egis, EllisDon, Entuitive, EQ Building Performance Inc., ERA Architects, First Gulf, Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc., Gairloch Developments, Goldberg Group, Hariri Pontarini Architects, Hines, II BY IV DESIGN, Isotherm Engineering Ltd., Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, JORG – Renderings & Interactive, KIRKOR Architects and Planners, Kramer Design Associates Limited, Lanterra Developments, LEA Consulting, Live Patrol Inc., LiveRoof Ontario Inc, Mulvey & Banani, Norris Fire Consulting Inc, o2 Planning and Design, Parcel One, Peter McCann Architectural Models Inc., Plaza, Rebar Enterprises Inc, RJC Engineers, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering, Snaile Inc., STUDIO tla, Sweeny &Co Architects Inc., Tarra Engineering & Structural Consultants Inc, The Fence People, Tricon Residential, Trillium Architectural Products, Turner Fleischer Architects, ULMA Construction Systems Canada Inc., Unilux HVAC Industries Inc., Vortex Fire Consulting Inc., Walters Group |
