Three architectural reasons to love Toronto’s residential high-rises

It’s not hard to see proof of Toronto’s rapid and continuous vertical growth. Residential high-rises continue to crop up at every turn, and demand for new developments shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

In a city of nearly three million people, not everyone can live in a detached house with bay windows and a yard. But one of Toronto’s best kept secrets is that you don’t need a house to appreciate purposeful design and modern construction. 

Here, we look skyward to notice elements of ingenuity that passersby would have otherwise looked past. 

Windows that maximize natural light 

Possibly the best feature of high-rise living is its easy access to the sun. Windows not only allow natural light into your living space, but also foster a connection to the outdoors. With nine-foot ceilings in all of its units, the floor-to-ceiling windows in Sixty Colborne, a development in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, are designed to let natural light flow. 

The 2,000 windows throughout Sixty Colborne’s 284 units, were built by State Window Corporation, one of the companies behind Toronto’s condo-development boom and recently named one of 2021’s Best-Managed Companies in Canada by Canadian Business magazine, which has come far since its founding in 2007. Originally a company of just six employees, today State has a permanent staff of 550, as well as 250 subcontractors. It has completed over 230 development projects across the country, with dozens more on the way.

State’s dedication to creating products that are sustainable sets it apart from other businesses in its field. Its collaborative R&D department generates the best ideas by engaging all of its staff members—from architects to designers to construction workers—to contribute thoughts for products and improvements.

Though this method of collaboration, State developed an entirely new window system to suit a modern, exacting set of standards, with unmatched thermal and structural performance, among other proprietary technologies.

The oh-so versatile balcony 

Another popular feature among high-rise aficionados that also offers a taste of the outdoors is balconies. Even a small balcony lets you lounge and relax in the sun (or the shade), without leaving the comforts of home. A slightly larger balcony means being able to enjoy a meal al fresco in the warmer months, or even plant a garden of flowers or small vegetables. As space allows, a balcony can also double as an outdoor exercise space. Transit City Condos in Vaughan—another State Window project, featuring more than 2,000 windows—for example, offers balconies of varying sizes, designed in a bold modern style.  

Form-meets-function doors 

Being able to step into the outdoors from your home so easily requires a door that’s warm and secure in the colder months. State’s secure, multi-chambered windows and balcony doors provide unmatched thermal performance, and will be featured in ambitious projects including the soon-to-be completed M City condo development in Mississauga and the Time and Space condo complex slated to take up an entire city block in Toronto’s downtown core.

The next time you’re walking down the street, look up, and consider the unique glamour and luxury high-rise living has to offer.