This full-day tour begins with a pickup from the Westin Hotel and transports participants to RWDI’s headquarters, where you’ll experience their world-renowned wind tunnel facilities and modeling shop. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with Motioneering’s damper prototypes and scale models, and explore a gallery showcasing decades of iconic project models. Lunch will be provided onsite, accompanied by a live demonstration and discussion highlighting the latest innovations in climate and performance computational tools.

In the afternoon, the group will return to downtown Toronto, with a special stop at 488 University Avenue Residences — a bold 37-storey vertical addition of residential units atop an existing 18-storey office building. This project was the first high-rise to incorporate a spread-tuned, bi-directional Tuned Sloshing Damper (TSD) system, and was made possible by the early integration of into the design process. Representatives from RWDI and Motioneering will lead a behind-the-scenes tour of the tower and its TSD system, sharing technical insights, challenges faced, and lessons learned from this unique high-rise project.

Time: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM 
Presenters/Tour Leads: Senior representatives from RWDI and Motioneering. 
Meeting Point: Lobby of Westin Harbour Castle. 1 Harbour Square, Toronto, ON M5J 1A6, Canada
Getting Here: Transportation will be provided from Westin Harbour Castle to Guelph and back. Attendees are responsible for being in the lobby of Westin Harbour Castle at 9:00am.

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Image Credits: Courtesy of RWDI

In response to rapid enrolment growth, limited land assets within an intensifying urban core, and the need to consolidate four disparate departments of the faculty of health sciences, Toronto Metropolitan University developed an ambitious project brief for the Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex. The building developed as a vertical campus in response to challenges presented by a confined, urban site. 

Programmatically, the four academic departments – the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, Nutrition, and Occupational and Public Health – share space with technology-rich classrooms, a digital fabrication lab, flexible research facilities, university administration and a 330-bed residence. A continuous thread of public space, described in vibrant orange cladding, connects these diverse programs to each other and to the city beyond. The project has earned several accolades, including the CTBUH Award of Excellence (Mixed-Use) in 2021.  

Time: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM 
Presenters/Tour Leads: Jon Loewn, Design Principal & Andrew Frontini, Design Director, Perkins & Will; senior representative from Toronto Metropolitan University.  
Meeting Point:  Building entrance, 288 Church St, Toronto, ON M5B 1Z5, Canada 
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately 24 minutes by public transit from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.

Image Credits: XXX

With over 80 skyscrapers already built and 36 more currently under construction—including 2 supertalls—Toronto is the skyscraper capital of Canada and the third in North America. But it wasn’t always like this. Toronto’s skyscraper history is only about 100 years old and continues to evolve to this day. 

Join us on a walk through the Financial District as we visit towers from each era of Toronto’s race to the sky, starting from some of the city’s earliest skyscrapers at the beginning of the 20th century, through the ornate art deco structures of the 1920s, the minimalist designs of the 1960s, and ending with the glass giants currently under construction. At each stop we’ll talk about the technological innovations that made each generation possible, as well as the social, political and economic conditions that shaped their architecture, layouts and heights. We’ll also discuss how each generation of towers related to its surrounding streetscape, and the public spaces that began to form around them. Included in this tour of some of Toronto’s most well-known skyscrapers including Commerce Court North, the Toronto Dominion Centre, and CIBC Square.  

Time: 1:30PM – 4:30PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Joël León Danis, Executive Director, Toronto Society of Architects 
Meeting Point:  Southwest corner of Yonge and Melinda. 69 Melinda St, Toronto, ON M5E 1H5, Canada 
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately a 13-minute walk from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.

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Image Credits: XXX

Join us for a guided tour through the laneways and back alleys that knit together the historic King West neighborhood, where the charm of brick-and-beam industrial architecture meets cutting-edge urban development. We will explore three landmark projects that are reshaping this evolving district: King & Portland, BIG on King, and The WELL, along with the urban fabric which binds these spaces together.  
 

Discover how each of these transformative developments responds to and is inspired by the historical fabric of King West, blending past and present in compelling and innovative ways. 

Time: 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Andrew Duncan, Chief Investment Officer, RioCan; John Lindsay Senior Vice President, Development, Allied; Michael Conway, Associate Partner, Hariri Pontarini Architects; Guillaume Paradis, Partner, CCxA; Adrian Price, Principal, Building Design Partnership.
Meeting Point:  King Portland Centre lobby, 620 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1M6, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately 26 minutes by public transit from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.  

Special Instructions: This tour will visit, BIG on King, an active construction site requiring closed-toed, durable shoes. Additional PPE will be provided on-site.  

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Image Credits: Courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects. The Well (left); BIG on King (upper right); King & Portland (bottom right)

Soaring above Mississauga at 62 stories, M1 and M2 are more than Mississauga’s tallest towers, they are the defining landmark of Mississauga’s bold new downtown core.  The towers’ undulating geometry is a result of the unique application of seven floor plates that twist the building as it rises.  The floor plates take turns skewing to each extreme as the building rises, stacking in a repetitive pattern. The inaugural towers feature close to 800 units each and introduce a new type of living to Mississauga with hotel-style amenities, including a rooftop skating rink, swimming pool, kids play spaces, splash pad, fitness centre and wellness spaces.  
 
Attendees will enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the full scope of the eight-tower M City master plan, including a guided walkthrough of completed M1 and M2, under-construction M3, M4, and M5, and insights into the project’s public realm strategy over two acres of parkland and its connection to Mississauga’s shifting urban fabric. 

Time: 8:00AM – 12:00PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Senior representatives from Rogers Real Estate Development, Urban Capital, CORE Architects, Arcadis, and Hariri Pontarini Architects. 
Meeting Point:  Lobby of Westin Harbour Castle. 1 Harbour Square, Toronto, ON M5J 1A6, Canada
Getting Here: Transportation will be provided from Westin Harbour Castle to Mississauga and back. Attendees are responsible for being in the lobby of Westin Harbour Castle at 8:00am.

One Delisle is a striking 47-story tower that that considers how to sustainably grow cities and redefines Toronto’s skyline with its sculptural, spiraling design. The project spans 520,000 square feet and includes 371 suites. Conceived as a future landmark, the building features a dynamic façade tuned to Toronto’s climate and lifestyle. Comprised of a series hooded modules, with balconies set within them and generous terraces atop, the modules spiral up the tower to provide shade and wind protection, creating vibrant indoor-outdoor environments that can be used both in summer and the shoulder seasons. One Delisle’s innovative form transitions from a square base to a circular crown, creating a distinctive silhouette that stands apart from any other development in the city. 

Attendees can expect to see One Delisle nearing its topping out, with windows reaching over halfway up the building and some finished suites on the lower levels. 

Time: 1:30PM – 4:30PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Senior representatives from Slate/Globizen, Studio Gang, and Multiplex 
Meeting Point:  1 Delisle Ave, Toronto, ON M4T 1Z6, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately 30 minutes by public transit from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.

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Until flood protection is established, 290 hectares of Toronto’s southeastern downtown, including the Port Lands and South Riverdale, remain at risk from the Don River. The Port Lands Flood Protection Project is transforming this area, creating a new river valley and an island called Ookwemin Minising (formerly Villiers Island), while re-naturalizing the river’s mouth.  

Join us for a unique biomimicry tour along Ookwemin Minising, where we blend nature-inspired design with Indigenous wisdom. This tour highlights the contributions of Indigenous communities to waterfront redevelopment and emphasizes the importance of traditional knowledge in planning. We will explore sustainable infrastructure and green building practices, drawing on Indigenous teachings that emphasize sustainability and intergenerational responsibility. 

Discover flood protection strategies rooted in environmental stewardship and witness the flourishing biodiversity from native species restoration. Immerse in Indigenous culture through art, storytelling, and placekeeping initiatives as expressions of cultural resilience and connection to the land.  

Time: 9:00AM – 11:00AM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Jamie Miller, Global Director of Biomimicry, Senior Associate, B+H Architecture; Erik Skouris, Architect, Two Row Architect 
Meeting Point:  Lobby of Westin Harbour Castle. 1 Harbour Square, Toronto, ON M5J 1A6, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for being in the lobby of Westin Harbour Castle at 9:00am and the group will walk together to Ookwemin Minising. 

Image Credits: Courtesy of B+H Architecture

The PATH, Toronto’s underground walkway system connects more than 75 properties, linking 30 kilometers of shopping, services, and entertainment through a system of corridors lined with more than 1,200 retail shops. Numerous key junctions on the network provide larger multi-story gathering spaces animated with natural light, landscaping, public art, and fountains. Projects like PATH show that pedestrian networks connecting major buildings in downtown areas can be much more than tunnels and bridges – with sufficient planning and oversight, they become genuine urban neighborhoods. 

The PATH is featured in the latest CTBUH Technical Guide, The Space Below: Connecting People, Transit and Tall Buildings, which investigates 10 other such networks around the world, surveying their benefits, drawbacks and typological characteristics.  

James Parakh will provide a history of the PATH network highlight some of its important spaces. Participants will then tour the network, visiting several tall buildings and open spaces along the way. These include: 

• 10 Adelaide Street West 

• First Canadian Place, presently Canada’s tallest building 

• TD Centre 

• Commerce Court 

• Brookfield Place and the Galleria  

• Union Station 

• CIBC Square and its Sky Park 
• Maple Leaf Square

Time: 9:00AM – 12:00PM or 1:30PM – 4:30PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: James Parakh, Urban Design Manager, City of Toronto Planning Department; Daniel Safarik, Director, Research and Thought Leadership, CTBUH.
Meeting Point:  B+H Architects office. 320 Bay St. #200, Toronto, ON M5H 4A6, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately 10 minutes by public transit from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle. The walk will conclude at Waterpark Place, just across the street from The Westin Harbour Castle.

Image Credits: © Terri Meyer Boake

Explore the remarkable transformation of Regent Park, one of Canada’s oldest public housing communities, now a globally recognized model for urban renewal. This presentation and guided walking tour highlights how thoughtful planning, design, and long-term partnerships have reshaped a once-stigmatized neighborhood into a thriving, mixed-use, mixed-income community. Regent Park demonstrates how buildings and dense development can support social and cultural networks when designed with intentionality to foster connection, access, and inclusion.  

Discover how public-private collaboration and community engagement have produced high-quality architecture, vibrant public spaces, and a strong social infrastructure. Participants will gain insights into the challenges and triumphs of this ongoing 20-year redevelopment and leave with lessons applicable to urban projects worldwide. 

Time: 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Presenters/Tour Leads:  Mitchell Cohen, President & CEO, The Daniels Corporation; Ran Chen, Senior Urban Designer, City of Toronto.
Meeting Point:  World Urban Pavilion, 660 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M5A 2C1, Canada 
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately 23 minutes by public transit from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.

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Image Credits: XXX

Join us for a construction tour of a landmark project rising next to the CTBUH conference hotel. The 106-story SkyTower is set to become the tallest building in Canada. SkyTower will feature over 950 residential suites and the podium will include extensive retail, a pedestrian mid-block connection, rooftop amenities, and a 220-room hotel. To make an architectural statement and mitigate wind-induced loads, SkyTower features a glazed, twelve-sided exterior and a tapered form with chamfered corners. This dynamic project marks the latest phase of Pinnacle One Yonge, the mixed-use development located on Toronto’s waterfront where Lake Ontario meets Yonge Street, considered North America’s longest, stretching 1,896 kilometers (1,178 miles) to the border with Manitoba. 
 
Participants will join small group guided tours that will include the design evolution, envelope design, structural design, construction process, and programming considerations for wind. 

Time: 1:30PM – 4:30PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Senior representatives from Hariri Pontarini Architects and Pinnacle International. 
Meeting Point:  1 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5E 1W7, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately a five-minute walk from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle. 

Special Instructions: This is an active construction site requiring closed-toed, durable shoes. Additional PPE will be provided on-site. However, as supplies will be limited, local attendees are kindly requested to bring their own PPE if available.  

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Image Credits: XXX

T3 Bayside and Limberlost Place are two new tall timber buildings that are redefining the architecture of Toronto’s waterfront.  

T3 Bayside was built on the T3 concept: Timber, Transit, and Technology. Situated in Toronto’s newest and most dynamic live-work-play neighborhood, T3 Bayside captures the creative energy of the historic brick-and-beam buildings, pairing it perfectly with technology, style, amenities and sustainability. Attendees can look forward to breathtaking views of the beautiful Bayside Community waterfront from the rooftop terrace, along with stunning city views from the 10^th floor. Other points of interest include move-in ready show suites, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, a secure bicycle storage facility and tenant amenity lounges with built in AV equipment.  

Limberlost Place is a 10-story mass timber academic building which won last year’s CTBUH Innovation and Structure Awards. Learn about the building’s most distinctive features, including: solar chimneys and a natural ventilation strategy; high-performance prefabricated façade enclosures and daylight harvesting; district heating and cooling system with no gas fired equipment; 9-meter-span timber-concrete composite beamless floor construction; and the striking 3-storey mass timber columns that define the Learning Landscape social commons space on the ground floor. 

Time: 9:00AM – 12:15PM or 1:30PM – 4:45PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Hailey Quiquero, Technical Manager & Steven Street, Executive Director, WoodWorks Ontario; Myles Millard, Managing Director, Hines; Nerys Rau, Director, Design and Construction and Project Director, George Brown College; Carol Phillips, Partner & Phil Silverstein, Principal, Moriyama Teshima Architects; Mike Love, Superintendent, PCL.
Meeting Point:   T3 Bayside, 251 Queens Quay E, Toronto, ON M5A 0X3, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately a 15-minute walk from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.

Image Credits: XXX

At 236m, 47 stories, and located at Front and Simcoe streets, TD Terrace is a distinctive and timeless addition to the already iconic Toronto skyline. The tower’s geometry addresses the downtown Financial District with a nod to Union Station and the heart of the City. With 360-degree views, corner office spaces open to the City and Lakefront through its signature sawtooth facade. 

While the project is already well known in Toronto, this tour offers a chance to experience the project at multiple scales. The project’s own designers and developers will use a guided exterior tour, lobby walk-through, on-site project presentation, and tower crown tour to discuss the project’s sustainable and performance-based design. See how TD Terrace’s overall massing moves, high-performance façade, and integrated architectural lighting are advancing expectations for work spaces and architecture in Toronto. 

Time: 1:30PM – 4:30PM 
Presenters/Tour Leads: Senior representatives from Cadillac Fairview and AS + GG Architecture.  
Meeting Point:  Corner of Front and Simcoe Streets. 160 Front St W, Toronto, ON M5J 2L6, Canada
Getting Here: Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to/from the tour. The meeting point is approximately a 15-minute walk from the conference hotel, Westin Harbour Castle.

Image Credits: XXX

The new mass-timber headquarters of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), a local conservation body owning 16,000 hectares of land, was envisioned as a living demonstration for how private development can reduce the environmental footprint of their buildings. The 4-storey 80,000 sq-ft building is among the most sustainable in Canada. Its operating emissions are 50% lower than an average commercial building in Toronto, and its embodied carbon is 75% lower.  
 
Located along the edge of a ravine watershesd, the building is composed of a series fanning fingers which allow natural abundant light to penetrate deep into the building’s core — just one of many features that prioritize staff well-being and workplace experience.  
 
The facade—which is primarily clad in Ontario white cedar—is unique. Not only does it have a highly insulated airtight envelope and triple glazing, but the south-face features a double-skin facade. This facade traps air in its double-wall cavity, which is then heated by the sun to mitigate heat loss and reduce heating loads in the cooler months. It also helps ventilate and manage cooling loads in the summer. 

Time: 1:00PM – 5:00PM
Presenters/Tour Leads: Andrzej Gortat, Principal & Paul Stevens, Senior Principal, ZAS Architects; Chris Ellis, Manager, Major Contracts, TRCA. 
Meeting Point: Lobby of Westin Harbour Castle. 1 Harbour Square, Toronto, ON M5J 1A6, Canada
Getting Here: Transportation will be provided from Westin Harbour Castle to TRCA and back. Attendees are responsible for being in the lobby of Westin Harbour Castle at 1:00pm.

Image Credits: XXX