Toronto's skyline is going through a period of immense transformation. Once dominated by office towers for major banks, cookie-cutter condo towers have since taken over in the last two decades. However, head-turning office towers are still popping up on the city skyline, the most recent example being Cadillac Fairview's 160 Front Street West.

This 46-storey office tower is quickly approaching its final form as construction presses on at the northeast corner of Front and Simcoe, bringing a new curved peak to the skyline with a design from Chicago-based architects Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG) working with local firm B+H Architects.

The project reached a major milestone on March 16, when ironworkers installed the final curved steel beam atop the tower's crown. Placement of this beam — signed by workers to commemorate the occasion — capped off the installation of approximately 12,000 tons of structural steel and over one million square feet of metal deck.

Scalloped curtainwall glazing now rises to just shy of the crown, where white curved architecturally exposed structural steel pipes extend up from the tower faces to form the building's signature arched peak.

These structural elements make up the first signs of a future office amenity known as the sky atrium. Upon completion, this large open-air space will include trees and gardens, while offering tenants of the building outstanding city views.

The tower's distinctive shape — tapered at both the top and the bottom — serves two purposes beyond the obvious aesthetic qualities. According to the architects, these design features assist the structure's wind resistance up top, while reducing the impact of the base on the surrounding pedestrian realm.

Upon completion, 160 Front West will introduce approximately 1.2 million square feet of office space and over 12,000 square feet of new retail to the western edge of the Financial District.

Its anchor tenant will be banking titan TD, which will be installing large green signage atop the tower — joining similar roof branding atop the Toronto-Dominion Centre and the TD Canada Trust Tower at Brookfield Place.

Construction for 160 Front West has been ongoing since early 2019 and is currently on track to hit a scheduled completion in December 2023, with an opening planned for next spring.