Around the same time the new world record holder for tall mass timber buildings — the 25-story Ascent tower — is making its much-awaited debut in Milwaukee, another North American design proposal has been revealed in Toronto that would surmount the historic milestone by a total of six stories if approved.

The proposed 31-story residential tower is being floated by 26-year-old developer Jackey Chen, who says an impressive 80% of the building’s 494 total apartment units will be made affordable under the city’s Open Door program, with project costs totaling between $75 and $80 million. Toronto studio ICON Architects will serve as the building’s designer.

The development would entail the preservation of three semi-detached heritage buildings located in front of its would-be podium and take around two years to complete following an anticipated start of construction sometime before 2025. The proposed plan would join a list of at least five other mass timber developments in the GTA that includes an academic center for Centennial College and parts of the massive Quayside project being overseen by Adjaye Associates in particular.

Currently, the province of Ontario’s building codes allow for only 12-story wood developments, though Chen feels his plan will be granted an exemption, according to The Toronto Star.

The development is slated for a plot on the southwestern corner of Henry and College Streets, close to the University of Toronto campus and Queen’s Park. ICON Principal Reza Eslami says its CLT-heavy greyscale block design was inspired by a lockdown-era doldrums epiphany. 

“I was staring at my bookshelves one day, sitting in my home office during the lockdown, and suddenly saw the building design right in front of my eyes,” he told The Star. “It was the Jenga block stacks. It couldn’t make more sense. When I told my client team, they were so excited that they went and bought a Jenga set right away. A tower made of wood blocks. It is that!”

According to the architect, the final approval is expected to come in the first quarter of 2023.