Calgary is the most populous city in the Canadian province of Alberta, with a municipal population of 1,491,900 and a metropolitan population of 1,778,881 as of 2024.[1] The fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada, Calgary is a major energy, manufacturing, logistics, and financial centre in Western Canada. As of 2025, Calgary is home to 20 buildings taller than 150 metres (492 feet), five of which are taller than 200 m (656 ft). In that respect, it has more skyscrapers than any other municipality in Western Canada, more than the city of Vancouver or Burnaby.
Standing at 56 stories, 247m (810ft), the tallest building in the city, and the second tallest building in Alberta, is Brookfield Place.[2][3] The second-tallest building in the city is The Bow, standing at 58-storeys, 236m (774ft). The third-tallest building in the city is the 60-storey, 222-metre (728ft)Telus Sky, which surpassed the 215-metre (705ft)Suncor Energy Centre upon its completion in 2020.[4][5] While not a habitable building, the Calgary Tower, completed in 1967 at a height of 190.9 m (626 ft), is a major landmark on the skyline.
Calgary's history of towers began with the Grain Exchange Building (1910), the Fairmont Palliser Hotel (1914), and the Elveden Centre (1960–1964). Building construction remained slow in the city until the early 1970s. From 1970 to 1990, Calgary witnessed a major expansion of skyscraper and high-rise construction. Many of the city's office towers were completed during this period, such as the First Canadian Centre and the Canterra Tower office towers. A ten-year lull in building construction came after the expansion, though Calgary experienced a larger second building expansion beginning in the late 90s, which has continued to the early 2020s.[6]
Calgary has a relatively large skyline for its population. Almost all of Calgary's high-rises are located in or adjacent to Downtown Calgary, forming a dense core bounded to the north by the Bow River and Prince's Island Park. The city has height restrictions that prevent any building from casting a shadow over the Bow River and the city hall; however, shadows during winter months are excluded from this limit.
History
Number of buildings by height in Calgary by the end of each year. Click on the legend to toggle a specific height on or off. See or edit chart definition.
The Grain Exchange Building, the first building in Calgary with an elevator
Among the earliest multi-storey buildings to be built in Calgary was the Grain Exchange Building, a six-storey building completed in 1908.[7] Considered a tall building at the time, it was the tallest building in the city upon completion, and functioned as a hub for grain businesses. It also contained Calgary's first passenger elevator.[8] The city's rapid growth cemented it as a major trading centre in Western Canada, and an influx of tourists encouraged the construction of the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in 1914. Originally built to eight storeys, four additional floors were added in 1929 to accommodate the city's further growth.
With few high-rises built in the first half of the 20th century, Fairmont Palliser Hotel stood as tallest building in Calgary for over four decades, until the completion of Elveden House in 1960. Elveden House formed the tallest component of a complex of three linked high-rise office towers.[9] More office buildings were constructed throughout the 1960s to host the city's increasing demand for office space, particularly its growing energy industry. One Calgary Place, completed in 1968, became the city's tallest building and the first in Calgary to exceed 100 m (328 ft) in height. In the same year, the Calgary Tower opened to the public as an observation tower. Built to honor Canada's centennial year of 1967 and to encourage urban renewal and growth of downtown Calgary,[10] the tower was by far the tallest structure in the city upon completion.
1970s–1980s
A portion of the skyline as viewed from Calgary Tower in 1991, featuring Bow Valley Square prominently
With a booming population,[11] Calgary witnessed a major expansion of skyscraper and high-rise construction in the 1970s, mostly in commercial skyscrapers. The title of the city's tallest building was broken three times in this decade: first by Altius Centre in 1973, then by Bow Valley Square 2 in 1975, and finally by the Scotia Centre (now known as the Stephen Avenue Place) in 1976. Other significant high-rises include the Toronto-Dominion Square complex in 1977, with a large botanical garden at its base.
The record of Calgary's tallest building was broken a further two more times in the 1980s, as the boom in office construction continued. First Canadian Centre was completed in 1982, at a height of 166.7 m (547 ft). It was planned as the shorter building of a two-tower development; however, due to the early 1980s recession, the taller 64-storey skyscraper was never built. The last building in the Bow Valley Square complex was completed in 1982, a significant addition to the centre of the skyline. The twin towers of Western Canadian Place, built in 1983, expanded the skyline further southwest.
In 1984, the Petro-Canada Centre complex was completed, the western tower becoming Calgary's tallest building at 215 m (705 ft). The building also surpassed Calgary Tower as the city's tallest free-standing structure, and would remain so for 21 years. The complex, primarily occupied by Petro-Canada, proved controversial, as Petro-Canada was a federal Crown Corporation created under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau'sNational Energy Program. Later PremierPeter Lougheed would blame the complex for the collapse of the Calgary real-estate boom due to oversupply.[12] The centre was privatized in 1991.
1990s–2000s
Following the completion of the TD Canada Trust Tower, construction of new office high-rises in Calgary slowed down significantly. Construction picked up towards the late 1990s. Some of the first skyscrapers from this later boom were the twin buildings of the Bankers Hall complex. Unlike many of Calgary's earlier skyscrapers, the skyscrapers were in a postmodernist architectural style. TransCanada Tower was completed in 2001 as the headquarters of TC Energy, reflecting the city's importance for the energy and hydrocarbon industry.
The 2000s also saw a diversification in high-rise usage, with a court facility, Calgary Courts Centre, built in 2007. Arriva 34 became Calgary's tallest residential high-rise in 2008, with a height of 128 m (420 ft), and marked an extension of the skyline towards the southeast; Five West East Tower, nearly as tall, was completed in the same year.
2010s–present
The 2010s saw Calgary's skyline reach greater heights than ever before. The Bow, completed in 2012 at 236 m (774 ft) tall, dethroned the Petro-Canada Centre, renamed the Suncor Energy Centre in 2009, as the city's tallest building. Its distinctive crescent shape forms a notable peak towards the east of the skyline. The Bow Tower was originally proposed to be at least 1,000 feet tall, but the height was reduced to comply with the city's height restrictions along the Bow River,[13] for which the building is named. Only four years later in 2016, Brookfield Place would succeed it as the city's tallest building, a title it holds today. The latest significant commercial skyscraper in Calgary, the mixed-use Telus Sky, was completed in 2020. Currently the city's third tallest building, Telus Sky is notable for its distinctive, "twisting" massing and pixelated facade.[14] Since 2020, no more office skyscrapers exceeding 120 m (394 ft) have been built.
Telus Sky under construction in 2018 (left) and The Bow (right)
Residential high-rise construction has become increasingly commonplace since the 2010s. The Guardian, a two-tower residential complex built in 2016, adjoins Arriva 34, increasing the skyline's presence in the Victoria Park neighbourhood. The skyline has also extended towards Downtown East Village, particularly with the completion of the 142 m (466 ft) tall Arris Residences in 2024.[15] High-rise development has also spread southwards, towards the Beltline, with residential towers such as Two Park Central and The Oliver West, both completed in 2024. Currently under construction further south is the 29-storey 4th Street Lofts. The skyline is extending westwards as well, especially with the completion of the West Village Towers in 2021, now the joint tallest buildings in Downtown West End at 150 m (492 ft). This was followed by Eleven in 2024. Further west, in the neighbourhood of Sunalta, the 27-storey Sunalta Heights was completed in 2024.[16]
In July 2025, a proposal was made for pair of mixed-use skyscrapers with hotel and residential components near the BMO Centre. It is reported that both towers will be taller than Brookfield Place East. If so, the taller 69-story component would become Calgary's tallest building, and the tallest in Alberta and Western Canada as well, surpassing Edmonton's Stantec Tower. They are expected to be completed by 2030.[17] If built, they would mark a shift in the skyline's focal point from Downtown Calgary to Victoria Park.
Tallest buildings
This list ranks buildings in Calgary that stand at least 100 metres (328 feet) tall as of 2025, based on CTBUH height measurement standards. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. Freestanding observation and/or telecommunication towers, while not habitable buildings, are included for comparison purposes; however, they are not ranked. One such tower is the Calgary Tower.
Was the tallest building in Calgary upon completion
(*) Although Calgary's two largest structures are actually CFCN-TV's twin communication towers, they are not self-supporting and are assisted by cables (guyed). This is not unlike most stand-alone communications antennae.
The taller of three ski jump towers built for the 1988 Winter Olympics; 90 meters is the distance a ski jumper travels from the terminus, not the height of the structure
Tallest under construction or proposed
Under construction
The following table ranks skyscrapers that are under construction in Calgary that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. Buildings that are on hold are not included. A dash "–" indicates information about the building's height is currently unknown.
The following table ranks proposed and approved skyscrapers in Calgary that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement. A dash "–" indicates information about the building's height is currently unknown.
This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Calgary. Although it is not a building, the Calgary Tower was the city's tallest free standing structure from 1968 until 1983 when it was surpassed by the Suncor Energy Centre's West tower.
This map shows the location of buildings in Calgary that are taller than 100 m (328 ft). Each marker is coloured by the decade of the building's completion. There is only one building taller than 100 m located outside the scope of the map: Ovation at Westgate Park.
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Buildings taller than 100 m (394 ft) in Downtown Calgary. An asterisk (*) next to the name of the building indicates it is located outside the map.
↑ Smith, Donald B. (2005). Calgary's Grand Story: The Making of a Prairie Metropolis from the Viewpoint of Two Heritage Buildings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary Press. p.282. ISBN9781552381748.
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