“My thesis is a speculative critique of the neighbourhood placed atop Toronto’s most socio-economically exclusive hotels. Having stayed briefly in these kinds of hotels during the pandemic, I became aware of, and thus fascinated with the idea of Toronto’s upper class living vertically separated from the city, in the condos above said hotels. I’ve directed my research scope from the top down, finally zeroing in on the absurd penthouses of 3 five star residential hotels: The Ritz Carlton, Shangri-La, and The St. Regis. My research has shown me that this typology functions as a figurehead for Toronto’s self-destructive housing market bubble, as well as a protective barrier for the upper class, to further class division.”