High End Living in the Sky - Penthouse Condo Units

According to the Oxford Dictionary a penthouse is defined as "an apartment on the top floor of a tall building, typically luxuriously fitted and offering fine views." This definition does not do justice to these glamorous residences that have developers competing for building the best of penthouse living. Attracting the wealthiest of the wealthy, builders scramble to create the ultimate luxury living to accommodate the high standards expected from a penthouse unit purchaser.

This however has not always been the case. In the past the "penthouse" of a building was considered only to be the dwelling located on the top floor of the building. These units were not necessarily considered to be high end living and were not significantly different from the other residential units in the building. The only exception was that they were the highest unit in the building. Over the years, the term "penthouse" has definitely evolved. Penthouse units are now considered to be high end luxury living units on a high level- but not necessarily the very top floor of the building. Some condo buildings have two or three floors of penthouse units with the top floor units now being referred to as "The Penthouse." Take for example Aura at College Park located in Toronto, Canada.

Once built, this building will be the tallest residential building in North America. The "penthouse" units for this building start on the 72nd floor and end on the 74th floor and are made up of multiple units on one floor. In the past, these would have been considered "sub-penthouse" units. "The Penthouse" for this particular building is the entire 75th floor. The crown of this building is an extraordinary 11,000 square feet and priced at $17.5 million Canadian dollars. For those looking to own the tallest penthouse in North America, this would be the ultimate of luxury living. Think caviar and champagne. Overall the term penthouse has evolved over the years. High rise enthusiasts now have more inventory to choose from and are aware that the term "penthouse" now refers to high end living and not just the top floor of a building. Not only are penthouse seekers living in luxury, but they're also above everyone else and essentially in a world of their own. Simple put, to live in penthouses or "The Penthouse" in today's world is simply a new way of living to demonstrate one's ultimate success.