Eureka Tower
Encyclopedia
Eureka Tower is a 297.3 metres (975 ft) skyscraper located in the Southbank
precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon
(Grollo Australia). The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects Nonda Katsalidis
. It was the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor, until surpassed by Ocean Heights and the HHHR Tower
in Dubai
. It is now the sixth-tallest after the two Dubai skyscrapers HHHR Tower
and Ocean Heights.
, a rebellion
during the Victorian gold rush
in 1854. This has been incorporated into the design, with the building's gold crown representing the gold rush and a red stripe representing the blood spilt during the revolt. The blue glass cladding that covers most of the building represents the blue background of the stockade's flag and the white lines also represent the eureka stockade flag. The white horizontal stripes also represent markings on a surveyor's measuring staff
When measured either by the height of its roof, or by the height of its highest habitable floor, Eureka Tower was the tallest residential building in the world when completed. It is also currently the building with the most floors available for residential occupancy in the world. The building stands 297 metres in height, with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level. It is one of only seven buildings in the world with 90 or more storeys and is the equal 77th tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest building in Australia and the tallest building in Melbourne. The single level basement and first 9 floors contain car parking. The building's proximity to the water table
as well as the Yarra River
made the construction of a basement car park uneconomical. There are a total of 84 floors of apartments (including some floors shared between car parking and apartments) with the remainder being used for building facilities and the observation deck
.
According to the ranking system developed by the U.S.-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
, the Eureka Tower qualifies as the tallest building in one of the four categories in which heights are ranked, namely height to the floor of the highest occupied floor of the building. For comparison, the Q1
apartment tower on the Gold Coast has its highest habitable floor the observation deck, reaching a height of 235 m (771 ft), some 62 m (203 ft) lower than Eureka Tower's highest habitable floor. Q1's highest penthouse apartment
is 217 m (712 ft) whilst Eureka's penthouse is 278 m (912 ft) high. However, the spire attached to the top of Q1 exceeds the Eureka Tower in the other two categories, namely "Height to the tip of spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole" – in this case, spire – and height to architectural top of the building.
The Summit Levels (floors 82 to 87) contain only one apartment per floor: each apartment had an original price tag of A$
7 million just for the empty space; purchasers were required to fit out the apartment at additional cost.
The highest floors of the tower house an observation deck (level 88), restaurant (level 89), communications room and balcony (90) and water tanks (90 and 91). A system of pumps constantly moves water between the two 300,000 l tanks to counteract wind-induced oscillations.
The observation deck (Eureka Skydeck 88) occupies the entire 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and is the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere at 285 m (935 ft). It opened to the public on 15 May 2007. An entry fee applies to access the Skydeck.
The Skydeck features thirty viewfinders that help visitors to pinpoint numerous significant landmarks around all parts of Melbourne, along with several free binoculars. There is a small outside area called 'The Terrace' which is closed in high winds. There is also a glass cube called 'The Edge', which extends itself from the building to hang over the edge of the tower and add to the viewing experience.
On 10 January 2005, Grocon
, the firm building Eureka Tower, proposed adding a 53.8 m (176.5 ft) communications mast/observation tower. The proposal is currently before the local planning commission. This mast would be a significant structure, used for providing an adventure climb to the tip of the summit.
On 16 April 2006, a new proposal was announced that the construction company and developers were considering options for the building to have a "skywalk" that would take daring people up 350 metres high. The proposed structure may also include a communications tower.
The tower was built using reinforced concrete
using a slipform method. Eureka Tower's lift core superseded the height of Rialto Towers
on 9 November 2004.
On 23 May 2006, the crane on top of the tower was dismantled by a smaller crane, which was dismantled by a smaller crane that could be taken down the service elevator.
Eureka Tower has 24 carat
(100%) gold plated glass windows on the top 10 floors of the building. Installation of the gold glass was completed in March 2006. Apartment owners and tenants had taken up residence in the building between Ground Level and Level 80 as of July 2006.
On 11 October 2006, the tower was officially opened by then Victorian
Premier, Steve Bracks
.
Grocon purchased the Singapore company Lubeca in 2000, and then did more R&D to come up with the 2 floor jumpform system.
Southbank, Victoria
Southbank is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located direct south of the Yarra River opposite Melbourne's Hoddle Grid. The northernmost area is considered part of the Central Business District and Central Activities District of the city. Its Local Government Area are the...
precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon
Grocon
Grocon Pty Ltd is a large Australian construction company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned by the Grollo family.-History:Grocon grew from a small family concreting business established by Luigi Grollo in the 1950s, to a major building company in the 1980s with his sons Rino & Bruno...
(Grollo Australia). The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects Nonda Katsalidis
Nonda Katsalidis
Nonda Katsalidis is an Australian architect.He is currently a practicing director of architecture firm Fender Katsalidis Architects in partnership with Karl Fender.-Life:Katsalidis migrated to Melbourne, Australia as a 5 year old...
. It was the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor, until surpassed by Ocean Heights and the HHHR Tower
HHHR Tower
HHHR Tower is a supertall skyscraper on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The construction of the 72-floor, building started in 2006 and was completed in 2009. Designed by architect Al Hashemi, the building is residential, and its side usages are as commercial...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. It is now the sixth-tallest after the two Dubai skyscrapers HHHR Tower
HHHR Tower
HHHR Tower is a supertall skyscraper on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The construction of the 72-floor, building started in 2006 and was completed in 2009. Designed by architect Al Hashemi, the building is residential, and its side usages are as commercial...
and Ocean Heights.
Design and Features
Eureka Tower is named after the Eureka StockadeEureka Stockade
The Eureka Rebellion of 1854 was an organised rebellion by gold miners which occurred at Eureka Lead in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The Battle of Eureka Stockade was fought on 3 December 1854 and named for the stockade structure erected by miners during the conflict...
, a rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
during the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
in 1854. This has been incorporated into the design, with the building's gold crown representing the gold rush and a red stripe representing the blood spilt during the revolt. The blue glass cladding that covers most of the building represents the blue background of the stockade's flag and the white lines also represent the eureka stockade flag. The white horizontal stripes also represent markings on a surveyor's measuring staff
When measured either by the height of its roof, or by the height of its highest habitable floor, Eureka Tower was the tallest residential building in the world when completed. It is also currently the building with the most floors available for residential occupancy in the world. The building stands 297 metres in height, with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level. It is one of only seven buildings in the world with 90 or more storeys and is the equal 77th tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest building in Australia and the tallest building in Melbourne. The single level basement and first 9 floors contain car parking. The building's proximity to the water table
Water table
The water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
as well as the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
made the construction of a basement car park uneconomical. There are a total of 84 floors of apartments (including some floors shared between car parking and apartments) with the remainder being used for building facilities and the observation deck
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
.
According to the ranking system developed by the U.S.-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is an international body in the field of tall buildings and sustainable urban design...
, the Eureka Tower qualifies as the tallest building in one of the four categories in which heights are ranked, namely height to the floor of the highest occupied floor of the building. For comparison, the Q1
Q1 (building)
Q1 is a supertall skyscraper located in Surfers Paradise, on the Gold Coast. It is the world's third tallest residential tower after the 348 metre building The Marina Torch in Dubai won formal recognition as the tallest residential building in the world on 29 April 2011 by the Emporis...
apartment tower on the Gold Coast has its highest habitable floor the observation deck, reaching a height of 235 m (771 ft), some 62 m (203 ft) lower than Eureka Tower's highest habitable floor. Q1's highest penthouse apartment
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
is 217 m (712 ft) whilst Eureka's penthouse is 278 m (912 ft) high. However, the spire attached to the top of Q1 exceeds the Eureka Tower in the other two categories, namely "Height to the tip of spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole" – in this case, spire – and height to architectural top of the building.
Specifications
- 556 apartments
- 13 lifts travelling up to 9m/sec
- 52,000 sq m of windows
- 3680 stairs
- 110,000 tonnes of concrete
- 5000 tonnes of reinforced steel
- Building weighs 200,000 tonnes
The Summit Levels (floors 82 to 87) contain only one apartment per floor: each apartment had an original price tag of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
7 million just for the empty space; purchasers were required to fit out the apartment at additional cost.
The highest floors of the tower house an observation deck (level 88), restaurant (level 89), communications room and balcony (90) and water tanks (90 and 91). A system of pumps constantly moves water between the two 300,000 l tanks to counteract wind-induced oscillations.
Observation deck (Eureka Skydeck 88)
The Skydeck features thirty viewfinders that help visitors to pinpoint numerous significant landmarks around all parts of Melbourne, along with several free binoculars. There is a small outside area called 'The Terrace' which is closed in high winds. There is also a glass cube called 'The Edge', which extends itself from the building to hang over the edge of the tower and add to the viewing experience.
On 10 January 2005, Grocon
Grocon
Grocon Pty Ltd is a large Australian construction company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned by the Grollo family.-History:Grocon grew from a small family concreting business established by Luigi Grollo in the 1950s, to a major building company in the 1980s with his sons Rino & Bruno...
, the firm building Eureka Tower, proposed adding a 53.8 m (176.5 ft) communications mast/observation tower. The proposal is currently before the local planning commission. This mast would be a significant structure, used for providing an adventure climb to the tip of the summit.
On 16 April 2006, a new proposal was announced that the construction company and developers were considering options for the building to have a "skywalk" that would take daring people up 350 metres high. The proposed structure may also include a communications tower.
The Edge
Skydeck 88 features 'The Edge' – a glass cube which projects 3 m (10 ft) out from the building with visitors inside, suspended almost 300 m (984 ft) above the ground. When you enter, the glass is opaque as the cube moves out over the edge of the building. Once fully extended over the edge, the glass becomes clear.Construction
Construction began August 2001 and took 4 years and 2 months.The tower was built using reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
using a slipform method. Eureka Tower's lift core superseded the height of Rialto Towers
Rialto Towers
The Rialto Towers is the second-tallest reinforced concrete building and the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere, when measured to its roof...
on 9 November 2004.
On 23 May 2006, the crane on top of the tower was dismantled by a smaller crane, which was dismantled by a smaller crane that could be taken down the service elevator.
Eureka Tower has 24 carat
Carat
Carat or karat may refer to:In the gem business:* Carat , a unit of mass for gemstones, equal to 0.2 gram* Carat or karat, a unit of purity for goldIn Judaism:...
(100%) gold plated glass windows on the top 10 floors of the building. Installation of the gold glass was completed in March 2006. Apartment owners and tenants had taken up residence in the building between Ground Level and Level 80 as of July 2006.
On 11 October 2006, the tower was officially opened by then Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
Premier, Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
.
Innovative construction
A new and innovative 2-floor Lubeca jumpform system was used to:- halve work time
- halve the concrete placing required
- halve the steel fixing required
- halve the joints required in the core
- reduce the manual labour required, due to the use of hydraulic rams
Grocon purchased the Singapore company Lubeca in 2000, and then did more R&D to come up with the 2 floor jumpform system.