Rialto Towers
Encyclopedia
The Rialto Towers is the second-tallest reinforced concrete
building and the tallest office
building in the Southern Hemisphere
, when measured to its roof (several other skyscrapers in Australia are taller if their spires are included, as are some other structures in Australia such as communications masts
and observation towers). The building is located at 525 Collins Street
, in the western side of the central business district of Melbourne
, Australia
.
The Rialto Towers featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running
event.
At the time of its completion it was the 23rd tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest outside of the United States
(behind First Canadian Place
in Toronto
, Canada
).
and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles DEbro & Richard Speight all formed a uniform height limited streetscape along Collins Street and around the corner of King Street.
During the 1970s, the large derelict site was owned by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia and it was around 1979 when the first development proposal was prepared and submitted to the Melbourne City Council.
Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia
. Despite the structural integrity of Robb's buildings and objections by the National Trust of Victoria, Grocon successfully argued that the retention of Robb's Buildings would spoil the effect of the proposed building and that as it would not integrate well with the new structure and that the Rialto should have its own modern concrete and glass podium. During the application process Rialto and Windfield buildings were added to heritage registers and a 10 metres frontage and side facades including Victorian roofscape and turrets and small access laneway were retained to be integrated into the development.
Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall
façade
of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.
It is 251 m (824 ft) high, with 63 floors and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m² of office space.
Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.
s. However, on 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed to become a restaurant.
The Rialto Towers (often The Rialto) is the second-tallest reinforced concrete
building and the tallest office
building in the Southern Hemisphere
, when measured to its roof (several other skyscrapers in Australia are taller if their spires are included, as are some other structures in Australia such as communications masts
and observation towers). The building is located at 525 Collins Street
, in the western side of the central business district of Melbourne
, Australia
.
The Rialto Towers featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running
event.
At the time of its completion it was the 23rd tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest outside of the United States
(behind First Canadian Place
in Toronto
, Canada
).
and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles DEbro & Richard Speight all formed a uniform height limited streetscape along Collins Street and around the corner of King Street.
During the 1970s, the large derelict site was owned by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia and it was around 1979 when the first development proposal was prepared and submitted to the Melbourne City Council.
Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia
. Despite the structural integrity of Robb's buildings and objections by the National Trust of Victoria, Grocon successfully argued that the retention of Robb's Buildings would spoil the effect of the proposed building and that as it would not integrate well with the new structure and that the Rialto should have its own modern concrete and glass podium. During the application process Rialto and Windfield buildings were added to heritage registers and a 10 metres frontage and side facades including Victorian roofscape and turrets and small access laneway were retained to be integrated into the development.
Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall
façade
of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.
It is 251 m (824 ft) high, with 63 floors and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m² of office space.
Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.
s. However, on 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed to become a restaurant.
The Rialto Towers (often The Rialto) is the second-tallest reinforced concrete
building and the tallest office
building in the Southern Hemisphere
, when measured to its roof (several other skyscrapers in Australia are taller if their spires are included, as are some other structures in Australia such as communications masts
and observation towers). The building is located at 525 Collins Street
, in the western side of the central business district of Melbourne
, Australia
.
The Rialto Towers featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running
event.
At the time of its completion it was the 23rd tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest outside of the United States
(behind First Canadian Place
in Toronto
, Canada
).
and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles DEbro & Richard Speight all formed a uniform height limited streetscape along Collins Street and around the corner of King Street.
During the 1970s, the large derelict site was owned by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia and it was around 1979 when the first development proposal was prepared and submitted to the Melbourne City Council.
Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia
. Despite the structural integrity of Robb's buildings and objections by the National Trust of Victoria, Grocon successfully argued that the retention of Robb's Buildings would spoil the effect of the proposed building and that as it would not integrate well with the new structure and that the Rialto should have its own modern concrete and glass podium. During the application process Rialto and Windfield buildings were added to heritage registers and a 10 metres frontage and side facades including Victorian roofscape and turrets and small access laneway were retained to be integrated into the development.
Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall
façade
of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.
It is 251 m (824 ft) high, with 63 floors and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m² of office space.
Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.
s. However, on 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed to become a restaurant.
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...
building and the tallest office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
building in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, when measured to its roof (several other skyscrapers in Australia are taller if their spires are included, as are some other structures in Australia such as communications masts
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
and observation towers). The building is located at 525 Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
, in the western side of the central business district of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The Rialto Towers featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running
Tower running
Tower running is a sport, which involves running up tall man-made structures. Usually the races take place on the internal staircases of skyscrapers, but the term can cover any foot race which involves a course that ascends a man-made structure....
event.
At the time of its completion it was the 23rd tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest outside of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(behind First Canadian Place
First Canadian Place
First Canadian Place is a skyscraper in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and is the location of the Toronto headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At , it is Canada's tallest skyscraper and the 15th tallest building in North America...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
).
Background
The site of the Rialto Towers (Flinders Lane, Collins Street, Winfield Square and Robbs Lane) was occupied by several buildings including Robb's Buildings (now demolished), a grand classical styled 5 storey Victorian office building designed by Thomas Watts and Sons (and reputedly the tallest in the Melbourne City Centre in 1885), a 1920s building of the same size, the Rialto Building (1889) designed by William PittWilliam Pitt (architect)
William Pitt born in Melbourne was an architect, public servant and politician working in Victoria, Australia in the later part of the 19th century and early 20th century....
and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles DEbro & Richard Speight all formed a uniform height limited streetscape along Collins Street and around the corner of King Street.
During the 1970s, the large derelict site was owned by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia and it was around 1979 when the first development proposal was prepared and submitted to the Melbourne City Council.
Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia
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...
. Despite the structural integrity of Robb's buildings and objections by the National Trust of Victoria, Grocon successfully argued that the retention of Robb's Buildings would spoil the effect of the proposed building and that as it would not integrate well with the new structure and that the Rialto should have its own modern concrete and glass podium. During the application process Rialto and Windfield buildings were added to heritage registers and a 10 metres frontage and side facades including Victorian roofscape and turrets and small access laneway were retained to be integrated into the development.
Construction
Robb's buildings were subsequently demolished opening the way for construction to begin on the Rialto.Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.
It is 251 m (824 ft) high, with 63 floors and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m² of office space.
Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.
Observation Deck
The Melbourne Observation Deck opened to the public on 19 July 1994 and is on the 55th floor of the South Tower, at 234 m. Views of up to 60 km can be had on a clear day. It is serviced by two express passenger liftElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s. However, on 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed to become a restaurant.
Rialto Run-up
Inspired by the popular Empire State Building Run-Up, a stair race up the 242 metre, 1222-1254 step race to the 53rd floor of the Rialto building was first run in the late 1980s and became and annual event with both mens and women's divisions known as the Rialto Run-up. Previous winners include Robin Rishworth (1989,1990); Geoff Case (1991). The winner was awarded with a trip to New York to compete in the Empire State Building race.Statistics
In total there are 36 passenger lifts, 95 km of lift cables, 706 lift door openings and 1,450 staircase steps. The outer surface of the building has 13,000 windows.External links
- Rialto Towers
- Melbourne Observation Deck (defunct)
- Walking Melbourne profile
- Rialto Run Up
- Grollo Group built & owns the Rialto Towers
The Rialto Towers (often The Rialto) is the second-tallest 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...
building and the tallest office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
building in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, when measured to its roof (several other skyscrapers in Australia are taller if their spires are included, as are some other structures in Australia such as communications masts
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
and observation towers). The building is located at 525 Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
, in the western side of the central business district of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The Rialto Towers featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running
Tower running
Tower running is a sport, which involves running up tall man-made structures. Usually the races take place on the internal staircases of skyscrapers, but the term can cover any foot race which involves a course that ascends a man-made structure....
event.
At the time of its completion it was the 23rd tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest outside of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(behind First Canadian Place
First Canadian Place
First Canadian Place is a skyscraper in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and is the location of the Toronto headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At , it is Canada's tallest skyscraper and the 15th tallest building in North America...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
).
Background
The site of the Rialto Towers (Flinders Lane, Collins Street, Winfield Square and Robbs Lane) was occupied by several buildings including Robb's Buildings (now demolished), a grand classical styled 5 storey Victorian office building designed by Thomas Watts and Sons (and reputedly the tallest in the Melbourne City Centre in 1885), a 1920s building of the same size, the Rialto Building (1889) designed by William PittWilliam Pitt (architect)
William Pitt born in Melbourne was an architect, public servant and politician working in Victoria, Australia in the later part of the 19th century and early 20th century....
and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles DEbro & Richard Speight all formed a uniform height limited streetscape along Collins Street and around the corner of King Street.
During the 1970s, the large derelict site was owned by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia and it was around 1979 when the first development proposal was prepared and submitted to the Melbourne City Council.
Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia
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...
. Despite the structural integrity of Robb's buildings and objections by the National Trust of Victoria, Grocon successfully argued that the retention of Robb's Buildings would spoil the effect of the proposed building and that as it would not integrate well with the new structure and that the Rialto should have its own modern concrete and glass podium. During the application process Rialto and Windfield buildings were added to heritage registers and a 10 metres frontage and side facades including Victorian roofscape and turrets and small access laneway were retained to be integrated into the development.
Construction
Robb's buildings were subsequently demolished opening the way for construction to begin on the Rialto.Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.
It is 251 m (824 ft) high, with 63 floors and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m² of office space.
Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.
Observation Deck
The Melbourne Observation Deck opened to the public on 19 July 1994 and is on the 55th floor of the South Tower, at 234 m. Views of up to 60 km can be had on a clear day. It is serviced by two express passenger liftElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s. However, on 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed to become a restaurant.
Rialto Run-up
Inspired by the popular Empire State Building Run-Up, a stair race up the 242 metre, 1222-1254 step race to the 53rd floor of the Rialto building was first run in the late 1980s and became and annual event with both mens and women's divisions known as the Rialto Run-up. Previous winners include Robin Rishworth (1989,1990); Geoff Case (1991). The winner was awarded with a trip to New York to compete in the Empire State Building race.Statistics
In total there are 36 passenger lifts, 95 km of lift cables, 706 lift door openings and 1,450 staircase steps. The outer surface of the building has 13,000 windows.External links
- Rialto Towers
- Melbourne Observation Deck (defunct)
- Walking Melbourne profile
- Rialto Run Up
- Grollo Group built & owns the Rialto Towers
The Rialto Towers (often The Rialto) is the second-tallest 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...
building and the tallest office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
building in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, when measured to its roof (several other skyscrapers in Australia are taller if their spires are included, as are some other structures in Australia such as communications masts
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
and observation towers). The building is located at 525 Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
, in the western side of the central business district of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The Rialto Towers featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running
Tower running
Tower running is a sport, which involves running up tall man-made structures. Usually the races take place on the internal staircases of skyscrapers, but the term can cover any foot race which involves a course that ascends a man-made structure....
event.
At the time of its completion it was the 23rd tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest outside of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(behind First Canadian Place
First Canadian Place
First Canadian Place is a skyscraper in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and is the location of the Toronto headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At , it is Canada's tallest skyscraper and the 15th tallest building in North America...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
).
Background
The site of the Rialto Towers (Flinders Lane, Collins Street, Winfield Square and Robbs Lane) was occupied by several buildings including Robb's Buildings (now demolished), a grand classical styled 5 storey Victorian office building designed by Thomas Watts and Sons (and reputedly the tallest in the Melbourne City Centre in 1885), a 1920s building of the same size, the Rialto Building (1889) designed by William PittWilliam Pitt (architect)
William Pitt born in Melbourne was an architect, public servant and politician working in Victoria, Australia in the later part of the 19th century and early 20th century....
and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles DEbro & Richard Speight all formed a uniform height limited streetscape along Collins Street and around the corner of King Street.
During the 1970s, the large derelict site was owned by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia and it was around 1979 when the first development proposal was prepared and submitted to the Melbourne City Council.
Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia
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...
. Despite the structural integrity of Robb's buildings and objections by the National Trust of Victoria, Grocon successfully argued that the retention of Robb's Buildings would spoil the effect of the proposed building and that as it would not integrate well with the new structure and that the Rialto should have its own modern concrete and glass podium. During the application process Rialto and Windfield buildings were added to heritage registers and a 10 metres frontage and side facades including Victorian roofscape and turrets and small access laneway were retained to be integrated into the development.
Construction
Robb's buildings were subsequently demolished opening the way for construction to begin on the Rialto.Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.
It is 251 m (824 ft) high, with 63 floors and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m² of office space.
Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.
Observation Deck
The Melbourne Observation Deck opened to the public on 19 July 1994 and is on the 55th floor of the South Tower, at 234 m. Views of up to 60 km can be had on a clear day. It is serviced by two express passenger liftElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s. However, on 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed to become a restaurant.