Sydney Tower
Encyclopedia
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in 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...
(with the Q1 building
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...
on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
being the tallest). It is also the second tallest observation tower 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"...
(after Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
's Sky Tower
Sky Tower
The Sky Tower is an observation and telecommunications tower located on the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets in the Auckland CBD, Auckland City, New Zealand. It is tall, as measured from ground level to the top of the mast, making it the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern...
, though Sydney Tower Eye's main observation deck is almost 50 m (164 ft) higher than that of Auckland's Sky Tower). The Sydney Tower Eye is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.
The tower stands 309 m (1,014 ft) above the Sydney CBD
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, being located at 100 Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets. It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, and sits upon Centrepoint (to which the tower is often referred), an office and shopping centre
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
development. The tower is open to the public, and is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city, being visible from a number of vantage points throughout town and from adjoining suburbs.
While AMP
AMP Limited
AMP Limited is an Australian financial corporation. It operates primarily in Australia and New Zealand. AMP formed in 1849 as the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a non-profit life insurance company. In 1998 it was demutualised and listed on the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges...
managed the Centrepoint shopping centre, the tower was officially referred to as "AMP Tower". After the Westfield Group took over ownership of Centrepoint in December 2001, the name was changed to Sydney Tower. In 2011, Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
acquired the rights to operate the tower and its name was changed to the Sydney Tower Eye.
Whilst the Shopping centre at the base of the tower is run by the Westfield Group the tower itself is part of Merlin Entertainments. Visitors can buy a pass from Merlin or at the gate that allows them to visit a variety of Sydney attractions including Wild Life Sydney and the Sydney Aquarium
Sydney Aquarium
Sydney Aquarium is a public aquarium located in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern side of Darling Harbour to the north of the Pyrmont Bridge...
.
History
Construction of the office building commenced in 1970, and tower construction began in 1975. Public access to the tower began in August 1981. The total cost of construction was 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...
36 million.
Prior to construction of the tower, the height limit in Sydney had been set at 279 m (915 ft), to allow for safe overflights by flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s. In 1998, the addition of a lightning rod to the top of spire extended the tower's overall height to 309 m (1,014 ft), which is 327 m (1,073 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
.
In July 2008, one of the lifts malfunctioned 200 m (656 ft) from ground level, trapping the 11 occupants for three hours.
In 2009, the base building has been stripped for re-building and connection to other arcades, also being upgraded, by Westfield. On 25–26 June 2011 the "AMP" banner was removed from the tower and replaced by a large illuminated "Westfield" logo, This was achieved by helicopter after two previous attempts on 22 May and 12 June were aborted due to bad weather.
Sections
There are three main sections of the tower open to public access. One is the observation deck at 250 m (820 ft) above ground level with a fully enclosed viewing platform featuring 360-degree views of the city and surrounds. This floor also features a small gift shop, multilingual touchscreenTouchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
s and a readout displaying data on the conditions of the tower (wind speed, direction and sway amplitude). On 23 September 2011, this level also became home to a 4-D
4-D film
4-D film is a marketing term that describes an entertainment presentation system combining a 3-D film with physical effects in the theatre, which occur in synchronization with the film...
cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
.
Skywalk is an open-air, glass-floored platform circling the Sydney Tower Eye at a height of 268 m (879 ft) above ground level. The moving viewing platform extends out over the edge of the main structure of Sydney Tower Eye. It was opened on 18 October 2005 and cost 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...
3.75 million to construct. The Skywalk took four years to design and two months to build, using more than 2,000 sections of steel and 4,376 nuts and bolts. This platform only accessible as part of planned and booked tours.
There are also revolving restaurants, one à la carte and one buffet. The buffet restaurant was renovated in October 2010. It seats 120 people, and serves over 180,000 customers annually, of which most are international visitors, mostly from Asia.
Details
The tower has a maximum capacity of 960 people. Travel from the ground to the tower is via three high speed double-deck elevatorDouble-deck elevator
Double-deck elevators are designed with two elevator cars that are attached, one on top of the other. This allows passengers on two consecutive floors to be able to use the elevator simultaneously, significantly increasing the passenger capacity of an elevator shaft...
s that reach the observation deck in approximately 40 seconds if on maximum speed, which depends on wind conditions at the time.
Cultural events
Leading up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, the tower was decorated with sculptures of athletes (an athlete rising from starting blocks, a gymnast performing a handstand, and a wheelchair basketball player passing the ball) which were positioned above the main body of the tower and in some cases overhung the edges. These sculptures were removed in 2003 and relocated to Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Olympic Park is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
at Homebush
Homebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
. The figures were placed atop the tower using an Erickson S-64 Aircrane heavy lift helicopter known as "Elvis"
Elvis (helicopter)
"Elvis" is the nickname of an Erickson S-64 Air-Crane Helitanker which has gained fame in Australia as a highly visible and valuable tool in bushfire suppression. The helicopter, which can hold 9,500 litres of water or foam mix, has been brought out by the Victorian Government from the USA for...
.
On several occasions, the tower has been used to launch fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
or it has been illuminated with coloured lights as part of various celebrations in Sydney, such as New Year's Eve or during the Olympics in 2000.
Each year the Sydney Tower Run-up comprises the challenge of running up 1,504 stairs from Pitt Street Mall to the Observation Deck. The event is to raise money for the Cancer Council, and the two winners become eligible to compete in the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
Run-up.
In popular culture
- In the 2005 Hallmark ChannelHallmark ChannelThe Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
film Supernova the tower is destroyed by meteors flying from a supernovaSupernovaA supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
. - The tower is featured in the 1995 film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MovieMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MovieMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger...
where a CGI simulation is used as a weapon by one of the Megazords in the climatic battle before it's rebuilt. - In the last Japanese Godzilla film, Godzilla: Final Wars, the tower is destroyed when the alien antagonists teleport Zilla (the monster from the late 90s American remake starring Matthew Broderick) into the city. Zilla is later defeated by the real Godzilla, destroying the Sydney Opera House in the process.
See also
- Australian landmarks
- List of tallest towers in the world
- Hyperboloid structureHyperboloid structureHyperboloid structures are architectural structures designed with hyperboloid geometry. Often these are tall structures such as towers where the hyperboloid geometry's structural strength is used to support an object high off the ground, but hyperboloid geometry is also often used for decorative...