Sydney Tower
Sydney Tower provides unsurpassed, birds-eye views in all directions over Sydney and its world-famous harbor. The lofty turret is so high, visitors can see ships at sea approaching Sydney two hours before someone on the beach, and watch planes touchdown at Sydney Airport 10 kilometer away. It takes just 40 seconds to be whisked in high-speed double-decker lifts from downtown Sydney to the tower’s observation deck suspended high above the city. Marvel at the view with the use of free telescopes. Complimentary guided tours, provided on the hour, will help you gain the most out of your experience.Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for breathtaking, 360-degree views of our beautiful harbour city, including the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Soaring 250m above the city streets, the Observation Deck of Sydney Tower is the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere and offers a panoramic viewing experience unmatched by any other Sydney attraction. It is double the height of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Sydney Tower provides an aerie-like platform to view Sydney and its surrounds. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Central Coast in the north, the Blue Mountains in the west and Wollongong and the Illawarra Coast in the south.
History
Construction of the office building commenced in 1970, and tower construction began in 1975. Public access to the tower, at the time the fourth tallest building in the world, began in September 1981. The total cost of construction was A$ 36 million. Prior to construction of the tower, the height limit in Sydney had been set at 279 m, to allow for safe overflights by flying boats, an aircraft type that had been obsolescent for almost two decades.
Sydney Tower construction
The construction of Sydney Tower is an interesting tale of engineering and quality construction. Individual barrel units, arriving on-site virtually pre-made, formed the shaft of the tower. The turret structure, making up the four levels of viewing areas at the top of the tower, was in fact constructed at the base of the shaft. As work on the shaft progressed, the actual turret was raised up the shaft.
Architectural designers of the new tower were given the challenging brief to propose a facility that was not only functional but might also become a major Sydney landmark and one of the airport’s most prominent features. The result is the striking tower that stands at 51 metres and features a central support column with a passenger lift and a spiral emergency staircase. The design marked a significant departure from the previous 20 years’ of air traffic control tower planning and construction in Australia and received recognition by winning several important architectural and construction awards.
Strength
The tower structure may not seem particularly robust, but it is designed to withstand extreme earthquakes and strong gales. The tower is stabilized by 56 cables weighing 7 ton each. If the strands of all the cables were laid end to end it would reach all the way from Sydney to New Zealand. And a 162,000 liter water tank at the top of the turret acts as an enormous stabilizer. Two separate sets of stairs provide emergency exits in case of fire. During the yearly ‘Tour Run Up’ event runners race up 1304 steps (out of the total 1504).
Comments
Leave a Reply
