Sydney Tower
Sydney Tower is a true Sydney icon and has been an integral feature of the world famous Sydney skyline for over 30 years.
Construction of Sydney Tower Centrepoint shopping centre began in
late 1970 with the first 52 shops opening in 1972. The office component
was completed in 1974 and the final stage of the complex, the Sydney
Tower, was opened to the public in August 1981.
Ranked as one of the safest buildings in the world, the design has made the tower capable of withstanding earthquakes and extreme wind conditions.
Sydney Tower Facts
The construction of Sydney Tower is an interesting tale of engineering and quality construction.
Pre-made individual barrel unites formed the shaft of the tower. The four levels of the turret structure were constructed at the base of the shaft and raised to the top as work progressed.
The shaft supporting the turret is made up of 46 barrels units, each weighing 27 tonnes. These were brought on to the site in seven pieces and welded together. Once the first three sections were in place, a gantry crane was erected to hoist the remaining 43 barrel units.
Each barrel unit was completed with lift rails, stairwells and hydraulic risers before hoisting. The shaft contains two sets of fire stairs, fire, electrical and plumbing ducts in one half and the lift shafts in the remainder.
Once the tower structure was complete, the spire was erected. This was done in two parts, by placing one half and then lifting the top section onto the bottom section. The crane did not have the reach to lift the spire from the top, so it was lifted from the side. This was achieved despite the difficulties of maintaining adequate balance.
Find out more about the construction of the tower when you next visit Sydney Tower.
The Attractions Sydney Tower features 3 attractions:
Observation Deck and Oz Trek - these two attractions are both included in the general admission price.
Skywalk - this is additional to the general admission charge.
Ranked as one of the safest buildings in the world, the design has made the tower capable of withstanding earthquakes and extreme wind conditions.
Sydney Tower Facts
- The golden turret has a capacity of 960 persons and contains two levels of restaurants, a coffee lounge, an Observation Deck, two telecommunication transmission levels and three plant levels.
- Three double deck lifts provide guests’ access to the Observation Deck.
- The 1504 fire-isolated sets of pressurised stairs, closely monitored by security, allow patrons direct access to street level, in case of an emergency.
- The 420 windows of the tower are cleaned by a semi – automatic window cleaning machine name ‘Charlie’. ‘Charlie’ recycles and filters 50 litres of water and takes two days to clean all the windows.
- A 162,000 litre water tank, the tower’s primary damping system also acts as a stabiliser for the tower.
- 56 cables stabilise the tower, and if the strands of these cables were laid end to end, they would reach from Sydney to Alice Springs or from Sydney to New Zealand.
- The spire located above the Tower is used for telecommunications and navigation purposes.
- Sydney Tower is the first to see the Sydney dawn, and the last to see its final dusk.
The construction of Sydney Tower is an interesting tale of engineering and quality construction.
Pre-made individual barrel unites formed the shaft of the tower. The four levels of the turret structure were constructed at the base of the shaft and raised to the top as work progressed.
The shaft supporting the turret is made up of 46 barrels units, each weighing 27 tonnes. These were brought on to the site in seven pieces and welded together. Once the first three sections were in place, a gantry crane was erected to hoist the remaining 43 barrel units.
Each barrel unit was completed with lift rails, stairwells and hydraulic risers before hoisting. The shaft contains two sets of fire stairs, fire, electrical and plumbing ducts in one half and the lift shafts in the remainder.
Once the tower structure was complete, the spire was erected. This was done in two parts, by placing one half and then lifting the top section onto the bottom section. The crane did not have the reach to lift the spire from the top, so it was lifted from the side. This was achieved despite the difficulties of maintaining adequate balance.
Find out more about the construction of the tower when you next visit Sydney Tower.
The Attractions Sydney Tower features 3 attractions:
Observation Deck and Oz Trek - these two attractions are both included in the general admission price.
Skywalk - this is additional to the general admission charge.
Images with thanks to Google Images
