Construction of Sydney Tower Centrepoint shopping centre began
in the late 1970's 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 striking
design has made the tower capable of withstanding earthquakes and
extreme wind
conditions.
Facts about Sydney Tower
1. 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
2. The height of Sydney Tower from the bottom to the very tip of
the spire is 309 metres
3. Three double deck lifts provide access to the Sydney Tower Eye
Observation Deck and restaurants
4. The 1504 fire-isolated sets of pressurised stairs, closely
monitored by security, allow patrons direct access to street level,
in case of an emergency.
5. 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
6. A 162,000 litre water tank, the tower's primary damping system
also acts as a stabiliser for the tower
7. 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
8. The spire located above the Tower is used for
telecommunications and navigation purposes
9. Contrary to popular belief, Sydney Tower was never officially
named Centrepoint Tower
10. Sydney Tower is the first to see the Sydney dawn, and the last
to see its final dusk
11. Sydney Tower retains its original name today as simply 'Sydney
Tower', with the Sydney Tower Eye being the name of the viewing
attraction located on the upper level, providing the best views
from the highest point in the city
12. The SKYWALK experience was constructed at the top of Sydney
Tower in 2005 at a cost of almost $4 million
Sydney Tower construction
The construction of Sydney Tower is an interesting tale of
engineering and quality construction.
Pre-made individual barrel units formed the shaft of the tower
and 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 the Sydney Tower Eye and SKYWALK.
Buy tickets
now!