Eureka Tower
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| Eureka Tower | |
 |
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| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | August 2002 - June 2006 |
| Opening | 11 October 2006 |
| Use | residential |
| Height | |
| Roof | 297.3 m (975 ft) |
| Technical Details | |
| Floor count | 91 (plus 1 underground) |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Fender Katsalidis |
| Contractor | Grocon |
| Developer | Grocon |
Eureka Tower is a residential building in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on June 1, 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on October 11, 2006.
Eureka Tower is the tallest residential building in the world, when measured either by the height of its roof, or by the height of its highest habitable floor. The building stands 297.3m in height (300m above sea level), with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level. It is one of only six buildings in the world with 90 or more storeys.
The 78-storey Q1 apartment tower in Gold Coast, Queensland has also been described as the tallest residential building in the world due to its spire, which reaches a height of 322.5m. According to the ranking system developed by the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Q1 qualifies as the taller building in two of the four categories in which heights are ranked, namely Pinnacle Height and Architectural Top, while the Eureka Tower is taller in the other two categories, Roof Height and Highest Occupied Floor. For comparison, the Q1 building has its top floor at a height of 235m, some 62 metres lower than Eureka's roof.
On January 10, 2005, Grocon, the firm building Eureka Tower, proposed adding a 53.75m communications mast/observation tower. The proposal is currently before the local planning commission. This mast would be a significant structure, used for providing an adventure climb to the tip of the summit – the highest observation area in the Southern Hemisphere.
On April 16, 2006, a new proposal was announced that the construction company and developers were considering options for the building to have a "skywalk" that would take daring people up 350 metres high. The proposed structure may also house a communication tower.
On May 23, 2006, the crane on top of the tower was dismantled by a smaller crane, which was dismantled by a smaller crane that could be taken down the service elevator.
On October 11, 2006, the tower was officially opened by Victorian Premier Steve Bracks. [1]
Eureka Tower was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Australia and was built by Grocon (Grollo Australia).
Eureka Tower's lift core superseded the height of Rialto Towers on November 9, 2004.
Eureka Tower has 24 carat gold plated glass windows on the top 8 floors of the building. Installation of the gold glass was completed in March 2006. Apartment owners and tenants had taken up residence in the building between Ground Level and Level 80 as at July 2006.
The Summit levels, floors 82 to 87, contain only one apartment per floor: each apartment has a price tag of 7 million AUD.
The observation deck (Skydeck) is situated on the 88th floor and is the highest public vantage point (285m/935ft) in the southern hemisphere.
[edit] Images
 Close up view of the tower |
 Eureka Tower during construction |
 View of the tower from Federation Square |
| Tall buildings in Melbourne | |||||
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| Heights are to roof. | |||||
| List of tallest buildings in Australia | |||||
See also Tall buildings in Melbourne for a list of other skyscrapers in Melbourne.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official construction photo gallery
- Eureka Tower Observation Deck Website
- Emporis Page
