| Sydney Tower Eye | |
|---|---|
| Amp tower center point tower sydney.jpg Sydney Tower Eye as of 2009 |
|
| Alternative names | Sydney Tower, AMP Tower, Westfield Tower, Westfield Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint |
| General information | |
| Type | Observation and communications tower |
| Location | Sydney, Australia |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction started | 1970 |
| Completed | 1981 |
| Cost | A$36 million |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 309 m (1,014 ft) |
| Top floor | 260 m (853 ft) for Sydney Tower Skywalk |
| Technical details | |
| Elevator count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | The Merlin Entertainments Group |
| Architect | Donald Crone and Associates |
Sydney Tower Eye (also known as the Sydney Tower, AMP Tower, Westfield Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower or just Centrepoint) is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia (with the Q1 building on the Gold Coast being the tallest). It is also the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere (after Auckland's Sky Tower, 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, being located at 100 Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets.[1] It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, and sits upon an office and shopping centre development formerly known as Centrepoint. 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.
Whilst the Shopping centre at the base of the tower is run by the Westfield Group the tower itself is part of Merlin Entertainments.[2] 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.[3]
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Construction of the office building commenced in 1970, and tower construction began in 1975. 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 boats.[4]
Public access to the tower began in August 1981.[5] The total cost of construction was A$36 million.[4] 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.[1]
While AMP 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.[6]
In July 2008, one of the lifts malfunctioned 200 m (656 ft) from ground level, trapping the 11 occupants for three hours.[7]
In 2009, the base building was closed and stripped for a major refurbishment. This involved the connection of the shopping centre to other arcades and a complete upgrade of all the sites. The shopping centre was progressively reopened from 2010 and was renamed Westfield Sydney. 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.
In 2011, Merlin Entertainments acquired the rights to operate the tower and its name was changed to the Sydney Tower Eye.[2][8]
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.[9] This floor also features a small gift shop, multilingual touchscreens[9] 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 cinema.[10]
Skywalk is an open-air, glass-floored platform circling the Sydney Tower Eye at a height of 268 m (879 ft) above ground level.[11] The moving viewing platform extends out over the edge of the main structure of Sydney Tower Eye.[12] It was opened on 18 October 2005 and cost A$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.[5]
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.[13]
The tower has a maximum capacity of 960 people. Travel from the ground to the tower is via three high speed double-deck lifts that reach the observation deck in approximately 40 seconds if on maximum speed, which depends on wind conditions at the time.[14]
Leading up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics, 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 at Homebush.[15] The figures were placed atop the tower using an Erickson S-64 Aircrane heavy lift helicopter known as "Elvis".
On several occasions, the tower has been used to launch fireworks 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.[16] The event is to raise money for the Cancer Council, and the two winners become eligible to compete in the Empire State Building Run-up.[16]
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