Toronto Magazine - Premier 2008 - (Page 30) t he CN Tower was a vast and ambitious project that involved 1,537 workers labouring 24 hours a day, 5 days a week for 40 months. Its tallest reaches approached completion in a dramatic fashion in March 1975, when the giant Sikorsky helicopter “Olga” flew into the city to lift the final 44 pieces of the antenna into place. Since the Tower opened to the public on June 26, 1976, it has been bringing in approximately two million visitors every year. Millions of dollars have been invested in the Tower over its 30-year history to expand and maintain its vitality. In 1986, the world’s first flight-simulator experience, Tour of the Universe, was launched. Upgraded and changed frequently, it’s now a motion theatre ride. In 1998, the base of the Tower was expanded to add 6,960 square metres (75,000 square feet) of attractions and shopping. In recent years, green spaces have been added, where herbs, edible flowers and vegetables are harvested for the Tower’s 360 Restaurant, Chef Peter George’s rotating dining room with the world’s highest wine cellar and an impressive 9,000-bottle collection available to its diners. This is also a working tower. Originally conceived as a transmission hub, the CN Tower brought to the Toronto area some of the clearest reception in North America. It has adapted to technological advances of the last decade by providing a cell site for wireless voice and data transmissions while continuing to be used by more than 30 radio and television broadcasters. In June 2007, the Tower unveiled its new, innovative architectural LED illumination to much ovation. “The tower gives an incredible sense of awe and national The details Height: 553.33 m (1,815 ft., 5 in.). Cost to build: $63 million. The elevators: The CN Tower’s elevators use a pendulum device to monitor periods of high winds, and sensors will cause the elevator speed to slow down in stages for the comfort of passengers — from 1,200 ft. (366 m) to 900 ft. (274 m) to 600 ft. (183 m) per minute. The glass floor: The first floor of its kind in the world, the CN Tower’s Glass Floor consists of 20 pieces of composite glass 6.35 cm (2 ½ in.) thick and has the strength to hold 38,556 kg (85,000 lbs.), or 14 hippopotamuses. The restaurant: 360 Restaurant revolves once every 72 minutes to provide diners breathtaking views of Toronto 1,000 feet below. www.cntower.ca m pride,” says the CN Tower’s chief operating officer, Jack Robinson. “A beacon for Toronto and tourism, it has changed the night skyline of Toronto.” And sure enough, each evening, beginning at sunset, the Tower features red and white programmed lighting in celebration of the architectural integrity of the structure and to honour Canada, with a short effect precisely at the top of each hour. “The LED lighting is incredibly environmentally friendly,” adds Robinson. “Our electrical bill is less than before we lit up.” ark Franklin is one of the original designers of the CN Tower. As a pioneer of the innovative approach to architectural design required to complete such a project, Franklin continues to travel around the world to consult on the design of tall, iconic urban towers. “The most flattering thing about the CN Tower is that it’s widely recognized as the most elegant and beautiful modern tower in the world,” says Franklin. “In the end, the iconic value is most enduring. The Tower has become a really powerful symbol for Canadian knowhow and design. It’s both sculptural and functional even 30 years later. That’s a bit of a surprise. We were fixated on getting it built and making it safe.” As the Tower has presided over the region for three decades, its posture has been steadfast, as has the enduring visitor fascination with its great height. “An emphasis on the public attractiveness has proven to be a far more compelling story than the technical uses,” notes Franklin. “There’s just something very basic about being up high. It’s a compelling primitive urge that we all feel.” With the CN Tower, Toronto’s ability to satiate this innate desire to reach the sky is unlike anywhere in the world. 30 TORONTO | 2008 http://www.cntower.ca
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