Due to the symbolism of the number 1776 (the year of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence), the height of One World Trade Center is unlikely to be increased.
Key project team members were NCK Engineering as structural engineer; John Andrews Architects; Webb, Zerafa, Menkes, Housden Architects; Foundation Building Construction; and Canron (Eastern Structural Division). As Toronto grew rapidly during the late 1960s and early 1970s, multiple skyscrapers were constructed in the downtown core, most notably First Canadian Place.
It also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers. It is a signature icon of Toronto's skyline and attracts more than two million international visitors annually. == History == The original concept of the CN Tower was first conceived in 1968 when the Canadian National Railway wanted to build a large television and radio communication platform to serve the Toronto area, and to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry and CN in particular.
Key project team members were NCK Engineering as structural engineer; John Andrews Architects; Webb, Zerafa, Menkes, Housden Architects; Foundation Building Construction; and Canron (Eastern Structural Division). As Toronto grew rapidly during the late 1960s and early 1970s, multiple skyscrapers were constructed in the downtown core, most notably First Canadian Place.
These plans evolved over the next few years, and the project became official in 1972. The tower would have been part of Metro Centre (see CityPlace), a large development south of Front Street on the Railway Lands, a large railway switching yard that was being made redundant by newer yards outside the city.
Concrete was poured Monday to Friday (and not continuously) by a small team of people until February 22, 1974, at which time it had already become the tallest structure in Canada, surpassing the recently built Inco Superstack in Sudbury, which was built using similar methods. The tower contains of concrete, all of which was mixed on-site in order to ensure batch consistency.
Over the height of the tower, it varies from true vertical accuracy by only . In August 1974, construction of the main level commenced.
The tower was topped-off on April 2, 1975, after 26 months of construction, officially capturing the height record from Moscow's Ostankino Tower, and bringing the total mass to . Two years into the construction, plans for Metro Centre were scrapped, leaving the tower isolated on the Railway Lands in what was then a largely abandoned light-industrial space.
Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976.
Ned Baldwin, project architect with John Andrews, wrote at the time that "All of the logic which dictated the design of the lower accommodation has been upset," and that "Under such ludicrous circumstances Canadian National would hardly have chosen this location to build." ==== Phases of construction ==== === Opening === The CN Tower opened to the public on June 26, 1976.
One floor above the Indoor Observation Level was the Top of Toronto Restaurant, which completed a revolution once every 72 minutes. The tower would garner world wide media attention when stuntman Dar Robinson jumped off of the CN Tower on two occasions in 1979 and 1980.
It features a shot of stuntman Dar Robinson jumping off of the CN Tower in 1979. Views is a 2016 studio album released on April 29, 2016 by Canadian rapper Drake.
One floor above the Indoor Observation Level was the Top of Toronto Restaurant, which completed a revolution once every 72 minutes. The tower would garner world wide media attention when stuntman Dar Robinson jumped off of the CN Tower on two occasions in 1979 and 1980.
The tower also has its own official mascot, which resembles the tower itself. Highpoint is a Canadian 1982 action film starring Richard Harris, Christopher Plummer and Beverly D'Angelo.
As the area around the tower was developed, particularly with the completion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (north building) in 1984 and SkyDome in 1989 (renamed Rogers Centre in 2005), the former Railway Lands were redeveloped and the tower became the centre of a newly developing entertainment area.
Both stunts used a wire decelerator attached to his back. On June 26, 1986, the ten-year anniversary of the tower's opening, high-rise firefighting and rescue advocate Dan Goodwin, in a sponsored publicity event, used his hands and feet to climb the outside of the tower, a feat he performed twice on the same day.
As the area around the tower was developed, particularly with the completion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (north building) in 1984 and SkyDome in 1989 (renamed Rogers Centre in 2005), the former Railway Lands were redeveloped and the tower became the centre of a newly developing entertainment area.
Access was greatly improved with the construction of the SkyWalk in 1989, which connected the tower and SkyDome to the nearby Union Station railway and subway station, and, in turn, to the city's PATH underground pedestrian system.
The average climber takes approximately 30 minutes to climb to the base of the radome, but the fastest climb on record is 7 minutes and 52 seconds in 1989 by Brendan Keenoy, an Ontario Provincial Police officer.
Following both ascents, he used multiple rappels to descend to the ground. === The 1990's & 2000's === To keep the tower relevant to tourists saw some additional changes to the structure in the 1990's.
A Glass Floor, at an elevation of , opened to the public on June 26, 1994.
Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by the Canton Tower.
In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Canadian National Railway sold the tower to Canada Lands Company (CLC) prior to taking the company private in 1995, when it decided to divest all operations not directly related to its core freight shipping businesses.
Although Guinness did list this description of the CN Tower under the heading "tallest building" at least once, it has also listed it under "tallest tower", omitting it from its list of "tallest buildings." In 1996, Guinness changed the tower's classification to "World's Tallest Building and Freestanding Structure".
Following both ascents, he used multiple rappels to descend to the ground. === The 1990's & 2000's === To keep the tower relevant to tourists saw some additional changes to the structure in the 1990's.
On April 20, the CN Tower reopened. === Safety features === In August 2000, a fire broke out at the Ostankino Tower in Moscow killing three people and causing extensive damage.
In 2002, Canadian Olympian and Paralympic champion Jeff Adams climbed the stairs of the tower in a specially designed wheelchair.
Top climbs on the new, windowless stairwell used since around 2003 have generally been over ten minutes. insidecntower360.JPG|Inside 360 Restaurant Toronto - ON - CN Tower Turmkorb.jpg|Main Pod CN Tower Turmkorb-Modell-blau.png|Cross-section of Main Pod CN Tower Glass Floor Walk.jpg|Standing on glass floor CNTowerNastyFall.jpg|View through glass floor === Architects === WZMH Architects John Hamilton Andrews Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden with the help of E.R.
As the area around the tower was developed, particularly with the completion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (north building) in 1984 and SkyDome in 1989 (renamed Rogers Centre in 2005), the former Railway Lands were redeveloped and the tower became the centre of a newly developing entertainment area.
Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by the Canton Tower.
TrizecHahn also owned the Willis Tower (Sears Tower at the time) in Chicago approximately at the same time. In 2007, light-emitting diode (LED) lights replaced the incandescent lights that lit the CN Tower at night, the reason cited being that LED lights are more cost and energy efficient than the incandescent lights.
On September 12, 2007, Burj Khalifa, then under construction and known as Burj Dubai, surpassed the CN Tower as the world's tallest free-standing structure.
Baldwin === Falling ice danger === A freezing rain storm on March 2, 2007, resulted in a layer of ice several centimetres thick forming on the side of the tower and other downtown buildings.
Subsequently, on March 6, 2007, the Gardiner Expressway reopened after winds abated. On April 16, 2018, falling ice from the CN Tower punctured the roof of the nearby Rogers Centre stadium, causing the Toronto Blue Jays to postpone the game that day to the following day as a doubleheader; this was the third doubleheader held at the Rogers Centre.
In June 2007, the tower was outfitted with 1,330 super-bright LED lights inside the elevator shafts, shooting over the main pod and upward to the top of the tower's mast to light the tower from dusk until 2 a.m.
The issue of what was tallest became moot when Burj Khalifa, then under construction, exceeded the height of the CN Tower in 2007 (see below). Although the CN Tower contains a restaurant, a gift shop and multiple observation levels, it does not have floors continuously from the ground, and therefore it is not considered a building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) or Emporis.
Like the CN Tower, none of these taller structures are commonly considered buildings. On September 12, 2007, Burj Khalifa, which is a hotel, residential and commercial building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and was formerly known as Burj Dubai before opening, passed the CN Tower's 553.33-metre height.
In 2008, glass panels were installed in one of the CN Tower elevators, which established a world record (346 m) for highest glass floor panelled elevator in the world. === 2010's: EdgeWalk === On August 1, 2011, the CN Tower opened the EdgeWalk, an amusement in which thrill-seekers can walk on and around the roof of the main pod of the tower at , which is directly above the 360 Restaurant.
In 2008, one elevator was upgraded to add a glass floor panel, believed to have the highest vertical rise of any elevator equipped with this feature.
When the tower first opened, it also featured a disco named Sparkles (at the Indoor Observation Level), billed as the highest disco and dance floor in the world. The SkyPod was once the highest public observation deck in the world until it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2008. A metal staircase reaches the main deck level after 1,776 steps, and the SkyPod above after 2,579 steps; it is the tallest metal staircase on Earth.
Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by the Canton Tower.
The CN Tower was surpassed in 2009 by the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, which stands at tall, as the world's tallest tower; which in turn was surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree in 2011, which currently is the tallest tower at in height.
In 2008, glass panels were installed in one of the CN Tower elevators, which established a world record (346 m) for highest glass floor panelled elevator in the world. === 2010's: EdgeWalk === On August 1, 2011, the CN Tower opened the EdgeWalk, an amusement in which thrill-seekers can walk on and around the roof of the main pod of the tower at , which is directly above the 360 Restaurant.
The proposed Chicago Spire was expected to exceed the height of the CN Tower, but its construction was halted early due to financial difficulties amid the Great Recession, and was eventually cancelled in 2010. === Height distinction debate === ==== "World's Tallest Tower" title ==== Guinness World Records has called the CN Tower "the world's tallest self-supporting tower" and "the world's tallest free-standing tower".
The CN Tower was the tallest tower by this definition until 2010 (see below). Taller than the CN Tower are numerous radio masts and towers, which are held in place by guy-wires, the tallest being the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, in the United States at tall, leading to a distinction between these and "free-standing" structures.
In 2008, glass panels were installed in one of the CN Tower elevators, which established a world record (346 m) for highest glass floor panelled elevator in the world. === 2010's: EdgeWalk === On August 1, 2011, the CN Tower opened the EdgeWalk, an amusement in which thrill-seekers can walk on and around the roof of the main pod of the tower at , which is directly above the 360 Restaurant.
From sundown on August 27, 2011, to sunrise the following day, the tower was lit in orange, the official colour of the New Democratic Party (NDP), to commemorate the death of federal NDP leader and leader of the official opposition Jack Layton.
The CN Tower was surpassed in 2009 by the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, which stands at tall, as the world's tallest tower; which in turn was surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree in 2011, which currently is the tallest tower at in height.
The episode first aired on April 10, 2013. ====Pan Am Games ==== The base of the CN Tower was home to the main Pan Am Games flames playing an important part in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. On July 10, 2015, the CN Tower was incorporated into the opening ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games.
As of 2013, there are only two other freestanding structures in the Western Hemisphere which exceed in height; the Willis Tower in Chicago, which stands at when measured to its pinnacle; and the topped-out One World Trade Center in New York City, which has a pinnacle height of , or approximately shorter than the CN Tower.
The episode first aired on April 10, 2013. ====Pan Am Games ==== The base of the CN Tower was home to the main Pan Am Games flames playing an important part in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. On July 10, 2015, the CN Tower was incorporated into the opening ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games.
On the night of the attacks on Paris on November 13, 2015, the tower displayed the colours of the French flag. Programmed from a desktop computer with a wireless network interface controller in Burlington, Ontario, the LEDs use less energy to light than the previous incandescent lights (10% less energy than the dimly lit version and 60% less than the brightly lit version).
It features a shot of stuntman Dar Robinson jumping off of the CN Tower in 1979. Views is a 2016 studio album released on April 29, 2016 by Canadian rapper Drake.
Subsequently, on March 6, 2007, the Gardiner Expressway reopened after winds abated. On April 16, 2018, falling ice from the CN Tower punctured the roof of the nearby Rogers Centre stadium, causing the Toronto Blue Jays to postpone the game that day to the following day as a doubleheader; this was the third doubleheader held at the Rogers Centre.
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