Cn tower
Cn towerSo, Why Build A Tower In The First Place?
During Toronto's building boom in the early 70's, a serious problem was developing. People were experiencing poor quality television. The pre-skyscraper transmission towers of Toronto stations were simply not high enough anymore.As office buildings were reaching higher and higher, the video reception and radio signaq got weaker and soon became alomst inpossible to recieve. Signals from Toronto and from Buffalo, New York were bouncing off the buildings. As a result viewers often saw a weaker station superimposed over another. So the were watching two shows at once. It became clear that they needed a antenna that would not only be taller than any building in the city, but one that would be taller than anything that would probably ever be built.
Today, the microwave receivers which pull in distant signals are about 305 metres or 1000 feet up (inside that white donut-like thing), and the top of the transmission antenna is 553.33 metres or 1815 feet 5 inches high (that's the very top).Because of this, we enjoy some of the clearest TV and radio reception in North America. An extra little tidbit you may not have known: It wasn't until late in the design process that the architects decided to turn the Tower into a Tourist Attraction.
These are the hard facts.
The CN Tower was built by the Canadian National Railway.
Opened to the public on June 26, 1976
Official opening on October 1, 1976
Original cost: $63 million
Adjusted cost (1997 dollars): $250 million
Total construction time: 40 months
Number of construction workers: 1,537
Total weight of the Tower: 117,910 metric tonnes (130,000 tons)
Volume of concrete: 40,523.8 cubic metres (53,000 cubic yards)
Reinforcing steel: 4,535 metric tonnes (5,000 tons)
Structural steel: 544.2 metric tonnes (600 tons)
Number of elevators: 6 (including 2 which officially opened March 20, 1997)
Speed of elevators: 6 metres/second (20 feet/second)
Slow speed of elevators (in high winds): 1.5 metres/second (5 feet/second)
Attendance: about 1.8 million per year
Total staff (off season): approximately 400
Total staff (peak season): approximately 550
Maximum sway in 190 km/h winds with 320 km/h gusts (120 mph winds with 200 mph gusts): Antenna: 6 ft., 8 in. from centre
Sky Pod: 3 ft., 4 in. from centre
Tower Sphere: 1 ft., 7 in. from centre
Windows: Double-pane armour-plated
Thickness of windows: Outer pane - 9.5 mm (3/8 inch), inner pane - 6.4 mm (1/4 inch)
Capacity of 360, The Restaurant at the...
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