Eureka Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eureka Tower |
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Eureka Tower, Southbank, Melbourne, as viewed from Rialto Towers
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| Record height | |
| Tallest in Melbourne from 2006 to 2019 | |
| Preceded by | 120 Collins Street |
| Surpassed by | Australia 108 |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Residential Apartment Building, Observation Tower |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Location | Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°49′18″S 144°57′52″E / 37.82167°S 144.96444°E |
| Construction started | August 2002 |
| Completed | 11 October 2006 |
| Cost | U$415m in 2006 |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 297.3 m (975 ft) |
| Top floor | 292.3 m (959 ft) |
| Observatory | 285 m (935 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 91 plus 1 underground |
| Floor area | 123,000 m2 (1,320,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Fender Katsalidis |
| Developer | Eureka Tower Pty Ltd |
| Main contractor | Grocon |
The Eureka Tower is a super tall skyscraper in Melbourne, Australia. It stands 297.3 m (975 ft) (about 975 feet) high. This makes it one of the tallest buildings in Australia!
Building work started in August 2002. The outside of the tower was finished by June 2006. The whole building officially opened on October 11, 2006. It was designed by a company called Fender Katsalidis Architects and built by Grocon.
For a while, Eureka Tower was the tallest residential building in the world. This was true when you measured it to its highest floor. It was also the tallest building in Melbourne from 2006 to 2020. Today, it is the third tallest building in Australia. Only the Q1 in Queensland and Australia 108 are taller.
Contents
Design and Features
The Eureka Tower gets its name from the Eureka Stockade. This was a famous event during the Victorian gold rush in 1854. The building's design shows parts of this history.
- The gold crown at the top of the tower stands for the gold rush.
- A red stripe represents the blood spilled during the rebellion.
- The blue glass covering most of the building is like the blue background of the Eureka Stockade flag.
- The white lines on the building also represent the flag. They also look like marks on a surveyor's measuring staff.
At the bottom of the tower, there is a cool art piece. It has bees inside a white box, like a man-made beehive. There are two regular bees outside the box and one queen bee on top. The gold color of the bees matches the gold at the top of the tower. Artists Richard Stringer and Nonda Katsalidis created this in 2007.
The Eureka Tower is 297 m (974 ft) tall. It has 91 floors above ground and one basement level. When it was finished, it was one of the few buildings in the world with 90 or more floors. It is still the third-tallest building in Australia. It is the second tallest building in Melbourne, after Australia 108.
Tower Facts
- It has 556 apartments.
- There are 13 lifts that can travel very fast, up to 9 m/s (30 ft/s).
- The building has 52,000 m2 (560,000 sq ft) of windows.
- There are 3,680 stairs inside.
- It used 110,000 t (110,000 long tons; 120,000 short tons) of concrete to build.
- It also used 5,000 t (4,900 long tons; 5,500 short tons) of strong steel.
- The whole building weighs 200,000 t (200,000 long tons; 220,000 short tons)!
The highest apartments, from floors 82 to 87, are called Summit Levels. Each of these floors has only one apartment. They were very expensive when they were first sold.
The very top floors have special uses. Level 88 is an observation deck. Level 89 has a restaurant. Levels 90 and 91 have communication rooms and water tanks. These water tanks hold 300,000 liters of water each. Pumps move water between them to help the building stay steady in strong winds.
Melbourne Skydeck
The Melbourne Skydeck is on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower. It is the highest public viewing spot in a building in the Southern Hemisphere. It is 285 m (935 ft) above the ground. The Skydeck opened on May 15, 2007. You need to buy a ticket to go up.
At the Skydeck, you can use viewfinders to see many famous places around Melbourne. There are also free binoculars. There's a small outdoor area called The Terrace. It closes when it's too windy.
The Edge
One of the most exciting parts of the Skydeck is The Edge. This is a glass cube that slides out 3 m (9.8 ft) from the building. Visitors stand inside it, almost 300 m (980 ft) above the ground! When you first step in, the glass is cloudy. But once the cube moves out over the edge, the glass becomes clear. This gives you an amazing view straight down!
Eureka 89 Dining & Events
On the very top floor, level 89, you'll find Eureka 89 Dining & Events. This is a restaurant, cocktail bar, and event space. It serves modern Australian food. Being on the top floor, it is the highest restaurant and bar in the Southern Hemisphere.
Construction
Building the Eureka Tower started in August 2002 and took 4 years and 2 months to finish. The tower was built using strong concrete. A special method called "slipform" was used for the central core.
On May 23, 2006, the giant crane on top of the tower was taken apart. A smaller crane did this, and then an even smaller crane took that one down. The smallest crane could fit into the building's service elevator.
The top 10 floors of the Eureka Tower have windows covered in 24 carat gold. This means they are covered in almost pure gold! The gold glass was finished in March 2006.
On October 11, 2006, the tower was officially opened by Steve Bracks, who was the Premier of Victoria at the time.
Eureka Climb
Since 2012, a special event called the Eureka Climb has been held every year. People climb 1642 steps to reach the observation deck. The fastest time recorded to climb all 88 floors is just 7 minutes!
Air Plant Experiment
From June 2013, a group of scientists started an experiment on the tower. They placed special plants called Tillandsia (also known as air plants) in four different spots on the building. These plants don't need soil or a watering system to grow. They were put on levels 56, 65, 91, and on the very top at level 92.
The plants were exposed to all kinds of weather, including winter, salty winds over 200 km/h (120 mph), and hot, dry summers. Not all of them survived. But the plants in the most open spots, facing west and on the roof, grew well. Scientists have checked on these plants for many years. They have grown into strong groups. This experiment showed that Tillandsia can grow on very tall buildings.
Images for kids
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Looking north-east over Melbourne CBD from Skydeck 88, with reflections in the tower's gold plated windows
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Eureka Tower from across the river
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Eureka Tower seen from a bridge over the Yarra River
See also
In Spanish: Eureka Tower para niños
