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Eureka Tower is a skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of
Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior was completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon (Grollo Australia). The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects
Nonda Katsalidis Nonda Katsalidis (born 1951) is a Greek-Australian architect. He is currently a practising director of architecture firm Fender Katsalidis Architects in partnership with Karl Fender. Biography Early life Nonda Katsalidis was born in 1951 ...
. It was the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor, until surpassed by Ocean Heights and the
HHHR Tower HHHR Tower, also known as the Blue Tower, is a supertall skyscraper on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The construction of the 72-floor, building started in 2006 and was completed in 2010. Designed by architect Al Hashemi, the b ...
in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
. From 2006 to 2019, it was the tallest building in Melbourne, until the
topping out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
of Australia 108. It is currently the third tallest building in Australia, behind the Q1 in
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
and Australia 108, as well as the second tallest to roof (excluding spire) behind the latter skyscraper. As of 2016 it was the 15th tallest residential building in the world.


Design and features

Eureka Tower is named after the
Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, whic ...
, a
rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
during the
Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capit ...
in 1854. This has been incorporated into the design, with the building's gold crown representing the gold rush and a red stripe representing the blood spilt during the revolt.Eureka Tower Facts
/ref> The blue glass cladding that covers most of the building represents the blue background of the stockade's flag and the white lines also represent the Eureka Stockade flag. The white horizontal stripes also represent markings on a surveyor's measuring staff. At the base of the tower is an
art installation Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...
containing bees inside a white box, resembling a manmade
beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus '' Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...
. There are two regular sized bees outside the box, and one
queen bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female ( gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...
on the top. The gold colour of the bees complements the gold at the top of the tower. The installation was created by Richard Stringer and Nonda Katsalidis, and was complete in December 2007. When measured either by the height of its roof, or by the height of its highest habitable floor, Eureka Tower was the tallest residential building in the world when completed. It was also the building with the most floors available for residential occupancy in the world. The building stands in height, with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level. At the time of its completion, it was one of the only buildings in the world with 90 or more storeys. It is also the third-tallest building in Australia and the second tallest building in Melbourne, behind Australia 108 which
topped out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
in November 2019.Australia 108 - The Skyscraper Center
''
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings and sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States ...
''. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
The single level basement and first 9 floors contain
car park A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...
ing. The building's proximity to the
water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...
as well as the
Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower s ...
made the construction of a basement car park uneconomical. In all, there are 84 floors of apartments (including some floors shared between car parking and apartments), with the remainder being used for building facilities and the
observation deck An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclo ...
. According to the ranking system developed by the U.S.-based
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings and sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States ...
, the Eureka Tower qualified as the tallest building in three of the four categories in which heights are ranked, namely height to the floor of the highest occupied floor of the building. For comparison, the Q1 apartment tower on the Gold Coast has its highest habitable floor (the observation deck), reaching a height of , some lower than Eureka Tower's highest habitable floor. Q1's highest
penthouse apartment A penthouse is an apartment or unit on the highest floor of an apartment building, condominium, hotel or tower. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features. The term 'penthouse' originally referred, an ...
is whilst Eureka's penthouse is high. However, the spire attached to the top of Q1 exceeds the Eureka Tower in the other two categories, namely "Height to the tip of spire, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole" – in this case, spire – and height to architectural top of the building.


Specifications

* 556 apartments * 13 lifts travelling up to * of windows * 3,680 stairs * of concrete * of reinforced steel * Building weighs Floors 82 to 87, marketed as ''Summit Levels'', contain only one apartment per floor, each with an original price of A$7 million for the unfurnished floor space alone. The highest floors of the tower house an observation deck (level 88), restaurant (level 89), communication rooms and balcony (90) and water tanks (90 and 91). A system of pumps constantly moves water between the two 300,000-litre tanks to counteract wind-induced oscillations.


Observation deck (Melbourne Skydeck)

The observation deck (Melbourne Skydeck) occupies the entire 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and is the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere at . It opened to the public on 15 May 2007. An entry fee applies to access the Skydeck. The Skydeck features twenty viewfinders that help visitors to pinpoint numerous significant landmarks around all parts of Melbourne, along with several free binoculars. There is a small outside area called ''The Terrace'' which is closed in high winds. There is also a glass cube called ''The Edge'', which extends itself 3 meters from the building to hang over the edge of the tower and add to the viewing experience. On 10 January 2005, Grocon, the firm building Eureka Tower, proposed adding a communications mast/observation tower. The proposal is currently before the local planning commission. This mast would be a significant structure, used for providing an adventure climb to the tip of the summit. On 16 April 2006, a new proposal was announced that the construction company and developers were considering options for the building to have a "skywalk" that would take daring people up high. The proposed structure may also include a communications tower.


''The Edge''

Skydeck 88 features ''The Edge'' – a glass cube which projects out from the building with visitors inside, suspended almost above the ground. When one enters, the glass is opaque as the cube moves out over the edge of the building. Once fully extended over the edge, the glass becomes clear.


Eureka 89 Dining & Events

Located on the top floor (level 89) of the Eureka Tower, Eureka 89 Dining & Events is a restaurant, cocktail bar and event space offering a modern Australian menu by award winning chef Renee Martillano. Eureka 89's location on the towers top floor make's it the southern hemisphere highest restaurant & bar at a staggering 292.3m (959 ft) metres high.


Construction

Construction began August 2002 and took 4 years and 2 months. The tower was built using
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...
using a
slipform Slip forming, continuous poured, continuously formed, or slipform construction is a construction method in which concrete is poured into a continuously moving form.Nawy, ''Concrete Construction Engineering Handbook,'' 2008, p. 10—33. Slip form ...
method. Eureka Tower's lift core superseded the height of Rialto Towers on 9 November 2004. On 23 May 2006, the crane on top of the tower was dismantled by a smaller crane, which was dismantled by a smaller crane that could be taken down the service elevator. Eureka Tower has 24 carat (99.9%) gold plated glass windows on the top 10 floors of the building. Installation of the gold glass was completed in March 2006. Apartment owners and tenants had taken up residence in the building between Ground Level and Level 80 as of July 2006. On 11 October 2006, the tower was officially opened by then
Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assemb ...
,
Steve Bracks Stephen Phillip Bracks (born 15 October 1954) is a former Australian politician and was the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 1999 ...
.


Construction methods

A 2-floor Grocon-Lubeca jumpform system was used to halve work time, concrete and joints required in the core, as well as increasing structural integrity. Grocon purchased the Singapore company Lubeca in 2000, and then did more R&D to design the 2-floor jumpform system.


Eureka Climb

Since 2012 the Eureka Climb event has been held annually. Participants climb 1642 steps to the observation deck. The current record is 7 minutes to climb up 88 floors.


Air plant experiment

From June 2013, a team of researchers placed '' Tillandsia'' airplants on four locations on the tower. Two different species were placed at four levels: 56, 65, 91, and on top at level 92. These plants grow with no soil or watering / nutrient system and on Eureka Tower were exposed to the elements where they proved to grow through winter, salt winds over and a hot dry summer. Not all plants survived. Those on eastern aspects died because of lack of rain. However, plants in the most exposed sites, facing west and on the open roof sites have survived and flourished. The plants have been regularly checked over a number of years (last check Dec 2021) and have grown into resilient colonies. As far as can be ascertained this is the highest building with plants on and the experiment paved the way for utilising '' Tillandsia'' on high-rise buildings.


Gallery

View-over-Melbourne-CDB-reflected-in-Eureka-Tower-window,-12.8.2008.jpg, Looking north-east over Melbourne CBD from Skydeck 88, with reflections in the tower's gold plated windows Eureka Skydeck balcony close-up from ground.jpg, ''The Terrace'' as seen from ground, ''The Edge'' observation cube seen at left Eureka on Yarra 1.jpg, Eureka Tower from across the river Eureka Skydeck 88 2017.jpg, Eureka Skydeck 88 interior Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia.jpg, Eureka Tower seen from a bridge over the Yarra River


See also

*
List of tallest buildings in Melbourne Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia, is home to approximately 758 completed high-rise buildings. Of those completed and or topped-out, 73 buildings are defined as "skyscrapers"–buildings which reach a height of at least ; m ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Australia Australia has more skyscrapers per person than any other country in the world with a population greater than five million, and was one of the first countries in the world to play host to the skyscraper boom along with the United States and Can ...
* Australia 108


References


External links


Eureka Tower Observation Deck Website

Eureka Tower
on
CTBUH The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings and sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States ...
Skyscraper Center
Eureka Tower apartments

Emporis Page

Eureka Tower, Melbourne, Victoria - Design Build Network
* {{Melbourne landmarks Skyscrapers in Melbourne Residential skyscrapers in Australia Residential buildings completed in 2006 Apartment buildings in Melbourne Modernist architecture in Australia 2006 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA) Southbank, Victoria