In
Auckland,
New Zealand, there is a
big fucking tower. This monument to gross monetary expenditure was aptly named the
Sky Tower. Asides from the
Auckland Harbour Bridge,
One Tree Hill, and
Rangitoto Island it is the most noticeable monument residing in the city.
At the foot of the 328 metre tower is the Sky City
casino and
theatre. Essentially the Tower is a huge reinforced concrete shaft with foundations going more than 15 metres into the
earth.
If I were asked to describe it I would say:
"It looks like a misshapen
penis" or "It kinda looks like a giant
hypodermic syringe".
The diameter of the high-strength, high-performance concrete main shaft is approximately 12 metres. At the base this is supported by eight "
legs" connected by a concrete band, designed to spread the force load of the entire structure.
There is an observation deck near the top consisting of composite materials, structural steel, pre-cast concrete and reinforced concrete. Big glass walls provide a 360 degree panorama of lovely
Auckland city.
Lining the
mast are various bits of
electronic equipment, mostly
communications devices. My
ISP and
employer broadcasts
broadband satellite internet to
customers in the
Auckland region from this very tower.
Interesting construction figures for all you budding
civil engineers:
- 15,000 cubic metres of concrete
- 2000 tonnes of reinforced steel
- 660 tonnes of structural steel
If any of my
fellow noders ever decide to visit
Auckland,
New Zealand I highly recommend visiting this monument to
capitalism. Even if you don't enjoy the view you could at least
inject your hard-earned money into our
nation's
coffers at the
casino.