The CN Tower

Completed in 1976, Canada’s National Tower in Toronto rightly takes its place among the many wonders of the modern world for it has held the record of the world’s tallest free-standing building for as many as 31 years, until it was displaced by Burj Khalifa in 2007. It may not be the tallest in the world right now, but it still attracts over two million visitors each year, who come in awe of the building and leave praising its architecture. Background In the 1960s, Toronto residents were experiencing poor quality television as skyscrapers were blocking the TV as well as radio signals. Experts concluded that the transmission towers of TV stations were simply not high enough due to the abundance of skyscrapers. It was in late the 1960s when Canadian National Railway put forward the idea of the CN Tower which would also serve as a large TV and radio communication platform. Since it was to be taller than most of the high-rise buildings in Toronto, the pan was approved, and the project became official in 1972. Work on CN Tower began in February 1973, and it was completed in 1976, opening for public in June. It took nearly 1,537 workers, who worked five days a week, 24 hours a day to complete this marvel of a building. It was named on the railway company that built it — Canadian National — and the name has stuck, despite the building being transferred to another company in 1995. Planning CN Tower is one of the few buildings in the world that were created with immaculate planning and with the desire of being different and unique. That is why members of the planning team embarked on a world tour where they were supposed to inspect buildings that were different and bring back their positive traits. That is why, CN Tower is now considered a modern wonder as it has the best traits of the ‘other’ structures in the world. What makes it even more special is the decision to make it public-friendly, rather than keeping the public at bay. Each year, more than two million people visit CN Tower and the look out gives the visitors a view over 100 miles — that’s all the way to Niagara Falls and across Lake Ontario to New York State. No individual architect or engineer is credited as the designer of the building and it stands tall as a symbol of dedication and teamwork. About the Tower Did you know that one of the proposed plans was of three towers instead of one to be built, and interlinked by bridges, but it was declared impractical and the current model was approved. The Tower measures 553.3 metres to the top of its antenna and retains the title of world’s tallest tower. It was built to withstand an earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter scale, whereas the upper area is built to withstand winds up to 418 km/h. It was inducted as a Wonder of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1995. It also has six glass-faced elevators that travel at 15 miles/hour to reach the observation deck in 58 seconds. The designers of the Tower realised that the combination of speed, height and restricted space could unnerve those inside the elevators, and to solve the matter, psychologists were brought in, who advised them to design a safe and secure elevator, which gave the passengers a sense of security as well. The story of CN Tower’s construction is well illustrated for visitors inside the building. People wonder what would happen if lightening were to strike the CN Tower. Lightning does strike the tower an average of 75 times per year, but long copper strips that run down below ground prevent damage from happening. The CN Tower also hosts a restaurant that makes a complete rotation every 72 minutes. The revolving restaurant gives diners a changing view of Toronto more than 1,000 feet below and is one of the main attractions for the visitors. The Canadians consider CN Tower as a symbol of pride, inspiration and national integrity, and a visit to it is in the itinerary of most people from all over the world who come to Canada.