Spinnaker Tower
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The Spinnaker Tower is a 170 m (558 ft)-high tower situated in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. The tower is the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour, which was supported by a large National Lottery grant. Its design was chosen from a selection of concept designs through a vote offered to Portsmouth residents, which controversially did not include an option to reject the tower altogether. The tower, designed by local firm HGP Architects and the engineering consultants Scott Wilson, reflects Portsmouth's maritime history by being modeled after a sail. After several years of delays and a massive budget overspend, it was officially opened on 18 October 2005, and has drawn a significant number of additional tourists to the Gunwharf Quays development and the nearby Historic Dockyard site.
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[edit] Structure
The tower, at a height of 170 metres (558 feet) above sea level, is 2.5 times higher than Nelson's Column, making it the tallest accessible structure in the United Kingdom outside of London. The tower is visible from miles around Portsmouth, changing the shape of the horizon in the area.
The tower represents sails billowing in the wind, a design accomplished using two large, white, sweeping steel arcs, which give the tower its distinctive spinnaker sail design. The steelwork was fabricated by Butterley Engineering. At the top is a triple observation deck, providing a 320° view of the city of Portsmouth, the Langstone and Portsmouth harbours, and a viewing distance of 37 kilometres (23 miles). The highest of the three observation platforms, the crow's nest, has no roof, allowing visitors to get the feeling of being amongst the elements. The glass floor is the largest in Europe. The tower has a design lifetime of 80 years.[1]
The design is similar to the Burj al-Arab in Dubai, although that structure is twice the size at 321m.
[edit] History
The project began in 1995, although construction of the tower did not begin until 2001, and was not completed until mid-2005, due to repeated delays and extra funding requests by the builders Mowlem. This was six years later than the planned opening date of 1999, chosen to coincide with Millennium celebrations. The tower, originally referred to as the Portsmouth Millennium Tower, was accordingly renamed the Spinnaker Tower.
The project was massively over budget, with an overall cost of £35.6 million for the tower alone. Taxpayers were not meant to fund the tower, but Portsmouth City Council eventually contributed £11.1 million towards the construction.
In March 2004, Portsmouth Council leader Leo Madden resigned after a highly critical report of the council's handling of the project and failure to exploit revenue opportunities such as the Millennium. Barry Smith, the project's legal advisor, also retired after being suspended on full pay,[2] mostly due to controversy over the contract signed with the builders of the tower, which at one point would have cost the council more to cancel the project than to finish building it.
The tower has also been beset by health and safety issues, including large cracks beneath the observation deck and a malfunctioning external glass lift. Fathers 4 Justice campaigners and base jumpers have infiltrated the tower, leading to security concerns.
The tower was dedicated on October 16, 2005 and opened two days later. On opening day, the Tower's project manager, David Greenhalgh, and representatives for Mowlem and Maspero were stranded in the tower's malfunctioning external lift (built by Maspero) for an hour and a half. Abseiling engineers were called to rescue them.[3][4][5] Some, including the franchise's chief executive, felt it was rather fitting that these particular people were trapped.[6]
However, once open, the tower attracted crowds well in excess of expectations, despite only the internal lift working for the first seven months. Observation towers in Canada have been similarly successful (for example, Toronto's CN Tower, the Calgary Tower, Niagara's Skylon Tower), as has the UK's Blackpool Tower.
In June 2006, the local press raised a concern that the tower may be forced to close. All public buildings in the UK require disabled access under the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act. With the external lift still not working, no such access is available,[7] and the tower operators could be sued under the act. No date has been given for the lift's repair.
Over 600,000 people visited the tower in its first year, considerably exceeding expectations, with a satisfaction rating - the percentage who would recommend a visit to others - of 98%.
[edit] Trivia
The tower hosted the third of BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale's live annual 'tower broadcasts' on September 21, 2006, featuring Santos and The Plump DJs, following similar shows from the BT Tower, London and the Television Tower, Berlin.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ LUSAS, November 4, 2005. Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth. Retrieved September 17, 2006.
- ^ BBC News, October 18, 2005. Spinnaker opens five years late. Retrieved October 18, 2006.
- ^ BBC News, October 16, 2005. Troubled Spinnaker given blessing. Retrieved November 14, 2005.
- ^ BBC News, October 18, 2005. Council boss trapped in Spinnaker. Retrieved November 14, 2005.
- ^ Portsmouth Today, October 18, 2005. Spinnaker's big day hit by a towering calamity. Retrieved November 14, 2005.
- ^ Daily Telegraph, October 19, 2005. Red faces over Portsmouth's showcase project. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
- ^ Portsmouth Today, July 04, 2006. Closure threat to Spinnaker Tower. Retrieved October 18, 2006.
- ^ BBC Radio 1, Annie Nightingale. Spinnaker Tower show. Retrieved August 27, 2006.
