Upper Tower

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Sky Tower was constructed as part of the Skycity casino precinct. The Skycity Entertainment Group's initial brief required a tower that was both a high-quality tourist attraction and a marketable telecommunications facility. Fletcher Construction was the contracted builder, while engineering firm Beca Group provided design management and coordination, structural, geotechnical, civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting and fire engineering services. Harrison Grierson provided surveying services. It was designed by Gordon Moller of Craig Craig Moller Architects and has received a New Zealand Institute of Architects National Award as well as regional awards. The project architect was Les Dykstra. Taking two years and nine months to construct, the tower opened on 3 August 1997. The first iteration of the tower was proposed to be built on Upper Symonds St in Eden Terrace alongside a shopping centre, but the early-1990s plan was rejected due to viewshaft issues. An earlier version of the tower's design would have seen it clad in stainless steel, but this was not progressed due to costs.

In Their Own Story

The tower is constructed of high-performance reinforced concrete. Its 12-metre (39 ft) diameter shaft, containing four lifts and an emergency stairwell, is supported on eight 'legs' based on 16 foundation piles drilled over 15 m (49 ft) deep into the local sandstone. The main shaft was built using climbing formwork. The upper levels were constructed from composite materials, structural steel, precast concrete and reinforced concrete, and the observation decks clad in aluminium with blue/green reflective glass. A structural steel framework supports the upper mast structure. During construction, 15,000 cubic metres (20,000 cu yd) of concrete, 2,000 tonnes (2,200 short tons) of reinforcing steel, and 660 tonnes (730 short tons) of structural steel were used. The mast weighs over 170 tonnes (190 short tons). It had to be lifted into place using a crane attached to the structure, as it would have been too heavy for a helicopter to lift. To then remove the crane, another crane had to be constructed attached to the upper part of the Sky Tower structure, which dismantled the big crane, and was in turn dismantled into pieces small enough to fit into the elevator.

Reader's Guide

The Sky Tower has several upper levels accessible to the public: Level 50: Sky Bar; Level 51: Main Observation Deck; Level 52: Orbit 360° Dining; Level 53: The Lookout observation deck and ice creamery, SkyWalk and SkyJump; Level 60: Sky Deck. The upper portion contains two restaurants and a cafe, including New Zealand's only revolving restaurant, located 190 m (620 ft) from the ground, which turns 360 degrees every hour. There is also a brasserie-style buffet one floor above the main observatory level. It has three observation decks at different heights, each providing 360-degree views of the city. The main observation level at 186 m (610 ft) has 38 mm (1.5 in) thick glass sections of flooring giving a view straight to the ground. The top observation deck labelled 'Skydeck' sits just below the main antenna at 220 m (720 ft) and gives views of up to 82 km (51 mi) in the distance. The tower also features the 'SkyJump', a 192-metre (630 ft) jump from the observation deck, during which a jumper can reach up to 85 km/h (53 mph). The jump is guide-cable-controlled to prevent jumpers from colliding with the tower in case of wind gusts. Climbs into the antenna mast portion (300 m or 980 ft heights) are also possible for tour groups, as is a walk around the exterior. The tower is designed to withstand wind in excess of 200 km/h (120 mph) and designed to sway up to 1 metre (39 in) in excessively high winds. As a safety precaution, the lifts have special technology to detect movement and will automatically slow down; if sway exceeds predetermined safety levels, the lifts will return to the ground floor. The tower is built to withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake located within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) radius. There are three fireproof rooms on levels 44, 45, and 46 to provide refuge in an emergency, while the central service lift shaft and stairwells are also fire-safety rated. The tower is also used for telecommunications and broadcasting, with the Auckland Peering Exchange (APE) located on Level 48. The aerial hosts the largest FM combiner in the world, which, in association with 58 wireless microwave links located above the top restaurant, provides television, wireless internet, RT, and weather measurement services. The tower is Auckland's primary FM radio transmitter site and one of four infill terrestrial television transmitters in Auckland, serving areas not covered by the main transmitter at Waiatarua in the Waitākere Ranges. A total of twenty-three FM radio stations and six digital terrestrial television multiplexes broadcast from the tower. Two VHF analogue television channels broadcasting from the tower were switched off in the early hours of 1 December 2013 as part of New Zealand's digital television transition. The top half of the Sky Tower is lit by energy efficient LED lighting which replaced the original metal halide floodlights in May 2009. The LEDs can produce millions of different colour combinations controlled by a DMX lighting controller. The original lights used 66 per cent more energy than the current LED system. The bottom half remained lit by metal halide lamps until they too were upgraded to LED lighting in 2019. In an effort to promote power saving, SkyCity turned off the tower lighting in Winter 2008, retaining only the flashing red aviation lights. The tower was reilluminated on 4 August in support of New Zealand athletes competing at the Beijing Olympics. The Sky Tower hosts fireworks displays and light shows at New Year's. The televised 2025 show featured fireworks shot at 360 degrees from three platforms. It was the highest firework display in the southern hemisphere. SkyCity Auckland lights the Sky Tower to show support for a range of organisations and charities. Common lighting events include: New Zealand's 2021 vaccination campaign, with the tower illuminated in blue and white when 80% and 90% vaccination rates were achieved; the tower was blue and yellow in early March 2022 in solidarity with Ukraine over the 2022 Russian invasion; the tower went blue to honour the death of Constable Matthew Hunt; and in March 2022, the tower was red celebrating the Auckland Arts Festival. The Leukemia and Blood Foundation of New Zealand organises annual fundraising stair climb challenges, notably the 'Firefighters Sky Tower Stair Challenge' which sees firefighters from around New Zealand race up 1,108 steps (out of 1,267 total steps). Climbing the Sky Tower stairs has been described as a 'vertical marathon'.

Did You Know?

• The Sky Tower was the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere from 1996 to 2022, when it was surpassed by the Autograph Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• The mast at the top weighs over 170 tonnes and had to be lifted into place using a crane attached to the structure, as it was too heavy for a helicopter.
• The tower's lifts automatically slow down if they detect swaying due to high wind, and will return to the ground floor if sway exceeds predetermined safety levels.
• The top half of the tower was upgraded to energy-efficient LED lighting in May 2009, using 66 per cent less energy than the original metal halide floodlights.
• The 'Firefighters Sky Tower Stair Challenge' sees firefighters race up 1,108 steps, described as a 'vertical marathon'.