This list of Auckland's highest buildings counts skyscrapers by height in Auckland, New Zealand. The PWC Tower, which stands 180.1 meters tall (with continuous occupiable floors), is Auckland's highest structure (591 ft). The Sky Tower, which stands 328 meters tall, is Auckland's highest skyscraper (1,076 ft).
The Sky Tower is one of only two skyscrapers in Auckland (the other being the Takapuna Pool building which is also 1,376 feet high). It is the highest structure in New Zealand and was built as a luxury hotel with offices, shops, and observation decks. Construction on the tower started in 1983 and it opened its doors in June 1996. Today, the Sky Tower remains an iconic presence in the heart of downtown Auckland.
In addition to being a tourist attraction, the Sky Tower also functions as an emergency radio transmitter for Auckland City. If there is a fire or other public safety issue in one of the city's skyscrapers, light signals are sent up the tower, where they are received by security cameras located around the city. These images are then transmitted down to police and fire stations via satellite so that crews can begin fighting the fires or rescuing people from elevators.
The Sky Tower is part of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Trust, which manages many attractions including shipwrecks, fortresses, and museums dedicated to naval history, Maori culture, and social justice issues.
The Story of Auckland's Sky Tower Auckland's Sky Tower is well-known for being both an adventure destination and a sophisticated eating facility. It is also known as the Southern Hemisphere's highest free-standing structure and the distinguishing feature of New Zealand's largest metropolis. Originally built as a radio tower, it was later converted into a revolving restaurant called The Ledge. Today, visitors can climb to the top of the tower for views that stretch far beyond Auckland City limits.
The story of how this iconic structure came to be starts with two men who never intended it to be more than a tool to transmit messages out into the world. In 1954, New Zealander Charles Kingsford Smith and Australian Charles Ulm founded the company that would become KVMR (now VMedia). Their goal was to provide reliable radio communication between Australia and New Zealand, and so they did, for the first time ever, crossing the Tasman Sea on 4 November 1957.
During their trip, they noticed that there were no suitable radio towers anywhere near Melbourne or Sydney, and so they decided to build one themselves. They chose a site near Raglan on New Zealand's North Island, and began construction of what would become known as the Kingsford Smith Radio Telescope. This radio telescope was designed by Kingsford-Smith himself and modeled after the German Jodrell Bank Observatory Telescope, which was already working successfully at this time.
The Sky Tower is New Zealand's highest structure, standing at 1,076 feet (328 meters) and taking two years and nine months to complete. It is also the fastest rising building in the world, reaching its maximum height of 505 feet (152 meters) in less than an hour after opening in March 1998. The tower has 32 floors above ground level and one floor below ground.
The building was designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen who also designed the Willis Tower in Chicago and the National Gallery in London. Its construction was completed more than a year early at a cost of $150 million. The Sky Tower is owned by TELSTRA which uses it for corporate offices and a radio station. It is not open to the public but you can take in the view from the top of the International Centre for Creative Technology (ICCT).
New Zealand's second-highest peak, Mount Cook, is also located in the Tasman District. Mount Cook reaches 3,726 feet (1,142 m), and lies just over two hours' drive from Christchurch. It is part of the Cook Strait mountain range and is surrounded by national park. Mount Cook Village is the closest town to the mountain, with gas stations, supermarkets, and lodging options available.
SKY Tower Admission Tickets The Sky Tower is the tallest man-made building in New Zealand and the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It is one of New Zealand's most recognizable sights, located in the center of Auckland. The tower was built as a broadcasting station for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), but now serves as a navigation beacon for aircraft pilots and as a major tourist attraction. The name "Sky Tower" was chosen by public vote and it was decided that a single name should be selected for both the BBC radio station and the commercial television channel. The winner was announced on 25 September 2007 and "Sky Tower" emerged as the clear favorite over "ABC Tower" and "ATV Tower". The tower has become a popular attraction with visitors from around the world who come to see it under its three main categories of viewing: from below by taking the lift to the top of the tower for a view that takes in much of downtown Auckland; from above by climbing to the revolving restaurant at the top of the tower; and from inside the hotel where guests can enjoy a meal or drink while listening to commentary about the city.
Construction on the £150 million ($250 million) project began in March 1998 and was completed in two phases: the first phase ended in November 2000, and the second phase finished in October 2004. The total height of the tower including antennas is 365 m (1230 ft).
Auckland's Sky Tower is well-known for being both an adventure destination and a sophisticated eating facility. The building was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa and opened its doors in 2003.
Kurokawa was inspired by the wind turbines found near his home in Japan. He decided to use this idea as a basis for a new type of skyscraper that would be effective but not have the negative effects on the environment associated with traditional buildings. The Sky Tower is made up of eight rotating platforms each capable of holding seventy people, which allows for public viewing galleries at various levels. The top three floors are fully functional while the rest are used for storage or exhibit space. There are several restaurants located within the tower where visitors can eat while enjoying views across Auckland.
The construction of the tower was not easy. When it was finished it took thirteen years and $150 million to complete. However, this cost was reduced thanks to some conservation measures such as using recycled materials and energy-efficient designs. Even though it is called a "tower" it only reaches sixty meters high meaning that there are still plenty of floors left to walk up!
In addition to being a tourist attraction, the Sky Tower also has research facilities at its base.
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