BT Tower

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BT Tower
Image of the object
Basic data
Place: London
London Borough: Camden
Region: England
Country: United Kingdom
Altitude : 37  m ASL
Coordinates: 51 ° 31 '17.3 "  N , 0 ° 8' 19.8"  W.
Use: Television tower
Tower data
Construction time : 1961-1964
Construction costs : £ 2.5 million
Architect : Eric Bedford and GR Yeats
Building material : Steel , concrete , glass
Last renovation (tower) : 2011
Total height : 189  m
Data on the transmission system
Further data
Technical commissioning: October 8, 1965
Opening for visitors: May 16, 1966
Opening: July 15, 1964
Viewing platforms: 162 m and 175 m
Glass facade area: 7539 m²
Position map
BT Tower (Greater London)
BT Tower
BT Tower
Localization of Greater London in England

The BT Tower in London is a television tower that is cylindrical over its entire height . The former name of the tower was Post Office Tower , then London Telecom Tower after the post office was privatized in 1984 , until it was given its current name BT Tower in 1992 after the company was renamed British Telecommunications , BT for short . The address is 60 Cleveland Street, W1.

history

The chief architects of the London television tower were Eric Bedford and GR Yeats. The glazed outer facade was typical of the time. The narrow cylinder shape was chosen so that the tower does not deflect more than 25 cm even at wind speeds of 150 km / h. The technical rooms and the power supply are located on the first 16 floors. Above this is a 35 meter high section with directional radio antennas , which were almost completely dismantled in 2011. Meeting rooms, kitchens and technical equipment can be found on a further six floors. A special color prevents the tower's glass front from heating up the inside of the building. The cost of construction was £ 2.5 million .

Construction began in June 1961 and was completed on July 15, 1964. Technical commissioning took place on October 8, 1965. The construction company responsible was Peter Lind & Company.

It was opened to the public on May 16, 1966. In addition to the operating facilities, viewing platforms, a souvenir shop and a revolving restaurant Top of the Tower on the 34th floor were set up, which completed a full turn in 22 minutes.

On October 31, 1971, the IRA carried out a bomb attack in the men's room of the revolving restaurant on the 31st floor. The public facilities were closed in 1980 for security reasons. Nowadays, the viewing platform and the restaurant are only open to invited guests as part of exclusive company events. The reopening of the restaurant was planned for Christmas 2011, not least in view of the 2012 Summer Olympics . However, it was only opened temporarily to selected people.

Until 1981, the television tower was the tallest building in London when it was replaced by Tower 42 . In the same year the tower was renamed The British Telecom Tower and in 1992 BT Tower . It is noteworthy that the tower was an official secret until the 1990s. It was not until February 19, 1993 that Parliament confirmed its "existence". The building has been a listed building since 2003 and is listed by the United Kingdom on level 2 of the so-called listed building - a list that includes architecturally or historically significant buildings.

description

The 189 meter high BT Tower is surrounded by several structures and stands in the middle of the city of London. The tower can be reached through a commercial building.

The reinforced concrete shaft with a diameter of 6.10 meters is surrounded by a glazed sleeve at a height of 35 to 107 meters. The glass facade has an area of ​​7539 square meters. This strengthens the shaft to a diameter of 8.50 meters. In this area the tower resembles a typical high-rise building with a glass grid facade. In this area, the BT Tower houses transmitter cabinets and other technical equipment.

Strong soffit of the BT Tower with reflection

Above this glass facade up to a height of 143 meters there are various antenna floors. Above is a multi-storey tower cage , which measures 20.1 meters in diameter. The revolving restaurant is at 162 meters and the viewing platform at 175 meters. The 6.4 meter deep truncated pyramid as the foundation has a diameter of 27.4 meters. The base of the tower consists of pre-stressed square concrete slabs, as the construction site is difficult due to its nature. It is noteworthy that, despite these conditions, a pile foundation was not used. The machine floor for the lift motors is located at 177 meters above the tower cage. Above this, a 12.2 meter high steel lattice mast forms the top.

The tower is used to broadcast television and radio programs as well as to transmit telephone and data lines with a transmission range of 500 kilometers. Its total mass is 65,400 tons.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : BT Tower  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Open House Weekend: BT Tower opens to the public for first time in almost 30 years , September 16, 2010
  2. ↑ Heinle, Leonhardt: Towers of all times, of all cultures. P. 242.
  3. ^ Robert Krapfenbauer: Two new tower structures. P. 31.