Interesting Facts!! #44

44.Tokyo Sky Tree

Standing at 634 meters (634 can be read as "Musashi", a historic name of the Tokyo Region) (2,080 feet) tall, making it the world's highest stand-alone tower, the Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー) is a new digital broadcast tower built in the capital of Japan, Tokyo.The Sky tree was completed on February 29, 2012, with the tower opening to the public on May 22, 2012 and has already become a major symbol. For years before its opening in May 2012, the Tokyo Sky tree has been a popular photo object. 

While the world's tallest man-made structure remains the Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 829 meters (2,720 feet), the Sky Tree tops the list of the tallest free-standing towers at 634 meters (2,080 feet). It's 34 meters taller than the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, and nearly twice the height of its predecessor, Tokyo Tower (333 meters).

The Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It also includes many shops, as well as an aquarium and planetarium. The land is known to be relatively unstable and much of the area was reclaimed from Tokyo Bay long ago. But engineers say the Sky Tree will be able to withstand even the strongest of earthquakes. 

"The anti-quake measures in this structure can reduce quake vibrations by 50 percent," said by Hirotake Takanishi, PR manager for Tobu Tower Sky Tree. "We've run simulations showing the Sky Tree will withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake, and can withstand even stronger ones, but we can't say definitely what its upper limit is."

The building suffered virtually no damage in the March 2011 quake, though supply interruptions delayed its completion.

The appeal of Tokyo Skytree lies in the fact that although it is a hi-tech structure, it also evokes a sense of traditional beauty, featuring forms that incorporate such techniques as the concave sori curves seen in traditional Japanese architecture, and the convex mukuri curves found in temple architecture, where the pillars feature a gentle outward swell at the midpoint; in addition, it features shimbashira-seishin, or center column vibration control, the column acts as a stationary pendulum to counterbalance seismic waves, greatly reducing the sway in the surrounding structure, and an illumination design that expresses the Japanese spirit, through the patterns iki (chic) and miyabi (elegance). 

iki

miyabi

The highlight of the Tokyo Skytree is its two observation decks which offer spectacular views out over Tokyo. The two enclosed decks are located at heights of 350 and 450 meters (1,476 feet) respectively, making them the highest observation decks in Japan and some of the highest in the world.

Tembo Deck, the lower of the two decks is 350 meters high and spans three levels with great views from all of its floors. The top floor features tall, broad windows that offer some of the best 360 degree panoramic views of the city. The middle floor has a souvenir shop and the Musashi Sky Restaurant, which serves French-Japanese fusion cuisine, while the lowest floor features a cafe and some glass panels on the ground from where you can look all the way down to the base of the tower.



A second set of elevators connects the Tembo Deck to the 450 meter high Tembo Gallery. Also known as "the world's highest skywalk", the Tembo Gallery consists of a sloping spiral ramp that gains height as it circles the tower. The construction of the steel and glass tube allows visitors to look down from the dizzying height of the tower and out over the Kanto Region to spectacular distances. At the top of the spiral ramp is a more conventional observation deck floor with lounging areas and tall windows from which to look out over Tokyo.

So please experience this magnificent structure first hand! 

-The more you know