Friday, August 28, 2009

Q1

Q1

322,5 metres/1,058 feet
78 stories
Completed: 2005
19th tallest building in the world
Tallest all-residential building in the world
and tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere








Some facts about Q1:
- designed by Atelier SDG and developed by the Sunland Group Ltd.;
- the name Q1 refers to Queensland number One;
- building costs were approximately US$ 307 million;
- tallest building in Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia, and Southern Hemisphere.
- the design of the building was inspired on the Sydney 2000 Olympic torch, and Sydney's Opera House;
- according to the information to be found in the observatory area of Q1
the spire on top is 97,7m/320f tall. It starts at the 75th floor level,
is made up of 12 sections and weighs 87.2 tonnes. It extends 47m/154f above the glass fin.
- from level 60-69, the building has a ten-story skygarden,
which holds a 30m/98f high rainforest.
- the building has a two-story observatory on the 77th and 78th floor.
Costs to go up are 16,50 Australian Dollars (us$ 12,-/euro 9,60);
the observatory gives you 360-degree views from the 235m/771f level.
It's the world's only beach-side observation deck.
- the tower has 10 elevators; the fastest being the one that reaches the observatory,
traveling at 9 metres per second; 540 metres per minute;
including getting in and getting out of the elevator,
the trip up or down only takes about 45 seconds!
- if you don't want to go by elevator, but want to take the steps up,
then you have to go up 1,380 steps, from ground level to the observatory.
- the buildings has 527 apartments, consisting of one Penthouse, 12 sub-penthouses,
213 one-bedroom, 184 two-bedroom, and 117 three-bedroom apartments.
The penthouse was apparently sold for $ 12 million to Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe.
It became the most expensive apartment in Queensland.
- the building is supported by 22 piles (each two metres in diameter)
that go 45m/148f into the ground and rest on solid rock;
- the building can sway to a maximum of 600mm;




Some more facts:
- construction required 32,640 man weeks to complete -
1,632,000 hours on site, plus 800,000 hours in off-site works;
- the building consists of:
18,926 panes of glass, totaling 14,350 square metres and weighing 311 tonnes;
9,500 tonnes of reinforcing steel plus 250 tonnes of steel in the roof spire and crown;
34,500 square metres of curtain wall glazing
1,000 kilometres of electrical cable were used throughout the building
- 2,500 people contributed to the on-site construction of Q1.















Since the opening of the worlds highest residential tower in 2005, the Q1 building has been a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

It is the second highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere after the Eureka Tower in Melbourne. The observation deck at level 77 is the highest of its kind in Queensland and offers expansive views in all directions, from Brisbane to Byron Bay. It towers over the Surfers Paradise skyline, with the observation deck 230 metres high, and the spire extending nearly another hundred metres up. In total, the Q1 is 322.5 metres high.

Education

Bond University in Robina
The Gold Coast's education infrastructure includes:

* Universities - Two major university campuses (Bond University at Robina and Griffith University, incorporating the Griffith Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and Oral Health at the Gold Coast Hospital and the main campus at Southport) and the smaller campus of Central Queensland University at Southport


* TAFE
- four campuses at Southport, Ridgeway (Ashmore), Benowa and Coolangatta


* Schools
- Over 100 primary and secondary schools, both public and private and of a variety of denominations.

Transport

Transport on the Gold Coast, Queensland

The Gold Coast Highway & Triple Towers of Chevron Renaissance

There are a wide range of transport modes in the Gold Coast, including cars, taxis, buses, ferries, rail and monorail. These transport modes cater to a wide array of purposes, including commuting to work, visiting one of the many attractions, and travelling to other destinations, both domestically and internationally.
The car is the most dominant mode of transport in the Gold Coast, with over 70% of people using the car as their sole mode of travelling to work. A number of major roads connect the Gold Coast with Brisbane, New South Wales, and the surrounding areas. The Pacific Motorway (M1) is the main motorway in the area. Beginning at the Logan Motorway (M6) in Brisbane, it travels through the inland Gold Coast region and links with the Pacific Highway at the New South Wales / Queensland border near Tweed Heads. Before the Tugun Bypass was completed in 2008, the motorway ended at Tugun.

The Gold Coast Highway services the coastal suburbs of the Gold Coast, including Surfers
Paradise, Southport, and Burleigh Heads. Starting at the Pacific Motorway at Tweed Heads, it runs parallel to the coast until it reaches Labrador, where it turns inland to meet the Pacific Motorway again at Helensvale. Other arterial roads include the Smith St Motorway, Reedy Creek Road, Nerang-Broadbeach Road and Bermuda St.

The Gold Coast's main provider of public bus services is Surfside Buslines. It is a part of the TransLink initiative by the Queensland Government,
designed to coordinate the public transport providers in Brisbane and the surrounding areas. The majority of the bus routes that Surfside.operates run along the Gold Coast Highway. Services are frequent duringthe day, with intervals being as little as 5 minutes between Southportand Burleigh Heads.

Queensland Rail operates rail services from Brisbane to the Gold Coast along the Gold Coast railway line. The line follows the same route as the Beenleigh railway line, continuing on after reaching Beenleigh. It then follows a route similar to that of the Pacific Motorway, passing stations at Ormeau, Coomera, Helensvale and Nerang, before terminating at Robina. An extension to Varsity Lakes is currently under construction, and a further extension to Coolangatta is proposed.

Gold Coast Airport is located at Coolangatta,approximately 22 kilometres south of Surfers Paradise. Services areprovided to interstate capitals and major cities as well as to major New Zealand cities, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia and Japan.

The increasing population has resulted in an increase in traffic congestion.[citation needed] This has led to the Queensland State Government and Gold Coast City Council placing more effort into investing into sustainable transport. Examples include public transport including a new ferry service and the proposed rapid transit system and infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists such as the Gold Coast Oceanway.

























































Sister cities

Sister cities

City (and Province or State)

People's Republic of China: Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang

France: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Greece : Corfu
Israel : Netanya
Japan: Kanagawa Prefecture and Takasu, Hokkaido
Mongolia : Ulaanbaatar
New Zealand : Horowhenua
Republic of China: Taipei, Taiwan and Tainan, Taiwan
United Arab Emirates : Dubai
United States of America: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Population:

Population: 527,660 [1] (6th)
• Density: 334.52/km² (866.4/sq mi)
Established: 16 May 1959
Area: 1402 km² (541.3 sq mi)
Time zone:
• Summer (DST) GMT +10 (UTC10)
GMT +10 (UTC10)
Location: 94 km (58 mi) SSE of Brisbane
LGA: Gold Coast City Council
State District: Albert, Broadwater, Burleigh, Coomera, Currumbin, Gaven, Mermaid Beach, Mudgeeraba, Southport, Surfers Paradise
Federal Division: Fadden, Moncrieff, McPherson, Forde