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.