The Guangzhou TV Tower (also known as Canton Tower) is one of the world's most spectacular buildings. It serves as a radio and TV tower near Chigang Pagoda, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. It was finished in 2009 and opened to the public on September 29, 2010 for the 2010 Asian Games.
Why the Guangzhou TV Tower is special
Guangzhou TV Tower is the tallest tower (600 meters or 1,967 ft) in Asia and second tallest tower in the world. It has the longest vertical and rotary aerial ladder. It also has the highest open-air viewing platform (450 meters above), with an area of 54m x 40m, which offers tourists a dream-like bird view of Guangzhou City. Standing upon the tower, the beautiful scenery of both Guangzhou New City and the Pearl River are under your eyes.
The innovative design of the tower makes it more famous. While most skyscrapers bear "male" features: being extrovert, strong, straight, rectangular, and based on repetition, the architects of Guangzhou TV Tower wanted to create a "female" tower. The result is that the tower is very slender and tall, that almost bears similarities with the figure of a female. The narrowest part of tower, the waist, is the 66th floor, with a diameter of only 30 meters (98 ft).
Guangzhou TV Tower Highlights
Laser Lamps
At night, the tower is lighted. Every node in the lighting design is individually controllable to allow the animations and color changes across the entire tower. Three laser lamps which can reach as far as 1 kilometer point directly to the top three buildings of Guangzhou City, Zhongxin building, and the twin towers in Zhujiang New City.
High-Tec Elevator Device
The tower is equipped with six high-speed elevators inside, reaching as high as 438 meters, which is the highest record of the world. It only takes 1 minute and a half from the bottom to the top. To address the impact of the elevator on the eardrum, the construction units installed an air regulation device in the elevator. The device is the first of its kind of the world.
City planning model display
At the base of the tower is the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall with a total floor area of not less than 5,000 square meters. The hall displays the city planning model, and large-scale city models and other urban construction achievements.