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'Q1' (meaning 'Queensland Number One') is a skyscraper located in Surfers Paradise, the tourism hub in Gold Coast, Australia.

Contents

Height

Design and construction

Observation deck

Trivia

References

See also

External links

Height

At 322.5 metres (1,058 feet), Q1 is the world's tallest all-residential building, when measured to the top of its spire. However, Melbourne's Eureka Tower is taller, and hence the world's tallest, when measured to the height of its highest inhabitable floor and roof height.
Q1 overtook the 21st Century Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as the world's tallest residential tower. It is the 20th tallest building in the world when measured to its spire, dwarfing the Gold Coast skyline with the closest buildings to Q1's height being the 220 m (722 ft) North Tower of Circle on Cavill and the under construction 240 m (787 ft) Soul building.
The 297 m (975 ft) Eureka Tower apartment building in Melbourne has also been claimed as the tallest building in Australia, and consequently the tallest residential building in the world, because it has more floors and a significantly higher roof than Q1. However, this building lacks any large spire or mast above the roof. According to the ranking system developed by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the Eureka Tower qualifies as the taller building in two of the four categories in which heights are ranked, namely Roof Height and Highest Occupied Floor, while Q1 is taller in the other two categories, Pinnacle Height and Architectural Top. For comparison, the Q1 building has its top floor at a height of 235 m (771 ft), some 62 metres (204 ft) lower than Eureka's roof.
Both buildings will lose their status as the world's tallest residential building sometime in 2008, when the 395 metre (1,296 ft) 23 Marina in Dubai is completed.

Design and construction

Q1 was designed by Atelier SDG, and its form was inspired by the Sydney 2000 Olympic torch and the Sydney Opera House. The name was given in honour of members of Australia’s Olympic sculling team of the 1920s – Q1.
It was developed by The Sunland Group and built by Sunland Constructions. The building was the Silver Award winner of the 2005 Emporis Skyscraper Award, coming in second to Turning Torso in Sweden.

Observation deck

The observation deck at levels 77 and 78 is one of the world's few beachside observation decks, and has room for 400 people.

Trivia

★ The Q1 is 22 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower

★ The penthouse was the most expensive apartment ever sold in Queensland, ''who'' bought it is unknown.

★ Sixty floors up is a 10 storey high mini-rainforest sky garden, which is illuminated at night.

★ The building is supported by 26 piles, two metres in diameter, that extend 40 metres into the ground then up to four metres into solid rock.

★ On the 28th of March 2007 two men were charged by the Queensland police for BASE jumping from the tower.

References

★ Q1.com.au

★ Gold Coast Portal

★ Emporis - Q1 Tower
http://www.q1observationdeck.com.au

See also

★ List of tallest buildings in Australia

External links

★ Official website

★ Official (Construction) website

★ Q1 at Emporis

★ Q1 Observation Deck

★ Q1 Penthouse

★ Q1 Tower Community Intranet