Q1 Fast Facts
There are 1331 steps from the ground to the observation deck.
The building is held-up by 22 piles, each two metres in diameter, extending 40 metres into the ground, then cored up to 2-4 metres into rock. At that depth, the rock is five times the strength of concrete.
Q1 is taller than the Eiffel tower in Paris and the Chrysler Building in New York.
Q1 contains 61,000 cubic metres of concrete (including the piles). 9,500 tonnes of reinforcing crown.
The construction of Q1 required 32,640 man weeks to complete – 1,632,000 hours on site, plus 800,000 hours in off-site works.
There are 18,926 panes of glass in the tower, totaling 14,350 square metres and weighing 311 tonnes.
There is 9,500 tonnes of reinforcing steel plus 250 tonnes of steel in the roof spire and crown.
There is 34,500 square metres of curtain wall glazing.
1,000 kilometres of electrical cable was used throughout the building.
On very windy days, apartments feel no building movement. Q1 flexes a maximum of 600mm.
In case of fire, there is a refuge lobby on every floor and a mid-level fire command centre; a dedicated fire lift with emergency power and two flights of stairs.
Q1's footprint represents 10% of the overall site which is 1.2 hectares.
More than 2500 people worked on the construction of Q1.
704 individual glass panels construct the ribbon base and artichoke glass walls of the lobby.
A total of 3030 square metres of glass form elegant undulating and twisting ribbons that wrap around the base of the tower like a gentle liquid or energy that holds its own directional flow and space.
The sleek monumental form of Q1 was inspired by the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch and the sails of the Sydney Opera House. The 97.7 metre spire commences at Level 75 and is made up of 12 sections and weighs 87.2 tonnes. Arc lights illuminate the spire and can be seen from 200kms away.
