Montreal Tower (French: La Tour de Montréal), part of the city's Olympic Stadium (French: Le Stade olympique) and Parc Olympique and formerly known as the Olympic Tower[1] (French: La Tour olympique), is the tallest inclined structure in the world at 165-metre (541 ft), and the tenth tallest structure in Montreal. It was designed by architect Roger Taillibert and leans at an angle of 45°, much larger than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (less than 4°).[2]
The cables that open the stadium's retractable roof are suspended from the tower.[3]
The tower was not complete in time for the 1976 Summer Olympics, and construction resumed following with the building's observatory, accessed by an inclined elevator, opening in 1987.[4] The observatory showcases the history of the stadium, and the Olympics overall, including Caitlyn Jenner's (at the time Bruce Jenner) decathlon win. The Tower overlooks the Olympic Village, the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens and Saputo Stadium. At the base of the tower is the Olympic Park Sports Centre, home to elite training facilities.[2]
Between 2015 and 2019, the Olympic Installations Board spent $200 million to convert the building into an office tower, designed by Provencher Roy which housed more than 1,000 Desjardins Group employees as of 2019.[2][5]
References
edit- ^ Hickman, Matt (2020-02-18). "Montreal's iconic Olympic Tower reborn as office complex". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Brennan, Pat (2019-06-07). "Visit the leaning tower of Montreal". The Star. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ "Big O architect to do roof study". Montreal Gazette. June 10, 1981. p. 1.
- ^ "The Montreal Tower". WSP. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Cogley, Bridget (2018-09-30). "Montreal Tower to become glazed offices for Desjardins Group". dezeen. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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