Toronto CN Tower: Entry Pavilion, Plaza, Renos | ?m | ?s | CLC | Arcadis

I'm with those who lament the defacement of this landmark. I saw some of the structural work up over the weekend and thought that it was wearing a crown of thorns. A shame, because Toronto has the most elegant of these 1960s/1970s observation/communication towers (though I think only Seattle has one nearly as interesting).

The problem is that if (and likely when) this thrill ride lost its novelty, we will likely be stuck with the beams. Interestingly the owners of the CN Tower also own the image of the tower, meaning that vendors can't legally parade with cheap trinkets at the base as they do at the Eiffel Tower. Since it now has this addition, is the more elegant original free for the selling?
 
They could turn the top of the tower into a mini six flags :rolleyes:
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The two towers that currently feature this walk (Auckland's Sky Tower and the Macau Tower) were designed fro the start to have this walk. The walkway is very nicely incorporated into their designs as a ring around the observation deck. No unsightly supports needed.

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You do know that the CN tower was built as a communications transmission tower first and foremost and the observation deck, etc were the extra 'add-ons', right?
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Well, I have to disagree with you on that one. The original Metro Centre proposal that produced the tower were for a tall communications tower, with three open-legged supports that sported an observation deck. According to the architect Ned Baldwin, the public observation elements were conceived from the start as integrated with the telecommunication aspect. In "Accidental City", Robert Fulford mentions that the president of CN at the time signed off on the design of the tower with the instructions that it was to have a revolving restaurant and indoor and outdoor observation deck. What is now the 'Sky Pod' evolved out of the design as the initial height requirements grew. But none of the building's elements that we now see were ever absent from any serious basic proposal. The tower was never intended to be void of public space, say, in the manner of a guyed mast.

The tower's streamlining did not just serve an aesthetic purpose: designers were aware that Moscow's Ostankino Tower (at that time the world's tallest) had a severe icing problem. In the winter, enormous chunks of ice were said to plummet from it, as the exterior was (and is) bristling with tons of exposed antennae and girders. The CN Tower's smooth surfaces - stainless steel, teflon, radome - were specifically engineered to avoid this.
 
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Wow, definitely surprising. I didn't expect this to be so popular!

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1001225--cn-tower-edgewalk-overwhelmed-by-high-demand

CN Tower EdgeWalk overwhelmed by high demand

Published On Wed Jun 01 2011
Dan Robson
Staff Reporter

Terrifying heights aside, the most challenging part of the CN Tower’s new EdgeWalk appears to be just getting a ticket.

Walking around a ledge at 356 metres above sanity is, apparently, highly appealing.

Tickets sales for the CN Tower’s new attraction kicked off on Wednesday to the continuous drone of a busy tone.
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Kennedy called two dozen times, only to receive a busy signal again and again. The EdgeWalk website is not set up to process online orders.

....“It’s brutal,” Kennedy said. “I was willing to wait on hold for 30, 60 minutes. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing
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Jack Robinson, the CN Tower’s chief operating officer, said the first day of sales had been terrific. He didn’t specify numbers.

“We are thrilled with the response” he said. “Due to the huge response, customers may experience some delays in getting through, but we ask them to keep trying. It’s worth the wait.”
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“This is such a cool thing, but they’re just not ready to take the demand I guess,” she said. “If you have an international attraction, you’ve got to have international customer service.”

EdgeWalk opens Aug. 1.
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Interesting article. I wish there were more public spaces in TO for viewing the city from above.

I wonder if the Edge-walk railings will come down over the winter months at least, they don't look very good.
 
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