Sentech Tower
Encyclopedia
Sentech Tower is a 237 metres (777.6 ft) TV tower in the Brixton
suburb of Johannesburg
, South Africa
. It is a well-known and easily identifiable landmark in the city, alongside its architectural cousin, the Hillbrow Tower
.
structure, the shaft of which is made of reinforced concrete
. On windy days, the tower has been known to lean up 2 metres (6.6 ft), as measured from its uppermost mast. The foundation is 26 metres (85.3 ft) in diameter, 6 metres (19.7 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.6 ft) deep.
Brixton, Gauteng
thumb|100px|Sentech TowerBrixton is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the site of the landmark Sentech Tower, and is near the suburbs of Auckland Park and Melville....
suburb of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is a well-known and easily identifiable landmark in the city, alongside its architectural cousin, the Hillbrow Tower
Hillbrow Tower
The Hillbrow Tower is a tall tower located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. At , it has been the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 40 years, and it was also the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until 1978, when surpassed by the 270m Mount Isa Chimney in...
.
History
Originally called the Brixton or Albert Hertzog Tower, construction started in 1961 and was completed in 1962. The Tower was designed by Ove, Arup and Partners and built by Christiani and Nielsen SA. The tower is built to withstand winds of 186 kilometre per hour and gusts of up to 200 kilometre per hour. The tower is 237 metres (777.6 ft) high. The first transmission took place 22 December 1961. Presently Sentech broadcast 18 FM programs and 7 TV stations. Backup power to the tower is 1MW using two 500 kVa Volvo Generators. Towards 2001, naming rights for the tower were sold to Sentech, one of South Africa's first wireless internet service providers. Up until 1982, an observation deck affording panoramic views of the city was open to the public, but was closed due to rising fears of insurgent fighting by South African anti-Apartheid activists. The tower viewing deck has not re-opened to the public since then.Construction
In architectural terms, the building is a vertical cantileverCantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
structure, the shaft of which is made of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
. On windy days, the tower has been known to lean up 2 metres (6.6 ft), as measured from its uppermost mast. The foundation is 26 metres (85.3 ft) in diameter, 6 metres (19.7 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.6 ft) deep.