SunTrust Center
Encyclopedia
The SunTrust Center is a skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 located in the Central Business District
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 of Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

. Rising to 441 ft (134.4 m), it is the tallest building in Orlando and Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....

. Completed in 1988, it has 35 stories and 30 floors of usable office space. Originally named the Sun Bank Center, the name changed after SunTrust Banks
SunTrust Banks
SunTrust Banks, Inc., is an American bank holding company. The largest subsidiary is SunTrust Bank. It had US$172.7 billion in assets as of September 30, 2009...

 began its series of mergers and acquisitions in the 1990s. It was originally built to serve at the Florida headquarters for SunTrust Banks, but as recently as 2009, SunTrust has vacated over 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) in an effort to downsize.

Details

Designed in contemporary postmodern style, the building has a beige and green color scheme accented in blue hues. There are 35 stories with 30 floors of usable office space. The tower has a six-level parking garage and its lobby is an eight-story atrium. The building is topped with four green pyramids and the upper five stories is actually one large floor that provides panoramic views of Orlando and the surrounding area. However, this floor is not open to the general public. A pre-existing skyscraper is integrated in the center's design.

The evening lighting scheme provides amber illumination on the four pyramids and white illumination on the upper floors. There is a restaurant on the ground level of the building. The tower is home to the consulates of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 and Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and the trade offices of Qingdao, China.

The tower's height of 441 ft (134.4 m) is the unofficial height limit of skyscrapers constructed in downtown Orlando
Downtown Orlando
Downtown Orlando is the historic core and central business district of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is bordered by East Marks St in the north, Mills Ave in the east, Orange Blossom Trail in the west, and Kaley Ave in the south...

. Local architects speculate that the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 has imposed a height limit on buildings in Orlando, because the Orlando Executive Airport is located a few miles east of downtown and its flight path leads over the city center. As a result, the SunTrust Center has remained the tallest building in Orlando since 1988.

As the tallest building in Orlando, the tower hosts the American Lung Association
American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is a voluntary health organization whose mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.-History:...

's annual "Fight For Air Climb Orlando" event. In this charity competition, contestants are timed as they run up the stairs of 25 of the building's floors. In 2010 the fastest runner completed the ascent in 2:39, or just over 6 seconds per floor. The event has been held annually in November since 2007 and in 2010 raised over $100,000USD for charity.

External links

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