Seattle Space Needle, Sheetmetal puzzle, 3d puzzle, metalcraftdesign

Last crawled date: 1 year, 10 months ago

Seattle Space Needle, Sheetmetal puzzle, 3d puzzle, metalcraftdesign, sheet metal tab and slot puzzle.

Space Needle Facts: Mysteries revealed
The Structure

Top of the Space Needle – Aircraft Warning Beacon: 605 feet
Observation Deck: 520 feet
Revolving SkyCity Restaurant: 500 feet
SkyLine Banquet Facility: 100 feet
Pavilion entrance and SpaceBase Retail Shop: ground level
Bottom of foundation: 30 feet below ground
The Space Needle was built on a 120′ x 120′ lot formerly owned by the city of Seattle, which was sold to investors for $75,000 in 1961, just one year before the opening of the World’s Fair.
There are 848 steps from the bottom of the basement to the top of the Observation Deck.
During the construction of the Space Needle, it took 467 cement trucks less than 12 hours to fill the foundation hole (30 feet deep and 120 feet across); this was the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West.
When the Space Needle was built in 1962 it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.
The foundation weighs 5,850 tons and there are 250 tons of reinforcing steel alone (i.e., rebar) in the foundation. The Needle structure weighs 3,700 tons.
The center of gravity for the Space Needle is 5 feet above the ground.
The Space Needle is fastened to its foundation with 72 bolts, each 30 feet in length.
The Space Needle sways approximately 1 inch for every 10 mph of wind. It was built to withstand a wind velocity of 200 miles per hour, doubling the 1962 building code requirements. When winds around the Needle reach high speeds, 35 mph or higher, the elevators are designed to reduce their traveling speed to 5 mph for safety reasons. During the 1993 Inaugural Day storm, wind gusts reached 90 mph and the top house was closed for an hour and a half.
On a hot day the Space Needle expands about one inch.
There are 25 lightning rods (24 actual rods plus the tower) on the roof of the Needle to withstand lightning strikes.
Diameter of the halo is 138 feet.
Diameter of the SkyCity Restaurant is 94.5 feet.
The Space Needle had the second revolving restaurant in the world. The first one was in the Ala Moana shopping mall in Hawaii (now closed). There are now hundreds of turntables throughout the world.
The entire Space Needle saucer does not rotate, only a 14-foot ring next to the windows rotates on the SkyCity restaurant level.
The restaurant turntable revolves on a track and wheel system that weighs roughly 125 tons, borrowed from railroad technology. All it takes to make the turntable revolve is a 1½ horsepower motor (originally it was a 1 hp motor).
The 100 foot, or SkyLine, level was built in 1982.
The original nickname of the Space Needle was “The Space Cage.” The original name of the restaurant was “Eye of the Needle.”
From the time of its construction, the Space Needle has always had a light atop the structure. The most recent version is the Legacy Light, first illuminated on New Year’s Eve 1999/2000.
The Space Needle was built in 1962 for a mere $4.5 million dollars. In 2000, the Space Needle completed a $20 million revitalization. The project included construction of the Pavilion Level, SpaceBase retail store, SkyCity restaurant, Deck overhaul, exterior lighting additions, installation of the Legacy Light, exterior painting and more.
On April 21, 1999, the Space Needle’s 37th birthday, the City’s Landmarks Preservation Board named it an official City of Seattle Landmark. In its Report on Designation, the Landmarks Preservation Board wrote, “The Space Needle marks a point in history of the City of Seattle and represents American aspirations towards technological prowess. [It] embodies in its form and construction the era’s belief in commerce, technology and progress.”

The Elevators

The Space Needle elevators weigh 14,000 pounds each with a capacity of 4,500 pounds. The counter-weight weighs 40 percent more than the elevator fully loaded. Each elevator carries 25 people.
Each elevator has seven cables total, even though one cable is strong enough to hold the entire weight of the elevator.
Space Needle elevators are equipped with a governor brake that would lock the elevator on the tracks in case all seven cables broke.
Two of the Space Needle elevators are high speed and can travel at a rate of 10 mph, or 800 feet per minute. Actual travel time from the ground level to the top-house is 43 seconds. Under high wind conditions these high-speed passenger elevators are slowed to 5 mph. The third elevator, primarily used for freight but occasionally used to carry passengers, only travels at 5 mph, or 400 feet per minute.
The last elevator arrived the day before the 1962 World’s Fair opened.
All three elevators were replaced in 1993, at a cost of $1.5 million total.

The People

The five principals who organized the “Pentagram Corporation” to build the Space Needle were financier Bagley Wright, contractor Howard S. Wright, architect John Graham, financier Ned Skinner, and timber magnate Norton Clapp. In 1977 Bagley Wright, Skinner and Clapp sold their interests to Howard S. Wright. The Pentagram Corporation has since become the Space Needle LLC.
Architect John Graham, of John Graham and Co., produced the final saucer design of the Needle. John was the designer of the nation’s first shopping mall, Seattle’s Northgate Mall. Credit for the architecture and design also goes to John’s partner Victor Steinbrueck, UW engineering professor Al Miller, artist Earle Duff, designer John Ridley, and design partner Nate Wilkinson.
The first Space Needle Manager, Hoge Sullivan, had acrophobia, a fear of heights.
In 1966 11-year-old Bill Gates, now Microsoft chairman and co-founder, won a dinner at the Space Needle restaurant offered by his pastor. Gates had to memorize chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew, better known as the Sermon on the Mount, and he recited the sermon flawlessly.
Many celebrities have visited the Space Needle; they include Kelsey Grammer and all the cast ofCheers, Elvis Presley, Mike Myers, Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, John Travolta, Vanna White, Michael Douglas, Tim Robbins, Claudia Schiffer, Scott Bakula, Paul Reiser, numerous professional athletes, several world-famous musicians and numerous world leaders and dignitaries.
During the World’s Fair nearly 20,000 people a day went up in the elevators. The 20,000 mark was never quite attained, however, missing by fewer than 50 one day. The Space Needle hosted over 2.3 million visitors during the Fair. The Space Needle annually hosts more than 1 million visitors, making it the #1 tourist attraction in the Northwest.

The Unexpected

Plans to build a stork’s nest atop the Needle were canceled when it was learned that storks could not live in Seattle’s climate and would migrate to warmer climates.
The city of Fife, Washington, offered $1 million to move the Space Needle to its downtown.
The Committee Hoping for Extra-Terrestrial Encounters to Save the Earth (CHEESE) claims to have plans from the 1962 World’s Fair that show the Space Needle was constructed to send transmissions to advanced beings in other solar systems.
During the fair, private planes that flew near the Needle were reported to the authorities only if they were so close their wing numbers could be read.
There have been six parachute jumps from the Needle; two were unauthorized and the other four were part of a promotion.
As an April Fool’s joke a local television station aired a phony report that the Space Needle had fallen over. Emergency phone lines were swamped with calls. The Space Needle received more than 700 calls, even though there was a flashing alert during the entire report telling the audience that it was a joke. One Spokane man even jumped in his car and began driving to Seattle because his daughter worked at the Space Needle.
The Space Needle moved 312 feet SW in June 1987. The move was only on paper, however. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began a 10-year project of re-mapping the earth by satellite. Major structures, such as the Space Needle, were used as landmarks.

The Best

SkyCity Restaurant was named the 2009 Restaurant of the Year by the Washington Wine Commission.
AOL Cityguide named SkyCity restaurant the “Best Restaurant with a View” in 2006 and 2007.
SkyCity Restaurant was named “Best View” by Where Magazine’s Visitors Choice Dining Awards.
The Space Needle was named the “Best Place to Get Engaged” by the Seattle Weekly.
The Space Needle’s SpaceBase gift shop was voted one of the best places to shop for Northwest souvenirs by Seattle Magazine.
The readers of Seattle Magazine voted the Space Needle as the “Best Place to Have a Party” for their 2004 “The Best” issue.

The Fun

Since its inception in 1982, the Space Needle’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration has grown to be the West Coast’s premier New Year’s Eve event.
In May 1996, the Space Needle welcomed the Olympic Torch Relay with a special fireworks show as it passed through Seattle on its way to Atlanta for the Summer Games.
The Space Needle has saluted the success of Seattle’s sports teams over the years by painting the white roof with logos and congratulatory messages. These paintings have included the logos of the University of Washington Huskies football team, the Seattle Mariners, and the Seattle Supersonics. In 1995, the Needle caught baseball fever and placed an oversized inflatable baseball on the halo surrounding the Observation Deck to celebrate the Mariners first-ever playoff appearance.
In 1988 Tim Firnstahl and Mick McHugh divided up their $16 million Seattle restaurant empire with a coin toss from the Space Needle.
The Space Needle is approximately 1,320 Milky Way candy bars (605 feet) tall.
During the Miss USA Pageant, Miss Washington, Stina McLynne, wore a Space Needle-shaped hat during the costume portion of the pageant.
There were more than 200 copyrights for souvenir items during the World’s Fair of which many have become collectibles.
One of the best sellers during the fair was a Needle-shaped gold charm with a light in it, selling for about $75 in 1962. Another was a 9-inch high chrome lighter in the shape of the Needle.



From Wikipedia:

The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, a landmark of the Pacific Northwest, and a symbol of Seattle. Built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors, nearly 20,000 people a day used its elevators.

Once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River,[7] it is 605 ft (184 m) high, 138 ft (42 m) wide, and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour (89 m/s) and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude,[8] as strong as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake. It also has 25 lightning rods.

It has an observation deck at 520 ft (160 m) and a gift shop with the rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 ft (150 m).[7] From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the downtown Seattle skyline but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay, and surrounding islands. Photographs of the Seattle skyline often show the Space Needle prominently, above the rest of the skyscrapers and Mount Rainier.

Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators that travel at 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s). The trip takes 41 seconds, and some tourists wait in hour-long lines. On windy days, the elevators slow to 5 miles per hour (2.2 m/s). On April 19, 1999, the city's Landmarks Preservation Board designated it a historic landmark.[7][9]
Contents

1 Architecture
2 History
3 BASE jumping
4 Labor dispute
5 In culture
6 Gallery
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Architecture
• CN Tower, Toronto
• Willis Tower (Sears Tower), Chicago
• Stratosphere, Las Vegas
• Space Needle, Seattle.
The top of the Space Needle.

The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of two men, Edward E. Carlson and John Graham, Jr. The two leading ideas for the World Fair involved businessman Edward Carlson's sketch of a giant balloon tethered to the ground (see the gently sloping base) and architect John Graham's concept of a flying saucer (see the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck).[7] Victor Steinbrueck introduced the hourglass profile of the tower.[10] The Space Needle was built to withstand wind speeds of 200 mph, double the requirements in the building code of 1962. An earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter Scale jolted the Needle enough in 2001 for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms. The Space Needle can endure serious structural damage during earthquakes of magnitudes below 9. Also made to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds, the Space Needle sways only 1 inch per 10 mph (16 mm per 10 km/h) of wind speed.

For decades, the "hovering disk" of the Space Needle was home to two restaurants 500 ft (150 m) above the ground: the Space Needle Restaurant, which was originally named Eye of the Needle, and Emerald Suite. These were closed in 2000 to make way for SkyCity, a larger restaurant that features Pacific Northwest cuisine. It rotates 360 degrees in exactly forty-seven minutes.[11] In 1993, the elevators were replaced with new computerized versions. The new elevators descend at a rate of 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s).

On December 31, 1999 (New Year's Eve), a powerful beam of light was unveiled for the first time. Called the Legacy Light or Skybeam, it is powered by lamps that total 85 million candela shining skyward from the top of the Space Needle to honor national holidays and special occasions in Seattle. The concept of this beam was derived from the official 1962 World's Fair poster, which depicted such a light source although none was incorporated into the original design. It is somewhat controversial because of the light pollution it creates.[12] Originally planned to be turned on 75 nights per year, it has generally been used fewer than a dozen times per year. It did remain lit for eleven days in a row from September 11, 2001, to September 22, 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.[citation needed]

The same 1962 World's Fair original poster showed a grand spiral entryway leading to the elevator, but this, too, was omitted from the final building plans.[citation needed] This stairway was added as part of the Pavilion and Spacebase addition/remodel in June 2000. The main stairwell (generally emergency access) has 848 steps in all from the basement to the top of the observation deck.[7] At approximately 605 ft (184 m), the Space Needle was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River at the time it was built by Howard S. Wright Construction Co., but is now dwarfed by other structures along the Seattle skyline, among them the Columbia Center, at 967 ft (295 m).[13] Unlike many other similar structures, such as the CN Tower in Toronto, the Space Needle is not used for broadcasting purposes.
History

Edward E. Carlson, chairman of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, originally had an idea for erecting a tower with a restaurant at the World's Fair. Carlson was then president of a hotel company and not previously known for art or design, but he was inspired by a recent visit to the Stuttgart Tower of Germany.

John Graham, an architect who had won praise for designing Northgate Mall in Seattle soon became involved. Graham's first move was to make the restaurant featured in the plans revolve, in the same manner as a tower he had previously designed for the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu.

The proposed Space Needle had no land on which to be built. Since it was not financed by the city, land had to be purchased that was within the fairgrounds. The investors thought that there would be no land available to build a tower and the search for a site was nearly dead when, in 1961, they discovered a plot, 120 by 120 ft (37 by 37 m), containing switching equipment for the fire and police alarm systems. The land sold for $75,000. At this point, only one year remained before the World's Fair would begin.

It was privately built and financed by the "Pentagram Corporation" which consisted of Bagley Wright, contractor Howard S. Wright, architect John Graham, Ned Skinner, and Norton Clapp. In 1977 Bagley, Skinner and Clapp sold their interest to Howard Wright who now controls it under the name of Space Needle Corporation.[14]

The earthquake stability of the Space Needle was ensured when a hole was dug 30 ft (9.1 m) deep and 120 ft (37 m) across, and 467 concrete trucks took one full day to fill it. The foundation weighs 5850 tons (including 250 tons of reinforcing steel), the same as the above-ground structure. The structure is bolted to the foundation with 72 bolts, each one 30 ft (9.1 m) long.

With time an issue, the construction team worked around the clock. The domed top, housing the top five levels (including the restaurants and observation deck), was perfectly balanced so that the restaurant could rotate with the help of one tiny electric motor, originally 0.8 kilowatts (1.1 hp), later replaced with a 1.1 kilowatts (1.5 hp) motor. With paint colors named Orbital Olive for the body, Astronaut White for the legs, Re-entry Red for the saucer, and Galaxy Gold for the roof, the Space Needle was finished in less than one year. It was completed in April 1962 at a cost of $4.5 million. The last elevator car was installed the day before the Fair opened on April 21. During the course of the Fair nearly 20,000 people a day rode the elevators to the Observation Deck. The 20,000 mark was never reached, missed by fewer than 50 people one day. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in the West, taking the title from the Smith Tower across town that had held that title since 1914.

During the World's Fair, an imitation carillon was installed in the Space Needle, and played several times a day. The carillon recreated the tones of a total of 538 bells, and was built by the Schulmerich Company under the name "Carillon Americana". The operator's console was located in the base of the Space Needle, completely enclosed in glass to allow observation of the musician playing the instrument. It was also capable of being played from a roll, just as a player piano would be. The stentors of the carillon were located in the bottom part of the disc, and were audible over the entire fairgrounds, and beyond.[15]

In 1974, author Stephen Cosgrove's children's book Wheedle on the Needle postulated a furry creature called a Wheedle who lived on top of the Space Needle and caused its light to flash. Its closing quatrain is: There's a Wheedle on the Needle/I know just what you're thinking/But if you look up late at night/You'll see his red nose blinking. The Wheedle had since become a fixture of Seattle, becoming for a time the mascot of the Seattle SuperSonics who played in nearby KeyArena (originally The Coliseum), before departing for Oklahoma City.

In 1982, the SkyLine level was added at a height of 100 ft (30 m). While this level had been depicted in the original plans for the Space Needle, it was not built until this time. Today, the SkyLine Banquet Facility can accommodate groups of 20–360 people.

Renovations were completed in 2000 that cost approximately the same as the original construction original price ($21 million in current currency). Renovations between 1999 and 2000 included the SkyCity restaurant, SpaceBase retail store, Skybeam installation, Observation Deck overhaul, lighting additions and repainting.

In 2000, celebrations and a fireworks show were canceled because of perceived terror threats against the structure.

On May 19, 2007, the Space Needle welcomed its 45 millionth visitor. The guest, Greg Novoa of San Francisco, received a free trip for two to Paris which included a VIP dinner at the Eiffel Tower.[16]

Every year on New Year's Eve, the Space Needle celebrates with a fireworks show at midnight that is synchronized to music. The 2007/2008 show stopped, restarted, then stopped again with the rest of the pyrotechnics needing to be ignited by hand. The pyrotechnics crew blamed the problem on a corrupted file in the customized software they use to control the timed ignitions.[17]

In May 2008, the Space Needle received its first professional cleaning since the opening of the 1962 World's Fair. The monument was pressure washed by Kärcher[18] with water at a pressure of 20,000 kilopascals (2,900 psi) and a temperature of 90 °C (194 °F). No detergents were used in consideration of the Seattle Center and the EMP building.[19]
The Space Needle, seen here in May 2012, was painted Galaxy Gold for its 50th anniversary celebration.

As part of the celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Needle was painted "Galaxy Gold" in April 2012, the same color used when the needle was originally constructed for the 1962 World's Fair.[20] This temporary makeover, intended to last through the summer, is not the Needle's first: it had the University of Washington Huskies football team logo after the team won the 1992 Rose Bowl, appeared as a giant "Wheel of Fortune" in the late 1990s, was painted crimson after Washington State won the Apple Cup,[21] and has been seen in Seattle SuperSonics colors.
BASE jumping

Six jumpers have used parachutes to break their fall as part of a sport known as BASE jumping. Six parachutists have leaped from the tower since its opening, but this activity is only legal with prior consent. Four jumpers were part of various promotions, and the other two were arrested.[citation needed]
Labor dispute

In 2012, the union workers of the Space Needle started working without a contract when the current contract expired. The workers, working with the union, Unite Here Local 8, have entered into contract negotiations with the owners. The owners have made it clear that they don't want to extend a contract with the workers or the union because of terminology used in the contract. The Space Needle believes it offered employees enough security under past contracts without explicitly promising no subcontracting,[22] which is what the workers want in the new contract. This would likely limit the company's ability to hire workers on a needed basis such as peak seasons or special events. But instead of striking this item from the contract, Unite Here has pushed for picketing outside of the Space Needle on a weekly basis until such contract terms are accepted.

In 2013, federal mediation was set to begin between workers and the owners of the Space Needle.
In culture

Being a major symbol of the Pacific Northwest, the Space Needle has made numerous appearances in films, TV shows and other works of fiction. A few examples of films include It Happened at the World's Fair (1962), where it was used as a filming location, and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). In the 1974 film The Parallax View, the inside and outside platforms of the observation deck are the setting for a political assassination, and there's a brief chase on the roof above it. In the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, it served as a base of operations for the villain Doctor Evil with the word Starbucks written across its saucer after his henchman Number 2 shifted the organization's resources toward the coffee company. It's also featured prominently in Chronicle (2012), and is a key element in the film's climax.

In TV shows, one of the most prominent showings is in the series Frasier where an outline of it appears in the opening credits and the base of it is visible from the high-rise condo although the view is really a composite image as there are no high rise condos in the right area of that height.[23] It also appears in nearly every episode of the Seattle-set series Grey's Anatomy, often in helicopter fly-by shots. The Space Needle also makes appearances in Nickelodeon TV show iCarly where it can be seen with other surrounding buildings in the Seattle area.

Other TV appearances include The History Channel's Life After People where it collapses after 200 years because of corrosion. It was also destroyed in the TV miniseries 10.5 when a 7.9 earthquake hits Seattle. The movie mistakenly portrays the Needle as crumbling concrete, though the structure is actually made of iron and it would have survived a 7.9 earthquake in real life. The needle is also featured in some episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, such as the episode "Storms" where Bill Nye uses the lightning rod on top of it as an example of conducting lightning strikes. It also appears many times as a refuge for the hero of Dark Angel.

In video games, it has been used to represent Seattle in Pilotwings 64 and Rock Band and it appears in the Seattle Circuit reverse of Gran Turismo 4. The Space Needle and the area around it also appear in the last campaign mission of World in Conflict as the site of the Soviet invasion force's last stand. The Space Needle is in the map "Seattle" of Godzilla: Saves the Earth, for the original Xbox.

The Space Needle has been used for some other purposes as well, including a large 57 piece Lego construction set of it that has been released as part of Lego Architecture's structures.[24] The Needle is also featured on the logo of the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC.[25]

The Space Needle was used in Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' song Can't hold us, in the final part of the music video.


Sorry for the long description and extensive renderings, but I like learning myself about what I am building and hope anyone interested would want to get some education about the Architecture behind the design behind my crappy models...

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