Sentech Tower

Sentech Tower
Sentech Tower
General information
Type	Radio tower
Location	Brixton, Johannesburg, South Africa
Coordinates	26°11′33″S 28°00′24″E
Construction started	1961
Completed	1962
Opening	1962
Design and construction
Main contractor	Christiani and Nielsen SA
Architect	Ove, Arup and Partners

Sentech Tower is a 237-metre-high (778 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.

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 kilometres per hour (116 mph) and gusts of up to 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph). The tower is 237 metres (780 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 cantilever 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 ft) in diameter, 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.6 ft) deep.

See also

• Hillbrow Tower

External links

Media related to Radio towers in Johannesburg at Wikimedia Commons

• Sentech Tower at Structurae
• Johannesburg Landmarks