engineering

Q1 (building)

Q1 (building) is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Q1 (building) rather than just read about it. In short: Q1 Tower (an abbreviation of Queensland Number One) is a 322.5-metre (1,058 ft) supertall skyscraper on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The residential tower on the Gold Coast was the world's tallest residential building from 2005 to 2011.

Key takeaways

Q1 (building) belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Q1 (building) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Q1 (building) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Q1 Tower (an abbreviation of Queensland Number One) is a 322.5-metre (1,058 ft) supertall skyscraper on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The residential tower on the Gold Coast was the world's tallest residential building from 2005 to 2011. It is the tallest building in Australia, the second tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, behind the Autograph Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the third-tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, behind the Autograph Tower in Jakarta and the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. The Q1 officially opened in November 2005. The landmark building was recognised as one of Queensland's icons during the state's 150th-birthday celebrations.

Design and construction

Q1 Tower was designed by SDG & The Buchan Group, and its form was inspired by the Sydney 2000 Olympic torch and the Sydney Opera House. The name was given in honour of members of Australia’s Olympic sculling team of the 1920s – Q1. The concept was based on studies of wind, movement and tension, in which a series of ribbons wrap concentrically around the tower’s exterior and hover above the entry plaza area, providing cover and shade. The tension in the movement and free form are expressed by the gradual twisting of the aluminium-clad ribbons as they move around the building. The result is an open-air galleria-like shopping precinct under the glazed ribbon structure and a curved retail façade to the street edges. The project was developed by The Sunland Group and built by Sunland Constructions. The building was the Silver Award winner of the 2005 Emporis Skyscraper Award, coming in second to Turning Torso in Sweden. Q1 was completed towards the end of 2005. Its main point of difference to other high-rise buildings in Surfers Paradise is its glass-enclosed sleek look. Q1's lift lobby is separated into two high-speed lift groups. Four high-speed lifts going 5.0 m/s service levels B2 to level 42. Three separate high-speed lifts going 8.0 m/s service levels 43 to the penthouse on level 74. The building is supported by 26 piles, each two metres (six point six feet) in diameter, that extend 40 metres (130 ft) into the ground passing through up to four metres (thirteen feet) of solid rock. Q1 contains one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Building facilities include two lagoon swimming pools, a lap pool, gymnasium, small theatre, a ballroom and a spa centre.

An application to construct a walkway around the outside of level 78 was lodged with the Gold Coast City Council in mid-2010.

Height At 322.5 metres (1,058 feet) and with a roof height of 245 m (804 ft), Q1 qualifies as the world's 17th tallest all-residential building when measured to the top of its structural point (spire), but is ranked lower behind buildings including Melbourne's Australia 108 (roof height of 316.7 m (1,039 ft)) and the Eureka Tower (roof height of 297.3 m (975 ft)) when measured to its roof height and highest inhabitable floor. However, according to the ranking system developed by the U.S.-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the main criterion by which buildings are ranked is the height of the top of the spire, qualifying Q1 as the taller. When the Q1 was completed, it overtook the 21st Century Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to become the world's tallest residential tower. When measured to its structural point, it dwarfs the Gold Coast skyline, with the closest buildings to Q1's height being the 220-metre (720 ft) North Tower of Circle on Cavill and the 243-metre (797 ft) Soul building.

Awards In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Q1 was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".

Observation deck

SkyPoint, formerly known as QDeck, is an observation deck at levels 77 and 78. It is Australia's only beachside observation deck and has room for 400 people. It is 230 metres (750 ft) above the Surfers Paradise beach, giving the public a 360-degree view of Brisbane to the north, the Gold Coast hinterland to the west, Byron Bay, New South Wales, to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The express lift to the observation deck travels the 77 floors in 43 seconds, for a speed of 9.0 m/s.

Building condition

In 2009, reports of disrepair and poor building conditions emerged. Peeling paint which has revealed rusty steel inside and outside, as well as shattered glass panels are amongst the visible concerns. The Building Services Authority has confirmed it has received complaints in relation to the building. The north stairwell was assessed as defective due to the stairwell pressurisation system not meeting the minimum air-flow requirements during a fire emergency. The Building Services Authority asked Q1's builders to rectify the problem in July 2010.

Events

Q1 has been used as a fireworks launch site during New Year's Eve celebrations. The building is one of the most popular destinations for students celebrating schoolies week, despite the body corporate committee treasurer's claims that most of the building's unit owners were opposed to their stay. On 28 March 2007, two BASE jumpers made an early-morning illegal jump from a northern side apartment. The skydivers pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates' Court and were fined A$750 without a conviction being recorded. At 270 metres (890 ft), the SkyPoint Climb at Q1 is Australia’s highest external building climb. Q1 has been holding an annual Stair Climb event for a number of years.

Gallery

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Q1 (building)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Q1 (building) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Q1 (building) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Q1 (building) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Q1 (building)

In research: Q1 (building) appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Q1 (building) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Q1 (building) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ardent Leisure, Buildings and structures completed in 2005, Neomodern architecture in Australia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Q1 (building) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Q1 (building) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Q1 (building) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Q1 (building) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Q1 (building) in simple terms?

Why does Q1 (building) matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Q1 (building)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Q1 (building).