Tower Information, Views and History Location - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport, Sydney, New South Wales Postal Address - PO Box 211, Mascot, NSW 1460 Height - 50m Date Constructed - 1993 - 1996

 

The current Sydney control tower was conceived when government approval was given for a new parallel north-south runway at Sydney Airport to accommodate the growth in air traffic. Construction of the tower began in August 1993 and it officially became fully operational on Saturday 6 January 1996.

It is the 5th control tower to maintain an unbroken service at Sydney Airport since 1937 and replaced a tower that was built in the1960's and operated from 1972. This 'old' tower still exists alongside Sydney's Terminal Control Unit (TCU) building, a location chosen to accommodate tower control for Sydney's cross-runway configuration.

Today's control tower stands apart from other towers in Australia and internationally for its striking physical appearance, internal workspace design and use of technology. Some of the tower's features achieved what are believed to have been both Australian and world firsts in tower design.

Making use of the 'fly-by-wire' concept used in modern aircraft, the Sydney tower employs the latest computer screen based technology for its control consoles. These touch-screen consoles give controllers easy access to situational radar, communication and meteorological data displays. It is believed this use of sophisticated electronic equipment created a world first for air traffic control towers.

Traditionally, tower control consoles are centrally arranged across the internal cabin. Layout for the new cabin workspace was based on a perimeter design used in some US towers but had never been trialed before in Australia. The perimeter design offers uninterrupted views to almost all areas of the aerodrome.

Architectural designers of the new tower were given the challenging brief to propose a facility that was not only functional but might also become a major Sydney landmark and one of the airport's most prominent features. The result is the striking tower that stands at 51 metres and features a central support column with a passenger lift and a spiral emergency staircase.

The design marked a significant departure from the previous 20 years' of air traffic control tower planning and construction in Australia and received recognition by winning several important architectural and construction awards.