Glasgow Tower

Glasgow Tower is a free-standing tower located on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland and forms part of Glasgow Science Centre complex. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the tallest tower in the world in which the whole structure is capable of rotating 360 degrees. It has been closed for more than 80% of its life. It re-opened to the general public in July 2014.Background and world recordsAt 127m, the Glasgow Tower is currently the tallest tower in Scotland, and since late 2015 following the demolition of both the Red Road Flats and the Bluevale and Whitevale Towers the structure is now the tallest in all of Glasgow. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the tallest tower in the world in which the whole structure is capable of rotating 360 degrees. The whole structure rests upon a 65cm thrust bearing, and is connected to its foundations by two concentric rings and shock absorbers. The thrust bearing itself rests in a 15m caisson. This is to allow the building to rotate under computer control to face into the wind. The tower has two lifts each with a 12-person capacity, but for reasons of comfort, this is normally limited to 6 guests plus a single member of staff. There is also an emergency staircase, comprising 523 stairs from the Cabin level to the Podium.HistoryThe tower has been plagued by safety and engineering problems throughout its history. It missed its opening date in 2001. Problems with the Nigerian-made thrust bearing on which it rotates led to it being closed between February 2002 and August 2004. On 30 January 2005, ten people were trapped in the lifts and the rescue took over five hours to complete. Following the incident, the tower re-opened on 21 December 2006.