vidTO: CN Tower's Glass Floor Elevator Ride
Yesterday morning I got a first look at the CN Tower's new glass-floor elevators that I wrote about last week. The novelty floor is being dubbed as "North America's first" and feature two strips of glass giving you a view of the elevator shaft below your feet rushing away.
Watch the video above as I talk to CN Tower's CEO Jack Robinson about the new floors in the elevator and take a ride up and down myself. Keep reading for some of my impressions.
Some cool technology is at work in the glass being used, allowing the operator to turn the glass completely opaque at the flip of a switch upon rider request using an electrical current.
The National Post weren't impressed, summing up the experience pretty well, "The glass floor is actually two door-mat-sized panels. Made of load-bearing glass and a steel frame, they are five centimetres thick and hardly as terrifying as the elevator window."
They also took note of CN Tower CEO Jack Robinson's defensive reaction when asked by another reporter about if the new floors were the answer to the Burj Dubai taking the 'tallest' crown from our humble tower.
Although it's a cool feature, It's a bit of a novelty to me that wouldn't necessarily bring me back to the tower in the near future.
I didn't get anything close to the vertigo I get standing anywhere near the observation deck's glass floor, and it was more exciting to just keep your eyes straight ahead for the view out the existing windows. The panels themselves are quite small.
I think it has a lot to do with being able to see the city streets, the Skydome and everything else below up on the observation deck. Looking down through the elevators, all you get is an obstructed view of the concrete shaft of the tower - hardly a thrill, but maybe fun for kids.
Comments (9)
It would be alot better if the entire floor was clear.
Ater the addition of those cool lights i thought they would have went all out on this... Aww well
So... how well does the passenger see through that small slit window when the elevator is rammed full of people?
@Jerrold
If it's anything like the glass floor above, (just about) nobody older than 14 will be willing to stand on the glass, keeping the "view" slightly more accessible.
It will be interesting if CN Tower authorities pack those elevators full, forcing people to stand on the glass.
This advertised Canadian Tower "Glass Floor Elevator" is overrated.
I was expecting a full glass floor, not some little glass hole in the middle. Still, not enough for me to go visit for the first time in 10+ years.
Call me back when the floor of an elevator is made entirely of glass. In the meantime, I will get my height kicks hanging over the 500 Level at the RogersDome.
"Anyone else think of the glass elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?"
I found that to be cooler... This elevator is a lot lamer than they had made it out to be. Sorry, disappointed =(..
The Star reports that the panels are worth $50,000, on top of the $1.1 million to replace the elevator.
But I believe the CN Tower paid for them - the city had nothing to do with it.














RSS