How the CN Tower was Built | Engineering & Construction

A look at the design and construction of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada.

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Gary Oberoi
Vaindil

Historical Photographs by:

Historical footage from the National Archives of Canada

Video Attributions:
“Toronto's Entertainment District from a drone” by Michael Muraz
“Toronto from CN Tower Restaurant” by Ben Duncan
“Elevator ride up the CN Tower” by Weston Ruter
“Edge Walk At CN Tower in Toronto” by Nima Khanghahi

Still Image Attributions:
“Panama Canal - Gatun Locks from Air” by Roger W
“The Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, CA at sunset” by Marin Headlands
“Itaipu Dam” by Jonas de Carvalho
“Toronto's New City Hall 1965” by Toronto Fire Department
“Icicles” by liz west
“Inside 360 Restaurant” by Larry Koester
“Skypod des CN Tower” by Wladyslaw

Music from Epidemic Sound

#CNTower #Toronto #ArtofEngineering

[ArtofEngineering]

Making this video has been a huge project of mine for the past few months, and I’m so excited to finally share it! It’s also the first video to feature my own videography work, which is something I’m really proud of. Thanks for watching!

Video correction: 56, 000 metric tonnes of soil and rock were excavated for the foundation, not 56 metric tonnes.
(But at least I said "more than 56 metric tonnes" which is *technically* still correct 😅)

[clemlowes]

I'll never forget visiting my Aunt's house near Bathurst and Queen in the mid seventies and watching Olga (helicopter) delivering pieces of the antenna to top of tower. A vivid memory for me.

[kylem]

The engineering and design on this is so much more impressive than I ever realized. Reminds me why I am not an engineer lol

[ajexxan]

Man the best YouTubers are the ones that take months on a video at a time cause the do their research and make the video not just a quick upload but an amazing project, well done man you’re definitely my favourite youtuber.

[patrickmccready]

Unbelievable amount of research put into this video and as a civil engineer I really appreciate the time and effort put into making this very informative video

[joshuacoppersmith]

This was a "documentary, " not just a "YouTube video." Great job, and thank you!

[WhyWorldWet]

Oddly enough, the foundation style of the CN Tower (three separate wings) is similar to The Burj Khalifa. Those engineers were light years ahead of their time in building this. Smart cookies they were.

[kevgits]

This video made me view the CN Tower in a totally different way. It's easy to view it at first sight as just another tall structure but, I now stand amazed by the level of engineering that went into its design and construction. Maximum respect to those engineers. This is more than a structure, it's a work of art, the end product of which was not only functional but also beautiful to look at. A worthy icon of the great city of Toronto.

[hrddrvto]

I was a teenager when the CN Tower was completed. I begged my Mom to take me to see it (We lived an hour outside Toronto) Even though she is terrified of heights she brought me to the tower and went up with me. I was not afraid of heights back then and I loved it. I was in awe of the whole experience and remember that at the time there wasn't much else around the tower (that area was sort of industrial and unused) It's a memory that will stay with me always. I live here in Toronto now and I still look at the CN Tower with awe and always have taken photos over the years since it was built. It's become such a representation of the city of Toronto and of Canada. Thank you for making this video.

[aripocki]

I am amazed at how much information you were able to gather. Like finding out which cables didn't make it through post-tensioning.

[triplep]

This video makes me proud to be Canadian

[cyberpleb]

I was a toddler and Torontonian when the CN Tower was completed. As a kid I was obsessed with it. Thank you so much for this video... but you may have overlooked one of the most heart-warming aspects of this story. Months before the spire sections were air-lifted into place, they were placed in school yards and playgrounds around the city. Kids had an opportunity to crawl through them and autograph them. The building of the tower united Torontonians in a remarkable way.

[jjburns]

Still in 2020 one of the most awe inspiring feats of engineering in the world. Not to mention an easy on the eyes beautiful landmark !!

[DonaldKnieriemen]

When this tower was only a couple of years old, I was privileged to be able to visit it, when the weather was -25 F. I, now, can finally appreciate what I experienced. Thanks.

[torinstorkey]

You make the best engineering videos on youtube. Firstly, you do not cater to the lowest common denominator thus making it interesting to people who know about it. Secondly, you have a brilliant presentation style with a nice logical approach. Thirdly, you use the metric system exclusively.

[harrygato]

I grew up across Lake Ontario on top of the Niagara Escarpment.
I was able to watch the entire construction through binoculars, including the top off.

[myothercarisadelorean]

I visited Toronto back in May 2016. I did the CN tower and Hockey HOF. The city is awesome!!! Being from USA, people ask me what Toronto is like. My answer is it was like a cleaner and safer New York City.

[KingRCT]

This is an amazing video, feels like it was was longer than 30 minutes due to the amount of information packed in here! Tremendous work.

[Maltanx]

There are "documentary" channels with far more subscribers and videos that make just parody of documentaries when compared to yours.
I've witnessed the rise of Wendover Production since that channel had less subscribers than you have, and I'm witnessing the rise of another great channel called New Mind.
You will surely be the next one if you keep up with such great quality and details.
It's far better to have two videos a year that are extremely well made and informative rather than having an awful lot of small videos that are just useless and poorly made.
I'm really glad I stumbled upon your videos about rollercoasters months ago!

[HolowatyVlogs]

I love being a native Torontonian! I’ve only visited the tower once as a kid, that needs to change.