REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Monday, July 18, 2005

ONE huge metal spire silenced the sceptics and broke the record for the tallest residential tower in the world.

Speculation the Q1 project was not feasible and would be stopped at level 42 was the gossip doing the rounds after the ambitious project was first mooted.

But the Sunland Group’s bid to build the world’s tallest residential tower was realised with the final spire instalment connected to the 79-floor Q1 building.

Reaching its pinnacle of 322.5m above the Surfers Paradise streetscape, the Sunland Group’s joint managing director Sahba Abedian said he believed the company had silenced the critics. Since it began to dwarf the high rises in Surfers, it had been the most talked about building in the city’s booming construction industry, with no limit of gossip.

Mr Abedian said he understood critics would try to sensationalise the ambitious venture, believed to be the 19th tallest structure in the world.

“There were so many (rumours) – anything you could imagine,’’ he said. “With every major development, people are always sceptical.

“But that is what has made segments of Australian society so dominating – whether it be manufacturing, food, tourism, art and literature. In sport we receive more gold medals per capita than any other country.

“You have to convince the people of Australia that you can do it, and that’s what makes you strive to make the (most of) opportunities.

“But from a construction point of view, it was easy. We knew we had the engineering capabilities to do it.’’