When you think Toronto, most immediately think of the CN tower. With the tower being almost half a kilometer tall you can pretty well see the skyscraper from anywhere around the GTA.
The CN tower has become a symbol for Canada and a true display of incredible engineering.
A little known fact is the structure is designed to withstand up to a 8.5 richter scale earth quake. That being said the tower still sways quite a bit in heavy winds and this can be visually observed from up top.
Recently we built a pendulum for people to observe the amount of sway in the upper portion of the tower. The pendulum is a piece of machined ABS that has been chrome plated using a vacuum metalizing process. It now lays home in CN Tower as it suspends from a metal cable near the top.
The reflective finishes allow you to observe how the tower slightly twists and swivels under high winds. Its not uncommon for the Tower to flex and move almost 2 meters after facing some heavy storms.
