On May 15th, 1967, BURNCO started a 24-day continual pour of concrete to build the iconic Calgary Tower, a project developed to celebrate Canada’s centennial. The Slip-form technique used was a relatively new concept at the time, holding the record for pouring 39 vertical feet of concrete over a 24-hour period resulting in the tall, cylindrical base of the world-famous tower.
Opened to the public 50 years ago (June 30th, 1968), the free-standing observation tower in the downtown core was twice as high as any other buildings in the skies around it (627 feet tall) and the tallest in Canada outside of Toronto. Internationally recognized and a truly iconic symbol of the city itself, BURNCO celebrates its integral part in the history of this achievement and the city in which it means so much.
The Calgary Tower lit the cauldron at the top of its deck to honour BURNCO’s centennial back in 2012.
On June 30th the Calgary Tower will be hosting a 60’s themed block party featuring food trucks, face painting, FREE ice cream from Foothills Creamery, music from BassBus and countless photo ops, PLUS, admission to the Observation Deck will be 50% off for the day.
The pandemic led to an increase in construction and home renovations, but shortages of cement are putting a new strain on the industry.
Concrete is the most used building material on the planet and accounts for seven per cent of global CO2 emissions and 1.5 per cent of Canada’s.