Stainless Steel Spire Crowns Irish Cathedral

摘要

Belfast Cathedral has stood for more than 100 years, but to many of those who worship there the building has always seemed somehow incomplete without a tall vertical element to draw the eye toward the heavens. Earlier this year, that vision was finally realized—in a form that the building's original architects could scarcely have imagined.rnThe Spire of Hope succeeds in drawing attention upward, rising 39 m above the roof of the cathedral to reach a height of 72 m above the ground. Lit by a dozen external spotlights, it is visible from almost anywhere in the city. Unlike a traditional church steeple, however, it consists only of a single stainless steel spike. Measuring 1.2 m in diameter at its widest point, it narrows to just 4 mm at its tip.