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Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

United Kingdom Architecture News - Jun 12, 2015 - 09:52   6051 views

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

all images © Brighton i360

Barges will arrive at Brighton Beach from Holland from first light on 11 June, delivering the steel cans which will form the tallest new UK visitor attraction outside London, conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the internationally acclaimed London Eye.

Brighton i360, which will be the world’s first vertical cable car and the tallest observation tower outside the UK is being constructed by an international team, bringing together specialist design and engineering from the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia and the UK.

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

Said David Marks, Chairman of Brighton i360 and Co-Managing Director of Marks Barfield Architects, “Today marks a major milestone in the construction project, with the completion of the foundations and the start of an exciting new phase, when the i360 starts to come out of the ground and reaches for the sky.”

Said Julia Barfield, Director of Brighton i360 and Co-Managing Director of Marks Barfield Architects, “Ten years ago, we set out on a journey to bring the i360 to Brighton. After all the preparation and planning, it is fantastic to see it all coming together.”

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

Said Eleanor Harris, CEO of Brighton i360, “We have been preparing the ground for this arrival since July and now the project will be going up up up! The tower build starts on Monday!”

A 100-metre high crane will unload the 17 specially fitted out steel cans, each measuring between six and 12 metres, directly onto the beach and using a giant jacking tower, they will be joined together to build the 162 metre high tower. When the i360 opens in summer 2016, visitors will glide up to 450 feet for breathtaking views of the south coast from Chichester to Bexhill-on-Sea, the South Downs National Park and Brighton.

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

Seven thousand tonnes of gravel, shingle and chalk have been moved to create a platform for the delivery, whilst a 4,000 tonne concrete foundation has been built under the ground to balance out the towering feat of engineering. The first half of the concrete was poured on 30 May and the second concrete pour will take place on 10 June.

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

The tower will be completed this summer and then open in summer 2016, when the pod has been built and added to the tower and the visitor centre at its base is completed, to incorporate a 400 seat restaurant; a shop; children’s play zone; exhibition space; tea rooms; and conference and event facilities. 

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

Brighton i360 beach landings start build of world’s tallest vertical cable car

> via marksbarfield.com