all images © Marks Barfield Architects

Things are looking up in Brighton as the Brighton i360, conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, reached its full height of 162 metres, ahead of schedule.  The event was marked by Dutch and English engineering apprentices Robin Uittenbogaard and Steve Page installing the last high-strength bolt into the tower on Monday 24 August.  A total of 1,336 high-strength bolts, weighing 30 tonnes, connect the seventeen sections or 'cans' together to complete the tower. 

The 162 metre high tower was erected in a record time of just 10 weeks, using an innovative jacking tower to lift the tower up ten times enabling new cans to be inserted below with the assistance of a specially designed skidding track.  The final lift weighted 980 tonnes, including the 72 tonne counterweight which will help lift the viewing pod when it is installed later this year.  When completed, the pod will be 18 metres in diameter and be able to carry up to 200 people.  It will weigh 93 tonnes, including the 20 tonne chassis already on site. The seventeen steel cans which comprise the tower, the counterweight, and the jacking tower, were delivered to site by barge and a beach landing directly in front of the construction site.  The first can, weighing a approximately 80 tonnes, was erected on the 4,150 tonne reinforced mass concrete base on 15th June.

Engineering student Robin Uittenbogaard investigated the proposed i360 erection method for his thesis at university.  This led to an apprenticeship in the engineering department of Hollandia, followed by on-site experience in Brighton where he gained a deeper understanding of the real-life construction process.

Steve Page is Mackley's Senior Engineer on site and is currently undertaking a part time degree in Civil Engineering and is about to enter his final year. He started with Mackley 6 years ago as a trainee Engineer on day release and has excelled at his studies and in every department and site he has been on. On the i360 he is responsible for maintaining horizontal and vertical control and quality. Steve was the individual who was responsible for ensuring the anchor bolts for the tower were in the right place and accurate to +/- 0mm.

Marks Barfield Architects were joined by senior officers from Brighton and Hove City Council to congratulate Hollandia's site team on achieving this major milestone ahead of schedule. A minutes silence was held by those attending to remember the families affected by the Shoreham Air Show tragedy this weekend.

Said David Marks, Architect and Chairman of Brighton i360:  "This is a breathtaking engineering feat and a major milestone achieved for the project.  I am excited by both the dazzling slenderness of the tower and the amazing way it has been built - in record time.  It is an outstanding achievement, and I hope it will inspire a new generation to pursue design and engineering." 

Said Julia Barfield, Architect and Director of Brighton i360:  "We started on this journey ten years ago.  It is astonishing to see a project that has taken so long to get to this point has gone up in just ten weeks.  All credit due to the fantastic collaboration of English and Dutch engineers and the construction team."

Said Dick Russell, Director of Brighton i360: "I am enormously impressed by Hollandia's skill in fabricating this unique and very complex structure, landing the parts on the beach and assembling and erecting the tower on schedule; and all the more creditable given the very unseasonal Brighton weather with which they have had to contend over recent weeks." 

Said Eleanor Harris, CEO of Brighton i360: "This has been a flawless precision operation, which has gone without a hitch, and the engineering team have done a fantastic job. It has been fascinating to watch the construction take place - especially when the tower has been 'levitating' during the jacking operation, attracting crowds on Brighton beach." 

Said Dr John Roberts, Operational Director of Jacobs and Director of Brighton i360:  "Jacobs’ primary focus on this project was to design a tower structure that could be erected safely.  We are proud that this was accomplished ahead of programme, which is a great achievement and a testament to both the designers and the contractors working in partnership together." 

Said Nardo Hoogendijk, Managing Director of main contractor Hollandia Infra:  "This is a project we really like.  It fits into our portfolio perfectly. This is because there is so much innovation in it, so many activities that have never been done before. Besides the technical side, this project is special because of the fantastic spirit of cooperation. Getting a project like this, based on personal relationships is amazing. Now, after just one year of hard work by our team we have reached the highest point of the tower, just ten weeks after the beach landing. This is what me makes proud, proud of the people who did it."

construction detail of Brighton i360

construction detail2 of Brighton i360

> via marksbarfield.com