Brighton's i360 plans finally underway as London Eye team reunites to build iconic structure
Construction of Brighton, UK’s, i360 tower is set to kick off tomorrow (29 July) after the project secured £40m (US$68m, €50.4m) in funding eight years after the project was initially proposed. The team which designed and constructed the London Eye is reuniting to work on the project.
Designed by London-based Marks Barfield Architects, the i360 Tower – described as a “vertical pier” – gained approval earlier this year from Brighton and Hove City Council, which provided £36.2m (US$61.4m, €45.7m) in loans, with a further £4m (US$6.8m, €5m) supplied by the project investment fund Local Enterprise Partnership Coast to Capital (LEPCC).
Dutch contractor Hollandia, France-based Poma and Jacobs Engineering Group – who all worked on the London Eye – are teaming up with local contractor JT Mackley and structural engineers Hemsley Orrell Partnership on the build.
David Marks and Julia Barfield – a husband and wife architecture team – are investing an additional £6m (US$10.2m, €7.6m) of their own money into the project, which is set to open in the third quarter of 2016.
Standing at 175m (574ft) high, the i360 Tower will be taller than the iconic London Eye and will allow views for 25 miles (40.2km) on a clear day. Visitors will ascend the tower in a moving pod, which will take 20 minutes to rise gradually to the top, before descending using a vertical cable car mechanism.
The tower will be located on the site of the former Brighton West Pier, which was destroyed by fire in 2003.
The project will incorporate the restoration of some of the original pier, including the Victorian tollbooths. Parts of the cast iron supporting structure will be reused in the new visitor centre, while an exhibition will enable visitors to learn about the pier’s history.
Council agrees £15m loan for Brighton's i360 tower attraction
Brighton's new i360 tower attraction 'back on track'?
Work begins on Brighton's i360 tower
Brighton council approves i360 observation tower
Plans submitted for Brighton i360
Plans submitted for Brighton i360
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Ben Channon has written Happy by Design, a new book about how architecture affects our mental health. He explains how we can all be happier at home