ArcelorMittal Orbit
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 115 meter high observation tower in the Olympic Park in Stratford , London . The steel sculpture is Britain's largest public work of art and aims to become a permanent reminder of the 2012 Olympic Games . The tower was built between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Center . Since it opened in April 2014, visitors have been able to see the entire Olympic Park from two viewing platforms. Further views arise for visitors who descend the 435 steps to the earth on foot.
history
In October 2008, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the British Olympic Minister, Tessa Jowell , decided that the emerging Olympic Park in Stratford needed a special attraction to make East London stand out from the skyline and arouse curiosity among Londoners and visitors wake up. For this reason, a design competition was announced in which ideas for an "Olympic Tower" at least 100 meters (330 ft) high were sought. The result of this competition was 50 designs. The Orbit was the unanimous choice of a nine-member jury.
Johnson later said his original project was nowhere near as big as the later draft.
When the media published the first unconfirmed details of this project in October 2009, Britain's richest man, Lakshmi Mittal , chairman of the ArcelorMittal group, expressed an interest in helping to finance the project. Originally, he wanted to contribute around £ 15 million.
The orbit was designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond and completed in 2012. The planned cost was £ 19.1m, of which £ 16m will be borne by Lakshmi Mittal. The remaining £ 3.1m will come from the London Development Agency . The official name of the sculpture, "ArcelorMittal Orbit", combines the name of the ArcelorMittal company as the main sponsor of the project with the original working title of Kapoor and Balmond. Kapoor and Balmond believe that the orbit as a combination of sculpture and building construction will represent a radical advance in the architectural field.
The building was later supplemented by the longest giant slide in the world at 178 m and the highest at 78 m in order to generate additional income. It was designed by the object artist Carsten Höller , built by the Josef Wiegand company from Rasdorf in East Hesse and opened in June 2016.
Web links
- Main page about the project (English)
- Info page at ArcelorMittal (English)
- Brochure about the orbit
- Homepage of the company Josef Wiegand
- Report from Osthessen News
- Report on the opening of the slide
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 51 ° 32 ′ 18 " N , 0 ° 0 ′ 48" W.