I360
| British Airways i360 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Observation tower |
| Location | Brighton & Hove, England, United Kingdom |
| Groundbreaking | 29 July 2014 |
| Estimated completion | Summer 2016 |
| Opening | 4 August 2016 |
| Cost | £46.2 million |
| Height | 162 metres (531 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | David Marks and Julia Barfield |
| Architecture firm | Marks Barfield |
| Website | |
| http://www.britishairwaysi360.com | |
British Airways i360 is a 162-metre (531 ft) observation tower on the seafront of Brighton, at the landward end of the former West Pier. According to the operator, the "i" in the title stands for "intelligence, innovation and integrity". The i360 opened on 4 August 2016.
British Airways i360 was designed, engineered, manufactured and promoted by the team responsible for the London Eye. British Airways i360 is the world's first vertical cable car and the world's tallest moving observation tower - the team expects the tower to appear in the 2017 Guinness Book of Records as "the world's slenderest tall tower".
From the fully enclosed viewing pod, visitors experience 360-degree views across Brighton, the South Downs, the English Channel and on the clearest days all the way along the coast to Beachy Head in the East (17 miles) and to the Isle of Wight in the West (49 miles).
It is estimated by the developers that the i360 will generate more than 440 permanent jobs; 160 posts at the attraction, and additional jobs from the spin-off benefits to other businesses in the city. The attraction cost £46 million, with £36 million being funded by a Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loan through Brighton and Hove city council.
Formerly known as the "Brighton i360", the project aims to attract 739,000 paying customers every year. The owner of the site, the West Pier Trust, hoped in 2014 that a successful i360 would lead to the rebuilding of the historic West Pier.
British Airways i360 was designed by architectural company Marks Barfield, which also designed the London Eye. The building was conceived as a "vertical pier". The tower is located at the shore end of the ruined West Pier, and the design recreated the original Italianate ticket booths of the West Pier, placed on both side of the entrance serving as ticket office and tea room. The design also includes a beachfront building that allows access to the tower and houses a brasserie, cafe and gift shop.
The tower is designed as a 162 m (531 ft) tall needle structure with an ascending and descending circular viewing platform with capacity for 200 people. It is Britain's highest moving observation tower, with a viewing platform at 138 metres (453 feet), and views along the coast, across the South Downs and across the English Channel. The viewing platform is higher than the nearby Sussex Heights tower block and Whitehawk Hill, and about the same height as Thundersbarrow Hill, Red Hill and Race Hill around Brighton & Hove. The top is about the same height as Beeding Hill to the northwest and Falmer Hill to the northeast, but not as high as parts of Woodingdean, Hollingbury Hill, Ditchling Beacon or Devil's Dyke.
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