KarlaKoaster Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) Although this isn't a coaster or theme park, I thought some of you might be interested to know that they are currently building a huge observation tower ride in Brighton, which is a small city on the south coast of the UK. The tower is going to be 531ft tall, and the gigantic mirrored glass gondola will go 450ft up into the air. Although it's 'just' an observation tower it looks like bit of a reinvention of the idea just like the London Eye was of the ferris wheel. I also think it looks really nicely designed with the mirrored glass gondola, the really slender minimalist tower and the location which is in contrast to the victorian buildings around it. Artists impressions: • It is being designed by Marks Barfield architects who designed the London Eye • Manufacturers include Hollandia (steel), Poma (gondola), and Jacobs (engineers) • 531 feet tall with the glass gondola climbing to 450 feet • The gondola can hold 200 people and people can either sit or stand • At night the gondola becomes the Sky Bar with drinks and entertainment • From the top you will be able to see around 26 miles in every direction • Views include Brighton, the countryside and the biggest off-shore wind farm in the world • At the bottom will be a bistro, cafe, shop, exhibition and function rooms • Built on the site of an old Victorian pier which was virtually destroyed by storms and fire Construction photos: The tubular steel sections came directly from Holland by boat and were delivered by barge onto Brighton Beach. The tower is being built from the bottom up using a tower they have constructed where they push each section of the tower up and put each new section in underneath which is how they build tower cranes. This means they won't have to use so many cranes or have people working at height. More on Brighton i360: • Official website: http://www.brightoni360.co.uk/ • Construction webcam: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/i360_brighton/ • Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I360 Edited July 12, 2015 by KarlaKoaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 There must be a great view from up there. Love the design of the gondola as well. Did anyone see i305 in the title like I did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Did anyone see i305 in the title like I did? Yeah, and I mainly clicked here to see who was calling I305 an observation tower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesomefaceninja7 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Finally, something interesting happening in my home country. This looks really fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 that. . .is really beautiful. very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I don't know if I like the look of it. Seems really modern for the seaside there. I'm impressed they actually got it passed through all the hurdles to build something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 It does have a bit of a "Star Trek" look to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Did anyone see i305 in the title like I did? Haha I did. The view must be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Did anyone see i305 in the title like I did? I did. Then I realized . . . i360?! WTF?! I must click and learn. I bet the views from this are going to be amazing. Looks amazing! Also, the way they are constructing the tower is pretty fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 This looks neat but I wonder how much they will charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 This looks neat but I wonder how much they will charge. $32 Per person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiftThrill Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Did anyone see i305 in the title like I did? Yeah, and I mainly clicked here to see who was calling I305 an observation tower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlaKoaster Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Here are a few recent images. The tower is now at the full height which didn't seem to take long. I saw it for the first time in real life yesterday. It is huge!! It is minimalist enough not to be too intrusive though, and I think it will look even better once the gondola is going up and down because it looks like it will be really beautifully designed. The pictures are of the jacking tower which is where they slide tower pieces into before raising the tower. It also shows the tower on the seafront and also the gondola under construction at the Poma factory. Apologies for anyone expecting an i305 update Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Wow! That thing looks huge. However, it is not obnoxious, and sticking out like a sore thumb. It kind of works where it is! Also, the carriage is looking good!!! Can't wait to see more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 That gondola is looking fantastic! I can't wait to see it on the tower! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlaKoaster Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I love the mirrored bottom The tower can be lit up in any colour at night with the gondola also lit up in a corresponding colour too. It should look really slick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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