Work has begun on the world’s first “vertical cable car”, which will be the highest observation tower in the UK outside of London.
Designed by architecture firm Marks Barfield, which designed the London Eye, Brighton’s i360 tower will elevate visitors 138 metres above sea level in a glass viewing pod that offers views of up to 30 miles along the coastline.
It is hoped that once open, the i360, which resembles the kind of futuristic housing lived in by cartoon characters the Jetsons, will draw over 700,000 visitors a year adding up to £25m of revenue to Brighton’s economy.
Architect David Marks told the Guardian the experience would be “all about the view”. “The whole of Brighton and Hove will be below your feet. You’ll have the South Downs national park and the south coast in either direction for 20 to 30 miles. Everything will be moving beneath you and you can move freely within the pod. It is not a thrill ride, but it is thrilling.”
A ground-breaking ceremony took place for the tower on Tuesday, marking the long-awaited start of building work, which is expected to be completed by summer 2016.
Brighton and Hove Council leader Jason Kitcat, who put the first ceremonial spade into the ground at the ceremony, said: “This is a momentous occasion for Brighton & Hove, which will kickstart the regeneration of the wider area, both down on the beach and including Preston Street.
“Our seafront is our most important asset, one that helps make our tourism industry such a great success in Brighton and Hove. Our innovation here will make all the difference to helping the city continue as one of the UK’s most desirable and successful tourist destinations.”
Rachel Clark of the West Pier Trust said: “This marks the beginning of a long-awaited new era. The i360 will be a brilliant attraction and entirely in the spirit of the West Pier – a vertical pier. It will transform the site and the entire city.”
The £46.2m project has been eight years in development, during which time it has had opposition from local groups, largely because of the council’s decision to take out a £36.2m loan to fund it. Others have criticised the way it will dominate the low- rise skyline that surrounds it. However, the project has had crucial support from English Heritage from an early stage in its development. The governmental conservation body described it as an “an outstanding feature” for the seafront and a “worthy companion” to any successor of the West Pier.
Marks hopes that once the tower is completed it will win over its critics, just as the London Eye did: “It’s a very gentle landmark,” he says. “It marks the root end of the pier and the bottom of Regency Square in a very arresting way, similar to the way someone might have done with an obelisk, a column or a similar feature. It’s not dominating or overshadowing, and I think its slenderness is going to be quite invigorating.”
