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I want to show you the most famous work of British sculptor: tower "ArcelorMittal Orbit". The building was erected in 2010-2012, its height is 115 meters, making it one of London's main attractions. It may soon join the ranks of the most famous buildings in the world.
1. Designed by prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond the ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 115-metre-high (377 ft) observation tower located in the southern area of the Olympic Park, between Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre. Commissioned by the Greater London Authority, the tower was unveiled recently in May 2012. Orbit cost £22.7 million, of which ArcelorMittal funded as much as 19.6 million while the remaining £3.1 million was funded by the London Development Agency.
2. The inception of building Britain’s largest piece of public art took place in October 2008 when London Mayor Boris Johnson and Tessa Jowell decided that the site in Stratford, London that was to become the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics needed “something extra” to distinguish the East London skyline. A design competition was held in 2009 for designs of an “Olympic tower” along the lines of Trajan’s Column” but the idea took a backseat once the entries were received; the submissions revealed much more sophisticated and daring ideas.
3. Kapoor’s and Balmond’s Orbit was announced as the winner on 31 March 2010 and work started in November 2010. Taller than the Statue of Liberty and Big Ben, twice as high as Nelson’s column in London’s Trafalgar Square, the Orbit is a hybrid, a network of art and structure. Around 560 meters of red tubular steel form the structure and 250 colored spotlights illuminate it at night; the tower has two observation floors, a 455-step spiral staircase, lift and restaurant. 60 per cent of the 2,000 tonnes of steel used in the sculpture was drawn from recycled sources, underlining steel’s status as the world’s most recyclable material.
4. The ArcelorMittal Orbit will draw visitors to newly regenerated swathes of east London. Visitors will enter a central elevator to ascend the steel tower, arriving at an observation deck with a panoramic view of the city. To exit, they will be encouraged to climb down the staircase that spirals around the tower’s exterior.
6. Initially when Orbit was unveiled it drew sharp criticisms, many dubbed it as a symbol of catharsis which resonated the looks of an Eiffel Tower destroyed by war however Designer Anish Kapoor has sidelined the criticisms by citing that he has researched initial reactions to the Eiffel Tower, and recalls the horror of observers such as author Victor Hugo.
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