Sky high: Marks Barfield Architects near completion on Brighton’s BA i360
![Marks Barfield Architects have completed construction of the glass dome for Brighton’s British Airways i360 tower.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/K6gq3snpaXmTg3GsFxsyDV-415-80.jpeg)
Brighton's latest cultural draw, the British Airways i360 by Marks Barfield Architects, has reached the final stage in its construction, ready for a celebratory summer opening.
Once completed, the 'world's first vertical cable car' will transport passengers 138m up in the air, making it the UK's highest public observation tower outside of London.
Construction of the viewing pod – a dome-like glass enclosure 10 times bigger than the capsules of the London Eye, another iconic Marks Barfield Architects creation – completed late last week.
Expected to hold 200 people at the same time, the superstructure is no mean feat of design ingenuity. Made from 24 segments of handmade glass, each pane is double glazed and constructed from two laminated, curved sheets glued together and separated from the next double pane by a sealed air gap. Toughened glass such as this cannot be cut to size, so each piece has been precisely formed from inception to fit perfectly into the steel 'ribs' of the dome.
'The team from Poma,' remarks architect David Marks, 'have done a remarkable job, both in terms of the craftsmanship of the handmade pod as well their skillful and swift assembly.' It took them only a matter of weeks to fit together, despite less than ideal weather conditions.
The views will be another thing of true beauty, not least because of the expansive panorama on offer. As well as 26 miles of Brighton & Hove, the English Channel and coastal Sussex landscape on view, 'the mirrored underside [of the glass structure] will cast reflections of the naturally shifting shapes of the sea and sky,' explains Julia Barfield.
Next up on the British Airways i360 agenda will be to test the pod movement, ready for summer.
The architects behind the soon-to-be iconic viewing tower, due to open this summer, were also responsible for the London Eye
Once completed, the ’world’s first vertical cable car’ will transport passengers 138m up in the air...
... making it the UK’s highest observation tower outside of London
Expected to hold 200 people at a time, the superstructure consists of 24 segments of handmade, double glazed, curved glass
Testing will now begin to perfect the pod’s movement in time for summer
INFORMATION
Images courtesy British Airways i360
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published