A well-designed industrial urban sculpture or to be referred as a twisted muddle of steel, all that jazz on the artistic appeal of the new ArcelorMittal Orbit saw its finale shape this week. It took eighteen months for this feat of precision structural engineering to see its real fate, which was celebrated by an event where the first members of the public took more than four hundred steps to the structure’s viewing platforms.

Public gets the access to breathtaking views of the Olympic Park and London skyline by taking benefit of the two three hundred square meter inside viewing decks, for twenty miles towards each path. More artistically it is a statuette with an incessant excursion from the start to the finish line. It can also be referred as London’s answer to the Eiffel Tower and the designers of this project ambition that it will compete with the Paris icon in years to come, though it is not as tall. It has been crafted by sculptor Anish Kapoor along with famous structural engineer Cecil Balmond.

The major chunk of sponsorship for this 114.5 m-high carving came from the global steel giants ArcelorMittal. They shared up £19.6m of the full £22.7m cost. Greater London Authority paid the remaining £3.1m. The project sponsors believe that the Orbit has other advantages too. This could mean that the cast iron Eiffel Tower could now be erected in steel at a third of its weight. Additionally as against Eiffel Tower’s four legs, the Orbit has three legs. It is worth noting that the ArcelorMittal Orbit is the United Kingdom’s tallest sculpture as it reaches 22 m taller as compared to the Statue of Liberty. With the world focusing on the environment friendly construction materials and equipment, the designers of this Orbit have also taken sustainability elements into account. They have utilized 63% of the steel from reclaimed sources.

Via: WorldArchitectureNews

Original Article on EcoFriend