The final segment of the i360’s glass viewing pod were put into place today, with just one final phase of construction now to take place before the attraction opens this summer.
The 18m wide apsule, part of the Marks Barfield Architects tower, can hold up to 200 people and will be pulled up and down the 162m tower by the world’s tallest vertical cable car, reaching a height of 138m.
But for the moment, it will stay on the beach, with test flights due to start in the spring.
David Marks said: “It is incredibly exciting to see the pod finally take shape on the tower. The team from Poma have done a remarkable job, both in terms of the craftsmanship of the handmade pod as well their skillful and swift assembly.”
Julia Barfield said: “This is an extremely important moment for us. The pod is completed and it looks stunning. The fluid form of the glass sits beautifully in its beachfront setting and the mirrored underside will cast reflections of the naturally shifting shapes of the sea and sky.”
Eleanor Harris, CEO of British Airways i360 said, “It is a thrilling way to start the year. We are well on schedule and look forward to starting to test the pod movement in the spring.”
Made from 24 segments of handmade glass from Italy, the pod weighs 106 tonnes with 200 people on board (90 tonnes without people).
The glass is double glazed and is four panes thick; it is constructed from two laminated double-curved sheets glued together with an interlayer and separated by a sealed air gap between the two separate glass layers, creating a window assembly that is four layers of glass thick.
As this form of toughened glass cannot be cut to size, each piece had to be precisely formed at the start of the process in order for them to fit together accurately in layers and then be attached to the steel ‘ribs’ forming the frame for each superstructure.
I nominate Caroline ‘Brussels’ Lucas to be the first person to go up the i360.
Problem is, she’ll probably want to be brought back down again…