Brighton i360 construction update.

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

i360 is a 'vertical pier'?

Like the Brighton Pier is a 'horizontal tower'


Looks great though and I for one can't wait to go up and see if I can see Falmer from the top?

TNBA

TTF

 

[vegster]

Anyone notice a pattern? The grumbly old men who have not been up it are moaning, moaning, moaning. Anyone that has been up it has really enjoyed it, seen some fantastic pictures from those who did the trip today.

I also have issues with vertigo and am petrified of heights so I will never be able to go up whatever.

 

[vegster]

You may not like the thing, but it is still a feat of engineering.

Is it not like the theme park ride that boosts you straight up a tower ? it was featured on The One Show in the last two days. It's not groundbreaking, it's been made before, the one in Brighton just goes up slower with a degree of comfort. If you want real feats of engineering look at Bazelgette's sewer system or some of the hand built aqueducts the Romans built.

 

[Captain Sensible]

If the numbers start dropping because there's nothing to see, maybe the council will consider revoking the licence of all the other tourist attractions?
Or maybe making it a food bank, you'll fill it that way.

 

[Dirk Lehmann's Python]

i360 is a 'vertical pier'?

Like the Brighton Pier is a 'horizontal tower'


Looks great though and I for one can't wait to go up and see if I can see Falmer from the top?

TNBA

TTF

Good luck with that

 

[yxee]

You may not like the thing, but it is still a feat of engineering.

It's hardly novel or ground breaking is it? It's a feat of engineering in the sense that the big wheel is, because it replicated something bigger that already exists.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

i360 is a 'vertical pier'?

Like the Brighton Pier is a 'horizontal tower'


Looks great though and I for one can't wait to go up and see if I can see Falmer from the top?

TNBA

TTF

I had a look but I think the Amex is behind a hill. That said, I was too busy looking at other stuff and trying to see as much as I could. I would have liked the flight to be a lot longer.

To declare an interest, I'm on the board of the West Pier Trust, so I want the i360 to be as successful as possible, which will mean that we get more rent and may even, one day in the future, be able to think about a new pier. And I therefore got a free trip on the bigwigs flight. But it is a fantastically smooth ride and the views, as you'd expect, are magnificent. Looking down on Sussex Heights was a bit of a thing.

 

[Easy 10]

Is it not like the theme park ride that boosts you straight up a tower ? it was featured on The One Show in the last two days. It's not groundbreaking, it's been made before, the one in Brighton just goes up slower with a degree of comfort. If you want real feats of engineering look at Bazelgette's sewer system or some of the hand built aqueducts the Romans built.

It's hardly novel or ground breaking is it? It's a feat of engineering in the sense that the big wheel is, because it replicated something bigger that already exists.

Well I found it quite interesting how they've employed the use of "slosh dampers" inside the structure to counteract the wind, as its the tallest thinnest observation tower on the planet.

But maybe I'm just easily impressed.

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

The overall design of the i360 brings its own, intractable problem. While the curvy glass pod is actually quite attractive, it is relatively tiny: all that will be visible most of the time is an empty, ugly, grey pole that’s completely out of kilter with its surroundings. Looming over the seafront like some grotesque factory chimney, it speaks not of beauty, and pleasure, but of brutalism and lack of imagination.

Describing it as a vertical pier is laughable. A pier offers entertainment and pleasure, with fresh experiences to be discovered on every return visit. It’s hard to imagine people making repeated visits to the one-trick pony that is the i360.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m certainly no opponent of tall buildings per se. The CN Tower in Toronto, Seattle’s Space Needle and the Shard (to name but three) are all iconic structures that combine grace with stunning design. They invite wonderment, as well as endless photography.

Perhaps its location is half of the problem. The new 40-storey tower that is being constructed at the Marina, with its seductive, curved-edge design, will provide a stunning marker for the eastern end of our city. Perhaps the i360 would have been better placed here.

I fully accept that some people will find pleasure in gazing down on 180° of sea, plus another 180° of roofs. But somehow, it looks like our city’s planners have missed an opportunity to do something far, far better.

 

[The Albion Roar]

I was down there last night, watching it go up and down. And up and down. I'd imagine - as impressive as it is - the the view from it will be better than the view of it. And that's what people shoud judge it on.

Of course there is the curiosity factor on the first day, but what got me about the immediate area was how many people there were there at 10pm, in direct contrast to it being relatively empty pre-construction. The businesses in the immediate environs really ought to clean up there.

One other thing is for sure. There will be more accidents at street level where people gawp up at it while walking along, not watching where they're going.

 

[The Albion Roar]

Perhaps its location is half of the problem. The new 40-storey tower that is being constructed at the Marina, with its seductive, curved-edge design, will provide a stunning marker for the eastern end of our city. Perhaps the i360 would have been better placed here.

If I wanted a marvellous view of anything, it wouldn't be Whitehawk.

No point in putting a 400ft pole next to a 400ft hill, cutting off view to the north.

 

[Easy 10]

I was down there last night, watching it go up and down. And up and down. I'd imagine - as impressive as it is - the the view from it will be better than the view of it. And that's what people shoud judge it on.

Of course there is the curiosity factor on the first day, but what got me about the immediate area was how many people there were there at 10pm, in direct contrast to it being relatively empty pre-construction. The businesses in the immediate environs really ought to clean up there.

One other thing is for sure. There will be more accidents at street level where people gawp up at it while walking along, not watching where they're going.

What were the colours like, I heard they were lighting it up with a rainbow effect for Pride ?
I was going to mince along and have a look meself until I heard the fireworks had been binned off.

 

[The Albion Roar]

What were the colours like, I heard they were lighting it up with a rainbow effect for Pride ?

I believe that they are going to do just that for Pride.

The very top of the pole was blue and white stripes. The undercarriage of the pod is a ring of red lights which handsomely reflects agains the pole. In the dark it looks quite spooky. Best time is at dusk - the sun has set but the colours against a not-quite-dark sky are great.

I was going to mince along and have a look meself until I heard the fireworks had been binned off.

Likewise, but we went anyway out of idle curiosity.

 

[Hotchilidog]

The overall design of the i360 brings its own, intractable problem. While the curvy glass pod is actually quite attractive, it is relatively tiny: all that will be visible most of the time is an empty, ugly, grey pole that’s completely out of kilter with its surroundings. Looming over the seafront like some grotesque factory chimney, it speaks not of beauty, and pleasure, but of brutalism and lack of imagination.

Describing it as a vertical pier is laughable. A pier offers entertainment and pleasure, with fresh experiences to be discovered on every return visit. It’s hard to imagine people making repeated visits to the one-trick pony that is the i360.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m certainly no opponent of tall buildings per se. The CN Tower in Toronto, Seattle’s Space Needle and the Shard (to name but three) are all iconic structures that combine grace with stunning design. They invite wonderment, as well as endless photography.

Perhaps its location is half of the problem. The new 40-storey tower that is being constructed at the Marina, with its seductive, curved-edge design, will provide a stunning marker for the eastern end of our city. Perhaps the i360 would have been better placed here.

I fully accept that some people will find pleasure in gazing down on 180° of sea, plus another 180° of roofs. But somehow, it looks like our city’s planners have missed an opportunity to do something far, far better.

I disagree. I actually like the ahem.....pole. Especially when you can see it loom large from literally miles away. I find it's ominiscience quite intriguing. In my opinion it really is an impressive structure. If you are going to build something of this nature, then really go over the the top and make it big. You can see the i-360 from the Chanctonbury ring and from Cuckmere Haven, I think it's great.

One of my favourite views is of it rising high above one of the streets near Joe's Cafe in Seven Dials/Port Hall it looks awesome. Funnily enough the least impressive view is the one from the seafront.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Looks great though and I for one can't wait to go up and see if I can see Falmer from the top?

Very much doubt you'd be able to see Falmer from the i360. If you could, that would imply you could see the i360 from Falmer. Which would mean a three-ring circus Public Inquiry. with the usual Falmer/LDC suspects whining on about their weekend period of quiet repose being disturbed by upward glare and their anxiety over the prospect of a bat-pod collision etc. etc.

 

[Easy 10]

I disagree. I actually like the ahem.....pole. Especially when you can see it loom large from literally miles away. I find it's ominiscience quite intriguing. In my opinion it really is an impressive structure. If you are going to build something of this nature, then really go over the the top and make it big. You can see the i-360 from the Chanctonbury ring and from Cuckmere Haven, I think it's great.

One of my favourite views is of it rising high above one of the streets near Joe's Cafe in Seven Dials/Port Hall it looks awesome. Funnily enough the least impressive view is the one from the seafront.

This.

I'm a big fan of landmarks, I like being able to see something from miles and miles away. I do a lot of walking, sometimes drunk, so its helpful to have something to aim for where you know exactly where it is.

 

[Easy 10]

I believe that they are going to do just that for Pride.

The very top of the pole was blue and white stripes. The undercarriage of the pod is a ring of red lights which handsomely reflects agains the pole. In the dark it looks quite spooky. Best time is at dusk - the sun has set but the colours against a not-quite-dark sky are great.

Oooh, liking the sound of the blue and white stripes. I like that they can light it up in all different colours in homage to something. It'd be great to see it bathed from top to bottom in blue and white stripes if we're in a Playoff final, or somesuch occasion.

 

[Wilko]

Strolling along to the windmill pub last night and suddenly caught a view of it between the houses and lit up in red, it look bloody awesome! As others have said, it looks more impressive from different angles and around the city than it does just looking directly up at a pole. I am a big fan, it is going to be truly iconic.

 

[CP 0 3 BHA]

For the benefit of those of us who live further afield, could we trouble one of the NSC in-house snappers to pop down and take some shots of the dusk/evening lighting set-up for us to enjoy?

 

[clippedgull]

Strolling along to the windmill pub last night and suddenly caught a view of it between the houses and lit up in red, it look bloody awesome! As others have said, it looks more impressive from different angles and around the city than it does just looking directly up at a pole. I am a big fan, it is going to be truly iconic.

You may not have seen this picture that I previously posted from a Twitter feed: