London 2012 gets its own twisted tower to rival Eiffel

By Holly Hamilton, Sportsbeat

IT'S been dubbed a twisted Eiffel Tower  - or a rollercoaster gone wrong - and has already divided expert opinion but Boris Johnson believes the multi-million pound landmark of the London 2012 Olympic Park will be worth every penny.

CONFIDENT: London Mayor Boris Johnson insists the £19.1 million London 2012 Orbit will soon make up a three million pound investment by London taxpayers (Arup)

The Mayor of London unveiled the design of Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor at City Hall today, a 115 metre tall steel sculpture that will be named ArcelorMittal Orbit, in honour of its main benefactor.

He hailed Kapoor's design - whose construction will cost £19.1 million - as 'stunning', although out in deepest darkest blogosphere, critics were already circling their wagons.

'Has Dr Seuss been employed by London 2012', asked one, 'embarrassing' wrote another, 'hideous beyond belief', claimed a third.

The structure will be built at the heart of the Olympic Park and will cost London taxpayers just over three million pounds, while the remaining budget will be met by steel magnate and Olympics enthusiast Lakshmi Mittal.

But Johnson believes the panoramic views offered by the design will be enough to secure a continuous stream of revenue for years to come.

And having snatched the Olympics from under the nose of Paris in 2005, maybe the mischievous Mayor will take satisfaction from mimicking their most iconic landmark, albeit with a 21st century ‘twist’.

"We will use the facilities at the top of the Orbit for corporate entertainment during the Games and will set out a business plan to this effect," he said.

"We fully intend to keep the proceeds made by using the restaurant during the two weeks, so that the money we put in will be recouped immediately.

"We are lucky that Lakshmi is being so generous and providing the steel and the rest of the financial metal for this sculpture to go ahead.

"Out of the £9.3 billion being spent on the Games we thought we should have something that will be a lasting attraction in the area, especially as we promised regeneration in the host boroughs.

"It is somewhere we can bring our children for years to come, so that the legacy of the Games is not forgotten."

The sculpture is set to be the tallest in the UK - and beats New York's Statue of Liberty by just 22 metres.  Two high speed lifts will shuttle 700 visitors an hour to the viewing platform at the summit.

Joining Kapoor will be structural designer Cecil Balmond, who worked on the CCTV building in Beijing. Construction of the rust-red sculpture will begin in a few months and is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2011. 

The Olympic Park Legacy Company will be tasked with the running of the 1000 tonne structure on the completion of the Paralympic Games.

"It will be an amazing landmark for London and will show off the best of local art," added Johnson

"Our great Olympic site had to have something that would really make it stand out on the skyline of the city."

Meanwhile, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell believes the ‘Orbit' could become one of London's top tourist attractions, rivaling the London Eye, in the years after the 2012 Games.

"The Olympic Park will not only be a centre for sporting excellence but also a cultural hub fitting of a city like London," she said.

"We can guarantee that people will be coming from all over the world to see the Orbit for years after the Games have finished."