Indian-origin architect Anish Kapoor designed Olympic tower to attract 1m visitors a yr
By ANIFriday, January 7, 2011
LONDON - London Olympic officials have said Indian-origin architect Anish Kapoor designed the 114 metre tall ArcelorMittal Orbit tower that would be located by the Olympic Stadium in East London to target a million visitors a year.
According to The Guardian, under the terms of the invitation to tender launched today, companies will be invited to operate the attraction on a lease of around 10 years.
The paper quoted Andrew Altman, the Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), as saying that he believes it could generate up to 10 million pound a year in revenue through ticket sales, catering, private functions, retail and merchandise. Under a profit share scheme, a proportion will go back into the upkeep of the park and staging events.
“You’ve got two platforms at 80 metres high that will have gallery space, cafi space, banqueting space. There could be corporate use, community use, a gallery. It will be different in the daytime and the night time. And it also has to tell the story of the engineering of it and it can also be a part of telling the story of the Olympics,” Altman added.
Besides, the supporters of the structure are hoping that it would become as iconic as the Eiffel Tower.
However, critics have warned that it would destroy the vistas over the Park, as it towers over its neighbouring structures, and come to be seen as a monument to the Johnson’s hubris.
Negating such worries, Altman said that the attraction would help differentiate the more urban south end of the Park, where open air canal-side plazas will host concerts and festivals, from the leafier north end where thousands of new family houses will be built.
He added that he the OPLC had received backing from the coalition government for what has been called the most important regeneration project of the next 25 years. (ANI)
