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Boris's Tower On The Olympic Park


Mr Tickle

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From Team GB website

Nightly light show at Olympic site

April 17, 2012 18:22 pm

A nightly 15-minute light show will be beamed from the top of the giant twisting tower that stands near the Olympic Stadium, the London Legacy Development Corporation said.

A series of 250 coloured spotlights is being attached to the 114.5m tall ArcelorMittal Orbit, billed as the UK's largest sculpture,

These will be individually controlled in an array of digital combinations from the Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond designed structure. Passers-by will see both static and animated effects.

LLDC chief executive Andrew Altman said: "The feature lighting opens a completely new artistic aspect to the work of Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond.

"It will create a vivid landmark with dynamic effects that we can use in tandem with different events."

The external spiral staircase, the looping lattices, the canopy and viewing platforms areas are some of the areas where the energy efficient LEDs will be set.

There will be a 15-minute moving light show every evening, with special effects also created for major events in and around the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London.

The lighting will be tested over the next two weeks.

There will be views across London from the Orbit visitor attraction which stands between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre.

Up to 5,000 visitors a day are expected, with a potential to attract around one million people during the first year of operation, when it reopens after the Games in 2014.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

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I was tempted to start a new thread for this story as I really hate the title of the current one.

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There seems to be a vertical structure erected next in the top loop (next to the observation pod). It is higher than the pod, could this be a cauldron structure?

It's a minaret...or it could be some kind of heating duct.

:)

From Team GB website

Nightly light show at Olympic site

April 17, 2012 18:22 pm

A nightly 15-minute light show will be beamed from the top of the giant twisting tower that stands near the Olympic Stadium, the London Legacy Development Corporation said.

A series of 250 coloured spotlights is being attached to the 114.5m tall ArcelorMittal Orbit, billed as the UK's largest sculpture,

These will be individually controlled in an array of digital combinations from the Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond designed structure. Passers-by will see both static and animated effects.

LLDC chief executive Andrew Altman said: "The feature lighting opens a completely new artistic aspect to the work of Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond.

"It will create a vivid landmark with dynamic effects that we can use in tandem with different events."

The external spiral staircase, the looping lattices, the canopy and viewing platforms areas are some of the areas where the energy efficient LEDs will be set.

There will be a 15-minute moving light show every evening, with special effects also created for major events in and around the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London.

The lighting will be tested over the next two weeks.

There will be views across London from the Orbit visitor attraction which stands between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre.

Up to 5,000 visitors a day are expected, with a potential to attract around one million people during the first year of operation, when it reopens after the Games in 2014.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

__________________

I was tempted to start a new thread for this story as I really hate the title of the current one.

This sounds brilliant, and apart from anything else it could be this tower's saving grace.

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  • 2 weeks later...

They are testing the lights tonight, so we should see the whole picture of what the orbit is all about. Hopefully they will do it again tommorrow, Im staying in that Holiday Inn in Stratford, should have an amazing view

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Was hoping close up this would suddenly make sense and I'd like it. Sorry to say that wasn't the case, and as well as looking incredibly messy in terms of its overall execution, it's actually smaller than I expected.

Here's a couple of shots I managed to get anyway:

p1000148s.jpg

p1000147o.jpg

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Wow you did get up close. Do they allow public to go so near already? Was the membrane up? I was hoping it will at least improve the overall look and make it more Kapoor's sculpture like

Now it looks like those children's geometry assembling toy ala Lego but more technical type...

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There were loads of test events going on yesterday; hockey, water polo, the opening of the stadium, wheelchair tennis - about 75k ticketholders in all. And yep, once in the park and through security you could walk right next to the Orbit even though there were still one or two people working inside it.

I think the orange thing in the bottom of the first photo is the "membrane" you're talking about. And honestly, I doubt it'll make a shred of difference.

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Cool because from aerial shots the area around the orbit still seems like a construction site to me, would think they are off-limits to pubic still.

I agree with you, it looks quite a mess from this angle up close. You lose that crazy cantileverinf loop that made this tower interesting

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Was hoping close up this would suddenly make sense and I'd like it. Sorry to say that wasn't the case, and as well as looking incredibly messy in terms of its overall execution, it's actually smaller than I expected.

Here's a couple of shots I managed to get anyway:

p1000148s.jpg

p1000147o.jpg

I think that looks FANTSTIC.

Fantastic!!!

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Orbit's tickets :

The Orbit. Tickets will cost £15 full price and £7 for young people aged 16 or under and seniors aged 60 or over. These tickets should only be purchased by people who have an Olympic Park ticket or a sport ticket for an event in the Olympic Park for the day they wish to visit the Orbit
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It's very expensive junk. Bleckkk.

Funny you should say that, because I read this a few days ago:

Balmond recalls: "Someone from the mayor's office said to me, 'Do you know the budget?' And I didn't. She said it was around £25m. And I thought, 'Oh Christ!' Because what we had I knew would cost £50m to £80m. So straight away we brought it down to as low as we could go and still get a good sightline into the stadium: 115 metres." ...

Kapoor observes the Orbit is very much of its political moment: "The basic premise was to do everything you promised for about half the money,"

http://www.guardian....it-anish-kapoor

I think this project has been value engineered to a huge extent. The problem I have with it isn't its weirdness or its ugliness or its confusing aesthetic - all of which could have been successful - but the fact that the metal cages surrounding the staircases look horrible, the viewing platform doesn't look great, the lift-shaft isn't well hidden, the membrabe barely covers anything (reducing its Kapoorness). It looks cheap and now we know that it was.

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