After an Olympics costing the British $14.5 billion (9.3 billion pounds) the ArcelorMittal Orbit remains controversial.
The “random and chaotic” design or what the Guardian called “the infinitely looping lattice” of the $24 million (16 million pound) 377 foot (115m) ArcelorMittal Orbit sets it apart from the rest of London’s skyline and became a favorite and signature of the recent London Olympics. London Mayor Boris Johnson and the Olympic committee decided the Olympic Park needed something unique and unanimously selected the project put forward by Group Arup engineers Anish Kapoor of India and Cecil Balmond of Sri Lanka. ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg based steel company provided steel for the project.
According to the designers the design of ArcelorMittal was created as a representation of the extraordinary physical and emotional effort expended by Olympians in their drive to become champions. Due to the unusual design the project became a structural engineering challenge.
The following slideshow Includes 8 pictures of this extraordinary project in various stages of completion. Click “NEXT” above to view more images.
