LONDON EYE
By Asha 5/6D
Entry Cost & Location
ENTRY COST
Adult (16 plus) $44.14 AUD 37 EUR
Child (4-15) $ 44.14 AUD 37 EUR
Child under 4 FREE
Family of Four $176.59 AUD 148 EUR
LOCATION
The London Eye is located at the western end of the Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the river Thames London, Borough of lambeth.
General Information
Height: 135m
Wheel Diameter: 120m
Cost: 70,000,000 EUR $85,995,479.97AUD
Constructed: 1988
Opened: 9th of March 2000
Architect: Frank Anatole, Nic Bailey, Julia Barfield, Steve Chilton, Malcolm Cook, David Marks, Mark Sparrowhawk.
Engineer: Arup
Weight: 1,870 tonnes plus 3,000 tonnes of concrete for the foundation which is equal to 4,870 elephants as one weighs around 1 tonne.
Brief Description, Why it's well know & Design
BRIEF DESCRIPTION & WHY IT'S WELL KNOWN
The London Eye is the biggest Ferris Wheel in Europe and western hemisphere but is placed 3rd largest in the world, first being the Singapore Flyer and second the Star of Nanchang.The London Eye is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK with over 3.5 million visitors each year, the London Eye or millennium wheel was officially know as the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye. Since January 2011 its official name is the EDF Energy London Eye following a three-year sponsorship deal.
DESIGN
The wheel's 32 capsules are air conditioned and each weigh 10 tonnes, it holds 25 passengers which are free to move around inside the capsule. the wheel moves at 26cm per second (about 0.9 km/h) so that one revolution takes 30min.
The project was European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in the Netherlands by the Dutch company Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany, the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made in France the glass from Italy and the electrical components from the UK.
Night
Night of the royal wedding
Day
Any old day
Evening
Christmas Evening
Why It Was Built
The structure was designed by the architectural team of David Marks and Julia Barfield, husband and wife.
They submitted their idea for a large observation wheel as part of a competition to design a landmark for the new millennium.
None of the entrants won the competition, but the couple pressed on and eventually got the backing of British Airways, who sponsored the project.