The Brighton i360 tower, the controversial ‘replacement’ for the seaside town’s much-loved but now-abandoned West Pier can be seen under construction in these recent photos.
Billed as a ‘vertical pier’ containing a single viewing pod that can hold up to 200 people, the developers say that their vision follows “in the spirit of the original pier, inviting visitors to ‘walk on air’ and gain a new perspective of the city, just as they ‘walked on water’ in the past and viewed the city from the sea.”
At 175 metres high, and with an observation pod rising to 141 metres (450 feet), the i360 will be Britain’s highest observation tower outside London, sporting a shop and hospitality suite and a cafe/restaurant catering for up to 400 people built at the base.
There will also be a ‘Sky Bar‘ in the pod in the evenings (illustrated above).
Commendably, the venture has pledged to be first tourism employer in Brighton and Hove to commit to the Living Wage.
Completing the tower involves a complex procedure in which 17 ‘steel cans’ have to be jacked into place.
Read about the full process here.
The tower can be seen to the left, while the rusting remains of the West Pier remain stranded at sea.
The old West Pier.
After being awarded a £14.2m Lottery award in 1998, residents and tourists were looking forward to the Grade I listed pier being returned to its former glory.
Sadly two arson attacks and major storm damage ensured that it will never return.
Looking east, with the tower construction site dominating the view.
Discuss the tower on the forums.
More about the pier:
Remembering the Brighton West Pier in photos, part one
Remembering the Brighton West Pier in photos, part two
The Brighton i360 tower: ‘successor’ to the West Pier
The tragedy of West Pier, Brighton beach, Brighton [2011]
The Brighton Wheel, a Steve Coogan-powered, third-hand alternative to the West Pier [2013]
Brighton’s West Pier in 2014 – Victorian elegance rusts into the sea
Brighton’s derelict West Pier in the winter sun and storms – in photos
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