The British Airways i360 is a 162-metre (531 ft) observation tower on the seafront of Brighton, near to the remains of the West Pier. According to the operator, the "i" in the title stands for "intelligence, innovation and integrity". The i360 opened on 4 August 2016.
The i360 was designed, engineered, manufactured and promoted by the team responsible for the London Eye. The British Airways i360 is the world's first vertical cable car and the world's tallest moving observation tower - the team expects the tower to appear in the 2017 Guinness Book of Records as "the world's slenderest tall tower".
From the fully enclosed viewing pod, visitors experience 360 degree views across Brighton, the South Downs, the English Channel and on the clearest days all the way along the coast to Beachy Head in the East (17 miles) and to the Isle of Wight in the West (49 miles).
It is estimated by the developers that the i360 will generate more than 440 permanent jobs; 169 posts at the attraction, and additional jobs from the spin-off benefits to other businesses in the city. The projected cost of the tower is £46 million, with £36 million being funded by a Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loan through Brighton and Hove city council. In 2014, some local residents launched a petition to oppose the loan.
Formerly known as the "Brighton i360", the project aims to attract 739,000 paying customers every year. The owner of the site, the West Pier Trust, hoped in 2014 that a successful i360 would lead to the rebuilding of the historic West Pier.
The i360 was designed by architectural company Marks Barfield, which also designed the London Eye. The building was conceived as a "vertical pier". The tower is located at the shore end of the ruined West Pier, and the design recreated the original Italianate ticket booths of the West pier, placed on both side of the entrance serving as ticket office and tea room. The design also includes a beachfront building that allows access to the tower and houses a brasserie, cafe and gift shop.
The tower is designed as a 162 m (531 ft) tall needle structure with an ascending and descending circular viewing platform with capacity for 200 people. It is Britain's highest moving observation tower, with a viewing platform at 138 metres (453 feet), and views along the coast, across the South Downs and across the English Channel. The viewing platform is higher than the nearby Sussex Heights tower block and Whitehawk Hill, and about the same height as Thundersbarrow Hill, Red Hill and Race Hill around Brighton & Hove. The top is about the same height as Beeding Hill to the northwest and Falmer Hill to the northeast, but not as high as parts of Woodingdean, Hollingbury Hill, Ditchling Beacon or Devil's Dyke.
Plans were submitted in June 2006 and were approved by Brighton and Hove City Council later that year with construction projected to start in 2007. Following delays of around 15 months, the off-site construction of the sections of the tower began in 2008 in the Netherlands, and work on reconstructing the arches beneath and east of the pier to allow the tower construction began in November 2012. Work on the tower itself began in May 2014, with the attraction being scheduled to open in 2016.
The Dutch steelwork specialist Hollandia prefabricated the cylindrical steel sections of the tower, known by the team as cans. The column is 4 metres in diameter, and with a height-to-diameter ratio of 40:1, it is the world's most slender tall tower.
The glass passenger pod was designed and built by cable car specialists POMA, which also built the London Eye capsules. The passenger pod is 18 metres in diameter and holds up to 200 people. The viewing pod travels from street level to a height of 138 metres before returning to beach level. The pod provides a 360 degree view through curved glass and is heated and air-conditioned, with full wheelchair accessibility and bench seating. It also contains a bar; and restaurant in the base building called the Belle Vue.
English Heritage felt that the 2006 plan would "provide an outstanding feature on the seafront, and a worthy companion to any successor to the West Pier". In a statement, the West Pier Trust hoped that the project would "regenerate a key blighted city site and send out a loud message that Brighton is open for business".
British Airways i360 opened on 4 August 2016. A scheduled fireworks display was delayed for a week due to a storm off the coast.
Pod flights depart every 30 minutes with rides lasting approximately 20-25 minutes. Tickets for Adults (aged 16-59yrs) from £14.40; Child (4-15 yrs) from £7.20; Child (under 4 yrs) Free; Senior (60+ yrs) from £12.15. Residents living in BN1, BN2, BN3 and BN41 postcodes can apply for resident membership and get up to half price tickets (restrictions apply in July and August peak season).
The pod was vandalised within the first few weeks of operation, with a foot-long crack in the glass being repaired after it was noticed by customers. A spokeswoman described the damage as "aesthetic" that held no risk to customers' safety.
The i360 experienced operational issues a month after opening. On two occasions in September 2016 the i360's pod became stuck. A "slight technical fault" resulted in passengers being stranded 30 feet (9.1 m) above ground for a time. Just days later 200 visitors were trapped at ground level for over an hour. The tower was closed for a day for checks. A broken cable in February 2017 caused passengers to become stuck part way through the ride for two hours, and the i360 was closed over the weekend for repairs. In March 2017, the tower was closed due to a temporary fault; the third time the attraction has been closed since it opened.