Orbit Tower: Becoming London's Coolest Attraction

Artist rendering of the completed Orbit.

View through the twisted rings.

(all images: ARUP/Getty Images)

Before the Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel is completed to compete with the London Eye, England's capital will be one step ahead with a new big attraction. The Orbit Tower is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed late this year for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Located near the new Olympic stadium, the blood-red steel sculpture designed by Indian-born artist Anish Kapoor will reach 377 feet (115 meters) making it taller than the Statue of Liberty. From a viewing platform, visitors will be offered a breathtaking view of Olympic park and London.

When Orbit finally opens, visitors will enter at ground level through an atrium. Then visitors take one of two elevators to the viewing platform which opens to a 360-degree view. Large mirrors inside the structure will reflect the sky. The twisted design incorporates five rings to symbolize the Olympic rings. One report describes Orbit as a roller coaster that's survived a hurricane.

The Olympic committee is managing the site and expects about 1 million people a year to visit resulting in revenues of $16 million (£10 million). The 2012 London Olympics opens on July 27, 2012.  Follow the construction at orbittower.org.uk.

The Orbit as of May 2011.

Ground eye view rendering of the completed structure.