View of the Orbit and the Olympic Stadium, Stratford, London, during the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
View of the Orbit and the Olympic Stadium, Stratford, London. The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 115-metre-high (377 ft) sculpture and observation tower in the Olympic Park in Stratford, London. It is Britain's largest piece of public art, and is intended to be a permanent lasting legacy of London's hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics, assisting in the post-Olympics regeneration of the Stratford area. Sited between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre, it allows visitors to view the whole Olympic Park from two observation platforms. Orbit was designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond of engineering Group Arup. Announced on 31 March 2010, it was expected to be completed by December 2011. The project came about after Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell decided in 2008 that the Olympic Park needed "something extra". Designers were asked for ideas for an "Olympic tower" at least 100 metres (330 ft) high, and Orbit was the unanimous choice from proposals considered by a nine-person advisory panel. The project was expected to cost £ million, with £16 million coming from Britain's richest man, the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman of the ArcelorMittal steel company, and the balance of £ million coming from the London Development Agency. The name "ArcelorMittal Orbit" combines the name of Mittal's company, as chief sponsor, with "Orbit", the original working title for Kapoor and Balmond's design. The Olympic Stadium in Olympic Park in Stratford, London, England was the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics, the last stop in the 2012 Olympics torch relay, and the venue of the athletic events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. It was the central venue of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It is located at Marshgate Lane in London's Stratford district in the Lower Lea Valley. The stadium has a capacity of 80,000, making it the third-largest stadium in England behind Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadium.
Size: 2704px × 4064px
Location: Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, Stratford, London,
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 2012, anish, arcelormittal, bridge, elizabeth, games, games., grass, ii, kapoor, london, observation, olympic, olympics, orbit, paralympic, park, people, queen, sculpture, spectators, stadium, steps, stratford, summer, towe, visitors
