Anish Kapoor Unveils London Olympic Tower

Dubbed "Orbit," the sculptor designed the approximately 394-foot-tall public structure for the 2012 summer games.

From The Guardian -- Interior Design, 4/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

From The Guardian: Designs for what will be Britain's biggest piece of public art, a [394-foot] tall looping tower by the artist Anish Kapoor that people will be able to climb, giving spectacular views of London, were unveiled today by Boris Johnson, mayor of London.

Kapoor's Orbit, a vast, snaking steel structure, will dominate the 2012 Olympic park. It is being hailed as London's answer to the Eiffel tower and is part of an ambition to make the Olympics site a permanent visitor attraction.

Kapoor won the commission from a shortlist of bidders believed to include the artist Antony Gormley and the architects Caruso St John. Johnson said of Kapoor: "He has taken the idea of a tower and transformed it into a piece of modern British art. It would have boggled the minds of the Romans. It would have boggled Gustave Eiffel."

To continue reading and to see a video of the unveiling, visit guardian.co.uk.

Rendering by Arup.