Early Sketches For "Orbit" Tower Revealed

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 164 months ago
Early Sketches For "Orbit" Tower Revealed
18048_1207_orbitsketch2.jpg
18048_1207_orbitsketch2.jpg
1207_orbitsketch2.jpg

1207_orbitsketch2.jpg

A series of primitive early doodles for the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the spiralling tower that will be erected on the Olympic Park, have been released by Arup.

The sketches apparently come from the cultured hands of the main men behind the design: Anish Kapoor (a Royal Academician, lest we forget) and Cecil Balmond, a RIBA award-winning artist and mathematician. Given the level of intricate detail presented, one can quite imagine that only two such distinguished practitioners would be able to render these complex illustrations.

The influence of historic towers is evident (the accompanying report calls for the project to make an "iconic statement about towerness", would you believe), but in a manner more befitting GCSE Technology coursework: there are sketches of a pyramid, the Empire State building, and (just to prove that they were listening in History class), a poorly-rendered take on Vladimir Tatlin's unbuilt Monument to the Third International. Will the VIPs sipping cognac at the opening party realise that they're standing on an edifice partly inspired by Bolshevik architectural theory?

More images at Building Design

Last Updated 12 July 2010