Transcript
Page 1: Brighton i360 March newsletter

Brighton i360Newsletter - Issue 8 - March 3rd 2015

be fitted - the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the pod and tower!

Listed building consent

On-site we received some good news: the Brighton i360 has been granted listed building consent by Brighton & Hove City Council to rebuild the heavily corroded, structurally dilapidated ‘arches’ at the rear of our future visitor centre building. Unfortunately they cannot be refurbished and English Heritage and the West Pier Trust support our decision. Disappointing news from the wheel The Brighton i360 was granted planning permission in 2006 and whilst our construction funding

Welcome to the 8th project newsletter for the Brighton i360.

The next chapterWith the services diversions behind us (or beneath us!), we can now move on to the next phase of the project: the deep foundations. The piling, explained in more detail on page 4, takes us one step closer to the exciting work this summer, when the tower cans arrive on the beach, directly in front of our site.

The pod meets the tower!Before the cans arrive in Brighton

we need to fully kit them out with the internal steelwork. This includes the bull wheels which enable the pod to travel up and down the tower.

The bull wheels will be sent in three shipments from the Poma factory in France. The first batch arrived last month and will shortly

was stalled, the Brighton Wheel was granted permission to be a temporary attraction. The wheel’s lease has a condition that it must close when the Brighton i360 opens and so we are surprised they have applied to stay.

We selected Brighton as the city to build the i360 due to a combination of the large existing tourist economy, wonderful views and the fact that there are no other observation competitors in the city. Our funding agreement with the Council, has always assumed that there is no rival observation attraction in Brighton, so it would be harmful for the city if it stayed.

Need convincing? Our centre-spread has 26 great reasons why the city will benefit from the Brighton i360. Read on!

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26 ways the Brighton i360 will benefit the city1. We will create 440 new jobs An independent economic impact study concluded the i360 will generate 440 new full-time equivalent roles in the city.

2. We are the first tourism ‘living wage’ employer in the city We believe that by paying a decent wage, we can attract the best people to work for us who will in turn deliver outstanding service to our guests.

3. We will bring an additional 350k visitors to the cityWho will travel to Brighton to visit the World’s tallest moving observation tower and the tallest observation tower outside London from the team who created the London Eye. All these extra visitors will all spend money in the city’s many shops, restaurants and hotels, generating more income and jobs in Brighton.

4. The Council will make £1m per annum from loanThe Council have acted as ‘middle men’ for a loan from the Public Works Loan Board and will earn £1m per annum profit at a time of

economic cuts. No council tax is being used.

5. The city will get 1% of ticket revenuesEvery single year, we will pay 1% of our ticket revenues to the city for the community’s benefit – this payment will keep flowing even when we’ve repaid the loan.

6. Restoration of West Pier heritage

The i360 will restore the beautiful original 1866 West Pier toll booths and return them to their original position on Kings Road, as a tea rooms open to the public and our ticket office.

7. We are providing financial support to the West Pier Trust This money supports the

Trust’s heritage works, schools programme and plans to create a new Pier, ultimately securing their future

8. Free rides for school children Every child attending a state school in Brighton will have the opportunity to visit the i360 at least once for free in their school career.

9. A great place to bring the kids Did you know we’ll have a kids’ play zone in our beach building? There also will be fun activities during school holidays. We think the i360 will be a fantastic place to entertain the kids.

10. Inspiring the next generation

We hope to inspire the next generation of engineers and architects with the awe inspiring tower. We will develop free curriculum resources across the key stages in maths, design, technology and science.

11. Discounts for local residents We will offer a fantastic membership scheme for locals with discounts on our ‘rides’, Sky Bar, Brasserie, tea rooms and children’s soft play. Interested? Sign up here!

12. We are championing local companiesWe want to harness all the amazing home-grown talent in Brighton and Sussex. We advertise all tenders locally and we are already working with a growing list of local suppliers.

13. We are creating a new benchmark in sustainability From harvesting rainwater to food composting and low energy appliances; our tower will even

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generate around 50% of its own energy needs on its descent! Pretty cool!

14. We are helping regenerate the seafront We have kick started a regeneration of the Western seafront; more footfall West is of huge benefit to Preston Street and the many seafront traders to the West of the Palace Pier.

15. Working with charities

We will support many local charities once we open. We are already fundraising for Rockinghorse. - our CEO Eleanor Harris will be dancing the Charleston at their fundraiser ball.

16. A new city iconWe believe we are creating Brighton’s future heritage and a new icon for this progressive, exciting digital city, something to be proud of.

17. Supporting events and tourism across the cityWe are forging positive partnerships with attractions, hotels and major city events. Our re-launched web site will promote all the wonderful things Brighton has to offer.

18. Showcase up and coming talent We will host an exciting and ever changing programme of events such as live music, showcasing up and coming talent, something close to the heart of the City.

19. Open up the landscape of SussexFrom our glass viewing pod you will enjoy amazing views of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,

South Downs National Park and Sussex coastline in all its glory.

20. Great beach-side venue to hang out and soak up that West Pier view

Even if you have a fear of heights, we hope you’ll come to visit. Good coffee, free Wi-Fi, delicious food, lovely views, fun events… a great new beach-side venue for locals to enjoy!

21. We’ll attract high spending overnight staysOur unique Sky bar and destination Brasserie will make it worth extending a day trip into an overnight stay worth nearly 10 times as much to the local economy.

22. We’ll help Brighton remain competitive as a conference destination Conference visitors can be entertained with a drinks reception in our glass viewing pod or in our beach-side hospitality rooms, helping Brighton attract conferences to the city.

23. Top spot for special events

We will host special events on Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve and during the Brighton Festival and Gay Pride week. We can even change the lighting of the tower. Rainbow tower?

24. Tallest moving place to get marriedImagine saying ‘I do’ at 450 feet and then descending to earth for a beach-side party in our beach building. Those wedding photos will be amazing!

25. Sustainable locally sourced foodOur Brasserie will serve fresh seasonal food from the South Downs and Sussex coastal waters. All from within the 26 miles you can see from the i360.

26. An incredible view Why did we choose 26? Because from the top of our tower you can see for over 26 miles. On a clear day, views will stretch from Bexhill-on-Sea to Chichester.

Keep up to date with our news!Our webcam footage is now live on the homepage of the Argus. Watch the build without braving the wintery seafront conditions! http:/ /www.theargus.co.uk/news/i360_brighton/

If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, let them know they can sign up online. You can also follow our social media channels:

@thebrightoni360

Brighton-i360

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http://brightoni360.co.uk

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Page 4: Brighton i360 March newsletter

Preparing the deep foundationsFor the next month you may spot a rather large piece of machinery on site. With the sewer works behind us (or beneath us!), a new chapter has officially started! Ladies and gents the piling has commenced!

What is piling?Piling is one way of building the deep foundations of a structure. You drill down deep into the ground and fill the space with concrete, steel or even timber. The hole is then filled with concrete. We are using two types of piles – secant and bearing.

What is the difference?

Bearing piles are placed throughout the whole site and will act as stilts – holding the building securely in the chalk strata below the site. They are drilled at different

depths depending on where on the beach they sit and what they are holding. Our bearing piles range from 13 to 20m and, once drilled, will be topped off with piles caps and beams before the reinforced concrete ground floor slab is cast over the top.

Secant piles are used to create our basement wall. Rather than ‘hold up’ they need to ‘hold back'; the shingle would just collapse in if we were to dig our basement. The secant piles are 10m deep and interlock to hold the shingle back, allowing us to excavate the space.

How do you stop the hole collapsing?We are using a continuous flight auger (CFA) pile, which means that as we drill down through the chalk, clay and shingle, we fill the space with concrete (which incidentally comes from a local Shoreham plant).

A steel cage is dropped into the concrete to strengthen the column.

How will the basement walls interlock?The piles are scalloped and are either ‘male’ or ‘female’. We drill them in at different times and the scalloped nature means a male pile can interlock with a female. Females, which have no steel cage, are drilled on Mondays and Tuesdays, males on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

What’ next?Once complete we will excavate out inside the basement and cover the bottom with a layer of blinding concrete. We are Considerate ConstructorsOne of the biggest challenges with any large-scale public attraction is reducing the impact of a busy construction site whilst it takes shape. The i360 is in the heart of the city, right on the seafront, and we could very easily impact on the local businesses and communities that surround us.

Last year we signed up to become a Considerate Constructors approved site. February saw our first visit from Considerate Constructors and we were praised for the appearance of our site , our environmental credentials and our high standard of communications. Our regular community meetings, newsletters, social media updates and presentations across the city are going a long way to ensur-ing everybody feels informed and excited about the project.


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