The London Eye - London, UK



Architect
Frank Anatole, Nic Bailey, Steven Chilton, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, and the husband-and-wife team of Julia Barfield and David Marks.
Date Built
Completed 1999
Location
South Bank of the Thames near County Hall
Description
The London Eye was one of London's Millennium projects and along with the Millennium Footbridge and the Millennium Dome it wasn't an immediate success with the public.  However, Londoners and tourists have grown to regard it as an iconic feature of the city and the focus of every New Year's celebration which regularly attracts 250,000 people to the banks of the Thames.

The Eye was intended to be a temporary attraction for people to enjoy during the Millennium year, but despite the fact that technical problems delayed its first public performance until March of 2000, it has continued in service for eleven years and has carried in the region of 3.5 million passengers each year.

Resembling a giant bicycle wheel, it stands 135 metres tall on the south bank of the Thames near County Hall and across from the Houses of Parliament.  Arranged around the wheel are 32 air-conditioned pods each large enough to accommodate 25 passengers. 



The pods provide bench seating for the passengers but they are large enough that people can stand and walk about during the ride.  Visitors enjoy one revolution of the wheel which takes approximately 30 minutes.  The wheel doesn't actually stop but it moves slowly enough that passengers can enter or exit safely while it is in motion. 



It can, however, be brought to a stop to allow people with disabilities to enter and exit.  A sophisticated lighting system allows the operators to illuminate the wheel and the pods in a variety of colours.



The name of the wheel has changed over the years to reflect changes in ownership and sponsorship.  In 2012 it is known as the EDF Energy London Eye.  Passengers begin their journey in the Eye's 4D cinema in County Hall.  The experience is described as, "
The perfect prelude to an experience on the EDF Energy London Eye, our new 4D Experience is a groundbreaking 3D film with spectacular in-theatre effects including wind, bubbles and mist to add a breathtaking fourth dimension"

You will note that in the image below one of the pods is missing.  In 2009 the Eye began the process of refurbishing all of the pods.  In addition to sprucing up their appearance the plan is to give them new heating, ventilation and passenger entertainment systems.  One at a time the pods were removed and transported down river to a trans-shipment point where they are loaded on to a lorry for the journey to Cropthorne in Worcestershire where UK Loco are doing the work.  A skeleton pod holds the place on the wheel until the finished pod returns.  The target for the £12million project was to complete the refurbishment in time for the 2012 Olympics.




































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