London's Olympic 'Orbit' Tower

The ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower

A spiralling sculpture that will stand 115 metres tall over Olympic Park has been chosen as the official monument of the London 2012 Olympic Games

Designed by Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor, the tower called the ArcelorMittal Orbit will stand at 400ft, just shy of the Eiffel Tower but taller than the Statue of Liberty, providing panoramic views of London.

The design was chosen from 50 submissions, which were submitted from a brief of "a tower that needs to be at least 100m (328ft) high to attract tourists to the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London."

The winning design incorporates the five Olympic rings, as well as a spiral staircase and restaurant at the top for tourists seeking an astounding view, and will cost £19.1 million.

"Would have boggled Eiffel"

London Mayor Boris Johnson was so happy with the design he stated that, ''long after the Games are over, our aim is to have a stunning spectacle in east London that will be recognised around the world. He (Kapoor) has taken the idea of a tower, and transformed it into a piece of modern British art. "

Not just that but, "Anish Kapoor's inspired art work will truly encapsulate the energy and spirit of London during the Games and, as such, will become the perfect iconic cultural legacy. It would have boggled the minds of the Romans. It would have boggled Gustave Eiffel."

Despite boggling Eiffel, Kapoor was more humble about his design. "I am deeply honoured to be invited to undertake this challenging commission," he said.

"I am particularly attracted to it because of the opportunity to involve members of the public in a particularly close and personal way. It is the commission of a lifetime."

He also said he would be working on the project with leading structural designer, Cecil Balmond of engineering firm Arup. Balmond has extensive experience, working on some of the "greatest contemporary buildings in the world", including the CCTV building in Beijing, as well as numerous Serpentine Gallery pavilion commissions.

The project will be paid for in part by the London Development Agency who will provided £3.1 million. The rest will come from steel company ArcelorMittal, owned by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, which will fund up to £16m of the project. The company is also donating 1,400 tonnes of steel for the project.

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Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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