ArcelorMittal Orbit
Attraction · Stratford, England
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is 114.5 m (376 ft) tall and stands on Thornton Street inside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 2AD. Zip World, the operator, states that it is "open all year round except Christmas Day and Boxing Day", publishes no fixed daily hours and directs visitors to its booking calendar. It lists Helix from £19.00 and ArcelorMittal Orbit 360 from £15.00, both labelled an Autumn Saver Rate. There are two indoor observation decks, each taking 150 people, and 455 steps for the walk down.
History
Anish Kapoor designed the Orbit with Cecil Balmond of Arup, with architectural input from Kathryn Findlay. It was unveiled on 11 May 2012 and reopened to the public on 5 April 2014 after post-Olympic reconstruction. It took about 2,000 tonnes of steel, roughly 60 per cent of it recycled, at a cost of £22.7 million against an announced £19.1 million. A tunnel slide by Carsten Höller was added in June 2016; the operator markets it as Helix and gives it as 178 m long and 76 m tall.
Visit
ArcelorMittal Orbit, Thornton Street, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20 2AD
Featured in these guides
More in Stratford
- London Stadium · Stadium
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park · Park
- Theatre Royal Stratford East · Theater
- V&A East Museum · Museum