ArcelorMittal Orbit to be handed over in March next year

A tower taller than the Statue of Liberty of New York, being built here by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal's ArcelorMittal for the London Olympics, will be handed over to the authorities by March, 2012, well ahead of the Games.

The 114.5-metre ArcelorMittal Orbit, being constructed at a cost of 22.7 million pounds (about Rs 161 crore), will give an unparalleled view of the entire Olympic Park and London's skyline from two viewing platforms.

Just as the Olympic games is a truly global event that draws athletes from every corner of the world, the company wants to ensure that the ArcelorMittal Orbit embraces this crucial element of the Olympic spirit, an ArcelorMittal official said.

"The Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 27, 2012, while our artistic sculpture will be ready by February. We intend to hand it over to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) in March as our gift to London," said Ian Louden, ArcelorMittal's Head of Brand, Worldwide.

Designed by noted artist Anish Kapoor and leading structural designer Cecil Balmond, the steel tower challenges the traditional concept of a tall structure, as the sculpture appears to change as your eyes move around it.

The Orbit looks to loop into the sky, but it actually crosses back on itself and touches the ground from three sides, making it a stable sculpture.

"The Orbit is being made with continuous looping lattice of tubular steel and is being produced using star-shaped nodes... Building the structure is an architectural challenge," said Balmond, who is one of the brains behind the giant sculpture.