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ArcelorMittal Orbit for 2012 Olympics is under Construction
11/08/2010 - A recent groundbreaking ceremony at the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park marked the start of construction work on the ArcelorMittal Orbit, which is expected to be completed and handed over to the Legacy Company by March 2012.
A recent groundbreaking ceremony at the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park marked the start of construction work on the ArcelorMittal Orbit—a new London landmark. The sculpture was designed by award-winning artist Anish Kapoor in collaboration with leading structural designer Cecil Balmond.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Lakshmi Mittal, CEO and Chairman of ArcelorMittal, were joined by Kapoor and the Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, Andrew Altman, at the ceremony.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit, which will be Britain's tallest sculpture at 114 meters, will consist of a continuous looping lattice of tubular steel. The ArcelorMittal Orbit is expected to be completed and handed over to the Legacy Company by March 2012.
The London Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will operate the Orbit in the summer of 2012. The Legacy Company is expected to re-open the visitor attraction in spring 2013. ArcelorMittal will fund up to £19.2 million of the £22.3 million project, with the outstanding £3.1 million provided by the London Development Agency.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Long after the Olympic and Paralympic Games are over, thanks to the ArcelorMittal Orbit and Lakshmi Mittal, we will have a stunning new spectacle in London."
Lakshmi Mittal, CEO and Chairman of ArcelorMittal, said: "It gives me great personal pleasure to make possible this iconic element of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and to see construction begin. I hope that the ArcelorMittal Orbit will become a landmark of the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which will endure long after the Games themselves and remind visitors of the great versatility of steel."
