ArcelorMittal, official steel supporter and tier two sponsors of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and main funder of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, has unveiled the official website for the sculpture – ArcelorMittalOrbit.com. Beginning this month, ArcelorMittal will, through the website, give the general public the opportunity to win a pair of tickets each month to sporting events to be held during the London 2012 Olympic Games, starting with tickets to the Men’s 100 metre final as well as two tickets to go up the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
ArcelorMittalOrbit.com offers users an interactive journey around the ArcelorMittal Orbit, charting the evolution of the build, including video interviews with those closest to the project. The stories of the sculpture from inception to its latest construction milestones are told through a collection of images, film, audio and time-lapse photography which allow users to move around the timeline of activity by content. Users will also have the opportunity to upload their own photos and videos of the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
"ArcelorMittal Orbit is a work of public participation and engagement. We wanted to extend its reach beyond its physical presence and allow people the opportunity to learn about its journey to completion" commented Ian Louden, head of brand worldwide, ArcelorMittal. "We hope that through ArcelorMittalOrbit.com, we will enable people to experience what the ArcelorMittal Orbit, as a completed structure and visitor attraction, will offer" he added.
Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, commented: "The Orbit will become one of London’s top visitor attractions and this website will give people a taste of things to come. Legacy plans are further ahead than any previous Olympic host city. With amazing views of the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Orbit will stand alongside the Park’s other iconic venues as a fantastic addition to the London skyline."
ArcelorMittalOrbit.com aims to capture the unique elements – both engineering and artistic – of the sculpture as they come to light throughout the build. At 114.5m, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is the UK’s tallest sculpture and is 22 metres taller than the Statue of Liberty and consists of a continuous looping lattice constructed using 2,000 tonnes of steel. Situated between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre, the ArcelorMittal Orbit will become an iconic new visitor attraction with views of up to 20 miles, encompassing the entire Olympic Park and London’s skyline. Visitors will be able to take a trip up the structure in a lift and down too if they wish, although they will be encouraged to walk down the spiral staircase, which has 455 steps.
Steel was chosen for the ArcelorMittal Orbit because of its unique properties including strength, modular structure and advantages of weight and speed of construction. Its versatility has meant that the ArcelorMittal Orbit will become both a permanent and sustainable sculpture, with close to 60% of the 2,000 tonnes of steel used in the sculpture being made out of recycled steel.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is expected to be completed and handed over to the London Legacy Development Corporation in May 2012 in preparation for opening by LOCOG during the Games. Once the Olympic Games have ended there will be a period of transformation, after which the London Legacy Development Corporation will re-open the ArcelorMittal Orbit as a visitor attraction in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, accommodating 5,000 visitors a day with a potential to attract around 1 million people during the first year of operation.
As Tier 2 sponsors of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ArcelorMittal has committed to funding up to £19.6 million of the £22.7 million cost of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, with the outstanding £3.1 million provided by the Greater London Authority. It has been estimated that the resulting visitor attraction will generate up to £10 million of revenue per annum and create up to 50 new jobs following the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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