Key points of the London eye
The London Eye is located in Southbank of the River Thames in London with the coordinates 51.5033° N, 0.1197° W. It is also known as the Millennium Wheel, as it was built in 2000 to celebrate the turn of the century, which is represented through the spinning of the wheel. The London Eye is 135 m tall and 120 m in diameter making it Europe's tallest Ferris wheel. It is also the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, receiving 3.5 visitors annually and generating £2.5 million per year.
The site was designed by a group of 7 architects who all saw then gap in the market and realized that London didn't have any observation points. The architects worked with countless company and contractors to construct the eye that took 7 years to build and costed £70 million. The construction of the London eye was a European project that was complex and required time and skill. The rim of the eye is supported by tensioned steel cables resembling the structure of a bike. However the construction of the wheel was far more complicated and had to be done in section that were floated up the river Thames on barges. These sections were assembled on the river on piled platforms lying flat. Once the wheels construction was completed it was raised into an upright position, first at 2 degrees per hour until it reached the height of 65 degrees where it remained in that position for a week whilst engineers prepared for the second stage of the life.
The London Eye contains 32 capsules that weight 10 tonnes each and can carry up to 25 passengers. This allows 800 people to enjoy the wonderful attraction on every 30 minute revolution. Due to the slow speed and large size of the cabins passengers are also allowed to step on and off the wheel without it stopping allowing a constant flow of tourists.
The site was designed by a group of 7 architects who all saw then gap in the market and realized that London didn't have any observation points. The architects worked with countless company and contractors to construct the eye that took 7 years to build and costed £70 million. The construction of the London eye was a European project that was complex and required time and skill. The rim of the eye is supported by tensioned steel cables resembling the structure of a bike. However the construction of the wheel was far more complicated and had to be done in section that were floated up the river Thames on barges. These sections were assembled on the river on piled platforms lying flat. Once the wheels construction was completed it was raised into an upright position, first at 2 degrees per hour until it reached the height of 65 degrees where it remained in that position for a week whilst engineers prepared for the second stage of the life.
The London Eye contains 32 capsules that weight 10 tonnes each and can carry up to 25 passengers. This allows 800 people to enjoy the wonderful attraction on every 30 minute revolution. Due to the slow speed and large size of the cabins passengers are also allowed to step on and off the wheel without it stopping allowing a constant flow of tourists.