Archinect - News

Is it the end of the pole for Brighton's i360 attraction?

2024-12-02T17:58:00-05:00

UK media outlets report that Brighton's i360 tourist attraction has filed for administration. Initially launched as "British Airways i360," the seaside 531-foot moving observation tower had great expectations of attracting huge crowds pinned on it when it opened in August 2016 as a "vertical pier." (Critic Oliver Wainwright mocked it as a "great throbbing shaft" in his opening review.) The structure was designed by Marks Barfield, the architects behind the famed London Eye attraction.

Operator Brighton i360 Ltd has reportedly accrued £51 million ($65 million USD) in debt.

Previously on Archinect: A "great throbbing shaft": Oliver Wainwright on Brighton's British Airways i360 tower. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Hassocks5489 (Public Domain)

French officials float €5 tourist entrance fee after Notre Dame reopening

2024-10-29T09:59:00-04:00

The soon-to-reopen Notre Dame Cathedral might include a €5 entrance fee. The French cultural minister's controversial proposal, which The Guardian says is being "fiercely opposed" by the Roman Catholic church’s leaders, could raise upwards of €75 million ($80.8 million) annually. A 1905 law enshrining secularism in France could prevent the fee from being enacted. Ariel Weil, who represents the city center, told a radio outlet "The minister’s proposal as it stands may not be possible, but it does raise the question of the huge number of visitors to Notre Dame and the colossal investments required in our religious heritage nationwide."

Notre Dame is scheduled to reopen its doors on December 8th after a five-year reconstruction.

The Vessel reopens with improved safety barriers after three years

2024-10-21T16:55:00-04:00

CBS News is reporting on the re-opening of The Vessel at Hudson Yards after closing abruptly in January of 2021 in response to a rash of suicides.

The Vessel now includes expanded safety measures, with steel mesh barriers installed on four stairwells and adjoining platforms. These barriers are designed to prevent further tragedies while maintaining the structure’s iconic appearance and panoramic views. The first two levels will be fully accessible to visitors, while only sections with added barriers will be open on higher floors. The topmost floor will remain closed to the public, marking a significant shift in visitor access aimed at enhancing safety.

The Vessel was an instant architectural icon when the honeycombed structure opened in 2019 on the west side of Manhattan. But after a number of people died by suicide there, it was shut down for nearly 1,200 days until now. https://t.co/UgszqwYQOB pic.twitter.com/o60jOONtdr
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) October 21, 2024

Video source @...

30 Rock's Top of the Rock space debuts crowning Skylift observation deck

2024-10-07T11:32:00-04:00

One of New York's top tourist draws, Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock experiential space, has opened a brand new attraction called Skylift. Standing 30 feet above the roof deck on the 70th floor, the platform offers panoramic views of the city from 900 feet and is illuminated by 636 meters (about 2,086 feet) of LED lights. The project was designed by THG Creative, who previously designed the One World Observatory, and approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

Image courtesy THG Creative

Image courtesy Tishman Speyer

The Vessel to reopen with improved safety measures

2024-04-15T11:44:00-04:00

The Vessel has announced it will again be open to visitors in New York City later this year after upgraded anti-suicide safety measures are installed in response to a spate of tragedies that have befallen its existence since being inaugurated in March of 2019. The attraction has been closed since 2021 and will reopen with its uppermost level kept inaccessible to the public.

The New York Times reported a representative from Related Companies, which manages the Thomas Heatherwick-designed property, as saying a “floor-to-ceiling steel mesh” barrier would be installed. It will replace existing barriers that were only waste-high and not "cut-proof," as the new fencing is understood to be made.

"While we think it took Related four lives too many to make these physical adjustments, these are the changes we requested, which will allow for prioritizing the safety of everyone who visits the Vessel," Manhattan Communit...

Sagrada Familia reaches important construction milestone

2023-10-03T18:41:00-04:00

More than 140 years after a Spanish bishop laid the cornerstone of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica, the famously incomplete church is inching toward the finish line, with five of its six central towers now finally fully built as of last week.

The four completed towers symbolize the Evangelist authors of the Bible’s canonical Gospels. The tallest tower, which represents Christ, will follow in 2026. Some doubts remain as to whether or not the construction timeline can stick to its scheduled completion by the end of that year, which will also see Barcelona’s turn as the UIA World Capital of Architecture.

A small contingent of residents who claim the destruction of Gaudí's papers by Anarchists during the Spanish Civil War constitutes grounds for an injunction remains an impediment. Controversial plans for a monumental grand staircase entrance to the Glory facade are also continuing over concerns of displacement that have marred their construction since the late 1970s.

Scaffolding at the site is expected to be removed soon.

Seoul wants to built a giant spokeless Ferris wheel by 2025

2023-03-20T12:05:00-04:00

South Korea’s capital has debuted an eye-catching new concept for the Seoul Ring, a new spokeless Ferris wheel it says will be the second largest in the world once it graces the city’s symbolic Haneul Park by the end of 2027.

The structure is reportedly meant to stimulate unity between North and South. The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) says it will show “the harmony and reunification of the Korean race,” according to Hypebeast. Its ring will stretch to 590 feet, and it will be operated as a London Eye-type tourist attraction with a capacity for more than 11,000 passengers per day.

The Seoul Ring will be behind only the two-year-old Ain Dubai, which stands 820 feet, and will stand as the centerpiece of a cultural complex on the manmade Nodeul Island that was until recently a 30-acre landfill.

Image courtesy SMG

The SMC says it will be operated on renewables and be serviced by a fleet of all-electric transport vehicles. The Korean Herald reported costs to be around $310 million. ...

NYC greenlights 30 Rock's new 'Skylift' tourist attraction

2022-04-29T18:39:00-04:00

One of the world’s most recognizable addresses is about to get a new look after New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) granted full approval to a plan that would transform the iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza into Midtown’s latest tourist destination.

The first of the new Top of the Rock attractions proposed by the building’s operator Tishman Speyer is the experiential 69th-floor “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” ride that allows visitors to experience 'a day on the job' of a typical period construction crew based on the iconic 1932 photograph by Charles C. Ebbets.

Image courtesy Tishman Speyer

"Lunch atop a Skyscraper" by Charles C. Ebbets, 1932.

The next floor will feature the “Skylift” observation deck with panoramic views of the city punctuated by a glowing kinetic globe that’s programmed to change colors with the arrival of each new visitor.

Additionally, the ground floor and mezzanine level will be transformed to allow for improved visitor circulation through the ticketing ...

Saudi Arabia is set to convert an oil rig into a 150,000-square-meter amusement park

2021-10-25T16:50:00-04:00

Saudi Arabia may be trying to reduce its dependency on oil, but that hasn't stopped the Arabic kingdom from using its petroleum industry as inspiration for a brand new tourist attraction. The Middle Eastern country has announced plans to convert an oil rig into a 150,000 square meter "extreme park" and resort located in the Arabian Gulf.

Called The Rig, the project is being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The resort takes the shape of an offshore oil platform, the world’s first according to the PIF, and comprises three hotels, 11 restaurants, helipads, and an assortment of amusement activities, such as roller coaster rides, bungee jumping, and diving.

In a statement, the PIF says this attraction is intended to draw tourists from around the world. It is part of PIF’s strategy to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s tourism and entertainment sector, which falls under the long-term Saudi Vision 2030, an initiative that aims to provide development opportunities in order to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil and to diversify the economy.

#PIF announces “THE RIG.” Project.
The world’s first tourism destination inspired by offshore oil platforms.

Read more: https://t.co/s3TLJ8mbVh #THERIGsa pic.twitter.com/YlC2kZ2yll
— Public Investment Fund (@PIF_en) October 16, 2021

The PIF also says The Rig will ensure t...

China's newest glass bridge breaks records

2019-08-01T16:21:00-04:00

We want to create a resort where tourists can be entertained and enjoy sports and leisure as well as health care, by integrating innovatively the elements of leisure, recreation, stimulation, amusement and health care," said Pan Zhaofu, director of the Huangguoshu Scenic Area

According to CNN Travel, China's Guizhou Province will be home to a new walkway made of glass. Measured at 1,804 feet, the new bridge is considered to be the longest glass bridge in the world, breaking the record of another famous bridge, which is also located in China.

Set to open sometime in August, the new bridge will allow visitors to walk and enjoy the views the of the Huangguoshu Scenic area.

Construction for the bridge began in March and is said to have cost an estimated $1 million to build.

Rome aims to protect national monuments and historic landmarks with strict tourist rules

2019-06-12T13:58:00-04:00

Authorities in the Italian capital have now enforced a slew of rules, updated from legislation drafted in 1946, as they seek to clamp down on uncouth behavior that has long been a source of frustration.

With a slew of visitors and tourists filling the streets of historic cities across the globe, it is no wonder authorities in the Italian capital are enforcing measures to help preserve Rome's cityscape. From "messy eating" and foot bathing near the Trevi Fountain to preserving historic staircases, these rules are set to reduce the level of transgressions happening within the city. "Bans on wheeled suitcases and buggies being dragged down historic staircases, walking around bare-chested, and pub crawls. The authorities are also taking aim at 'nuisance drunks' or people who sing on public transport, as well as those who wrap their mouths around the nozzles of the city's drinking fountains."

One specific measure with a permanent ban are for individuals dressing up as modern-day centurions. According to the Guardian, "men who dress up in tunics and leather breastplates, wielding plastic swords – and make money by posin...

Noah's Ark theme park in Kentucky sues their insurance company over rain damage

2019-05-28T15:16:00-04:00

Genesis, this is not. This is the fate of the multimillion-dollar Noah’s Ark replica and theme park in Northern Kentucky, Ark Encounter, which is suing insurance carriers over coverage for rain-related damages to the property. The company is seeking to recoup what it says were $1 million worth of repairs, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs, and an unspecified amount of punitive damages.

Lawyers of the Ark Encounter — the buzzy Noah's Ark theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky that opened in 2016 — filed a lawsuit last Wednesday against the park's insurance company for breaching their coverage policy obligations, after heavy rains in 2017 and 2018 caused a landslide on the park's access road. Reports state that the damage was repaired and the 510-foot ark replica was not at risk.

“By refusing to pay all but a very small proportion of Plaintiffs’ covered claim, the Defendants have failed to meet their Policy obligations and failed to handle Plaintiffs’ claim properly and in good faith, causing Plaintiffs to incur significant additional loss and expense,” the lawsuit states, WLWT reports. The def.endants cited faulty workmanship as the cause of the road damage.

Correction: The headline of this post was edited to indicate that heavy rains caused property damage at Ark's Encounter, not flooding.

Fosters' Tulip-shaped tourist attraction gets recommendation for approval

2019-03-26T13:40:00-04:00

Foster + Partners' design for a Tulip-shaped tourist attraction is being recommended for approval by City of London officials, reports Building Design.

Sited next door to Norman Foster's Gherkin, the proposed viewing platform has received considerable pushback. Examples include opposition from local residents, concerns about its impact on air traffic control systems, worries it would detract from the Tower of London, and considerable objection from the city's mayor Sadiq Khan.

Despite a host of criticisms, the City's planning commission is looking to wave through the designs, arguing that the project would cause "less than substantial harm."

In the commission's 152-page report, officers concluded that "taking all material matters into consideration...the public benefits of the proposal nevertheless outweigh the priority given to the development plan and other material considerations against the proposals."

The 305-meter tower, which will hold educational facilities, viewing galler...