marks barfield architects - more than meets the eye

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Brighton Tower

4 April 2007

Marks Barfield to propose Brighton Tower at West Pier

The award-winning husband and wife architects, David Marks and Julia Barfield, the originators and designers of the London Eye, have announced their plans to build an observation mast on the site of Brighton’s West Pier.  ‘Brighton I-360’ will carry up to 100 visitors at one time in an aerodynamically designed pod to a height of 150 metres above sea level.

Glynn Jones, chairman of the Brighton West Pier Trust, which owns the land for i360, said: “The question for the Trust has to have been an easy one: how should we use our site to up hold the heritage of the Pier and promote regeneration of the city seafront?

“We believe the answer is Brighton i360 – it is elegant, slender and unobtrusive.  It is brilliant because it will achieve maximum effect with minimum intervention.  We believe it is entirely in the spirit of the Pier’s history, and Eugenius Birch would have been delighted.  The Trust is thrilled to have found in Marks Barfield and i360 the private sector partner and project which meet the aims of the Trust.

David Marks, joint CEO of Marks Barfield, said “Everyone loves a great view – it seems to be a universal desire to see earth and its cities from exceedingly high places.  Brighton i360 will gently raise people to a great height, safely, comfortably and conveniently, before gently bringing them down again, but with changed perceptions and a new perspective.

“In the past it was said that the West Pier allowed people to ‘walk on water’.  We hope that i360 will allow people to walk on air.  This is a rare opportunity to create a landmark in the true sense of the word.   We believe it will give people a new experience of Brighton enabling them to see the whole of the City for the first time and be a catalyst for regeneration in the immediate area.

We will consult widely and canvass the views of the community, stakeholders and the interested public at large.  When we have taken these views on board we intend to submit a planning application to the Council.”