Door Industry Journal - Winter 2016

heritage: two Grade I-listed cast iron tollbooths, originally built for the West Pier, have been painstakingly rebuilt and incorporated either side of its roadside elevation, housing a tea room and the ticket office. Accessing the dynamic new building with its anticipated high levels of footfall was a key consideration in its development. It was important to allow the various parts of the building to operate independently of each other while ensuring that visitors could comfortably navigate all that British Airways i360 has to offer. The attraction was twelve years in the making and is the brainchild of architect-entrepreneurs David Marks and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects, best known for the design of the world-famous London Eye. The glass pod of the British Airways i360 is ten times the size of a London Eye capsule and is capable of carrying up to 200 passengers as it slowly rises 450 feet up the slender steel tower during its flights, providing panoramic views of the Brighton and Hove coastline and across the channel. Out to sea, stand the skeletal remains of the West Pier, now a feature of Brighton’s seafront with a desolate beauty of what once was. British Airways i360 chairman and director of Marks Barfield Architects, David Marks said: He has dubbed the new attraction a “modern day, vertical pier” which offers visitors the opportunity to “walk on air” just as West Pier invited Victorian society to “walk on water”. He also added: “It was essential for us to have the right doors to provide access to the venue: silent in operation with and a slim design, as well as robust and resilient, and most importantly designed to fit with the aesthetic of the Beach Building and its glass façade”. Kaz Spiewakowski, managing director of GEZE UK, said: He was delighted that GEZE’s products had been used in such a prestigious development. “This is a quality development constructed from materials and technology from across the globe. It is set to become one of Britain’s iconic landmarks and we are thrilled that millions of visitors will be passing through our doors on their way to enjoy a breath-taking experience. The British Airways i360 is the world’s tallest moving observation tower, the world’s first vertical cable car and holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s most slender tower”. For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic operators, manual door closers and window technology products call 01543 443000 or visit www.geze.co.uk . Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 91 THE door industry journal winter 2016 entrance doors feature