UK, Brighton. British Airways i360 (162 m) is awarded a 2017 RIBA National Award for architectural excellence. The prestigious awards are given to buildings across the UK which are recognised as making ‘significant contributions to architecture’. Speaking of British Airways i360, the jury said it was: “impressed by the extraordinary innovation and originality.” The jury also felt there was: “a sense of delight in the way the pod emerges from the bowels of the earth, which can be enjoyed by passers-by.”

British Airways i360 is conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye. With an overall height of 162m, and a glass observation pod that glides up from ground level to 138m above Brighton beach, British Airways i360 is the world’s tallest moving observation tower and the world’s first vertical cable car. ‘Flights’ carry up to 200 passengers and depart every 30 minutes.

Image Courtesy of British Airways i360