The Millennium Projects - The London Eye and The Millennium Wheel - Research Paper Example

 THE MILLENNIUM PROJECTS: THE LONDON EYE aka THE MILLENNIUM WHEEL The midnight strike on New Yearof 2000 was and will be a special moment surpassing in importance all other New Year’s moments for the next 999 years. This was due to the fact that this moment brought with it the new millennium. This was indeed a special moment for one could see such an event only once in their life and hope for their grandchildren towitness the next. This special event had to be marked with special celebrations. The special celebrations demanded to hold or make souvenirs to mark themoment of a lifetime. A thousand years gone by, a millennium had passed – a special moment, undeniably! Several monuments were planned and made to mark this event. The UK sought planners and architects, hoping to build monuments that could have a long-lasting impact, atleast till the eve of the next century.For instance, the Millennium Dome that resembles the 1951 Dome of Discovery was built especially for this occasion.The Millennium Footbridge was built solely for this purpose. However, though all monuments played their parts well, only one monument was worthy enough to be termed as the Monument of the City. There was only one monument that earned an acclaim to be considered a national monument. Pritzker Architecture Prize Winner, Sir Richard Rogers in his speech about this monument said the following words: “…(it) has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.” The social impact of the monument was so significant that even though planned only to operate for five years, its success had to push its owners and developers to make it permanent! The monument definitely deserved the title it ultimately was rewarded - The London Eye. ‘The 450-foot tall ‘eye’ overlooked 25 miles in range to each of its side. Riding it became a must; indeed an unforgettable London experience (White, 2000)’. The Ferris wheel is unique in its design and approach. It is solely an ambassador of the UK since everything about the wheel is made and used in such a way that it depicts the UK. For instance, most of the material used to build it has been locally produced. Even the 32 cabins on its circumference are a symbol of the 32 boroughs of the Greater London! ‘The wheel, a landmark designed by the Marks Barfield Architects resembles to some extent a giant bicycle wheel with spokes that meet down to the pivot on the A-shaped structure (Garrison, 2005).’ Although it was the biggest structure of its kind when built, it has since lost its title to Singapore Flyer, a 541-foot structure inaugurated in the year of 2006. However, due to its dependence on the specific A-shaped pivot, its operators still argue that it is the largest wheel of ‘its kind’. Regardless, the wheel is a landmark not to be ignored. The wheel, though inaugurated officially on the eve of New Year, was not open to general public viewing until later that year. Since then, it is estimated to be visited by nearly three million local and foreign customers annually. ‘Arguably the world’s largest observation wheel, the structure, unlike the Millennium Dome, has been able to recover its costs (Hanford, 2006)’. The 32 capsules are egg-shaped and don’t restrict their occupants to stay in one position during the whole trip which is 30 minutes long approximately. Infact, the occupants are free to move around and settle down whenever they felt like it. Each capsule can carry 25 occupants at a time and moves at a speed so slow to allow them to get off and the new occupants to climb in without the need to pause.‘Each of the capsules weighsaround 10 tonnes making the whole structure to weigh around 2000 tonnes (Humphreys and Bamber, 2003)’. The structure - a design of David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife, and business partners had in mind to merge technology and architecture with the rather violent simplicity of natural physical beauty. The decisiontaken to shape it into a wheel was due to the significance of wheel in human history. It was only after the invention of wheel that man started thinking more innovatively and made his life so much easier. It was the wheel which thus became a symbol of time and regeneration, just what was needed by the authorities to mark the entrance of London and the United Kingdom in general into the new Millennium. Taking nearly seven years to build, the wheel was overseen by talent from five different countries. The size of the wheel was considered such so as to make it possible for the occupant to see upto 40 miles on a clear day. The structure, which is 200 times that of a normal bicycle wheel, succeeded in this objective when it was opened for the public. A total of 80 spokes support the wheel and the spindle that holds it is nearly 23 meters long.It was builton several locations and was shipped and assembled on piled platforms on the river. It took almost a week to raise it to its level for the strand jack system at a speed of 2 degrees an hour. Though initially a joint venture of three companies, the British Airways (which used the wheel basically for its advertisement purposes), Marks Barfield Family and the Tussads Group, it now has only one owner. In 2008, the Tussads Group bought all the shares of the other two shareholders and became the lone owner. As Tussads Group was bought by the Merlin Entertainments, the wheel is now called ‘The Merlin Entertainment’s London Eye.’ Its logo was changed to form an eye that got its shape due to the bases of the famous buildings of London. In order to prevent the wheel from losing its charm, the Merlin Entertainment Company decided to add more projects that were linked to it. A 4-dimensional cinema was added for the ride. It was a pre-ride feature in which the customers or occupants were shown the video before their trip in the wheel.The video is a bird’s eye view into the life of a young girl and her father on a visit to London havinga funride through the London wheel. This new approach is infact the first of its kind and has been developed at the award winning Pinewood Shepperton studios only for this purpose.The company has even invested in marketing and financing for the first time an advertisement that could attract more customers. The ticket booth has also been altered which shows the company iskeen to invest more into the project and positiveto gain more revenue. All the new characteristics are incentives to invite people so that the Eye stays as the monument and attraction that most would prefer visiting on their trips. The Eye holds importance not only for the city but also for the company. It is thus that the company has shown it to be more of a priority as it approaches its 10th birthday. Using this as an opportunity to enhance its product, the company has ventured to hold a three-year program to upgrade it to the best possible standard. What is exciting is that during the air-plane ride, it is only when the wheel carries its occupants to the top that they are able to see London in a mighty and complete form - a breathtaking experience. Seeing oneself on top of all the different buildings that represent London’s skyline, it is no wonder that most have described the ride to be self-assuring and motivating in the literal sense. Watching the sun set behind the horizon or to see city life converge into the country side is an exceptional sight. When atop the wheel, one is able to peer across some 40 miles and see grand buildings including the Imperial War Museum, Globe Theatre,Oval Cricket Ground, Tate Gallery, Westminster Abbey,Houses of Parliament and BigBen, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, the National Portrait Gallery, Buckingham Palace,British Museum and the Telecommunications Tower. As Sir Richard Rogers puts it, the most brilliant thing about this project is that people can be a part of it, which makes the experience true-to-life and engaging. By being a part of the monument, people associate memory with it and due to that, it is no wonder that they come back again and again. The architects had exactly this in mind. When asked about it, they called their idea more of a ‘celebrity’ rather than a monument. They wanted people to be a part of it; wanted people to end up having more fun than just looking at it.5 The wheel gained more fame during the bidding for the Olympics of 2012 that are now scheduled to be held in London. As the planners at London thought of ideas to make their bid even more attractive than it was, it was proposed that the London Eye should be made a part of it. Thus it was then decided that during the proceedings of the Olympics, the Olympic Emblem would be attached to the Millennium Wheel for a period as long as the summer Olympics lasted. As mentioned before, the wheel has been till today a source of profit for the owners. An estimated three million people have visited it since its opening and even today the crowd does not seem to disperse. Infact, most of the occupants of the 30-minute ride consider themselves lucky for getting a chance to be in the 800 that occupy the wheel as it spins, whichotherwise requires advanced booking and use of contacts. Keeping all this in mind, it is therefore not surprising that literature focused on this monument is rather optimistic. Eventhough, like the London Bridge, the wheel was not open to the public on the date it was planned, it has not in any way caused its owner a loss. The project was indeed a profitable investment on the part of the owners but its importance depended on people’s opinions on what and how they thought or felt about it. For this reason specifically, a survey was conducted among a group of people, mostly undergraduate students. The questions asked were completely unbiased and not forceful. During the survey, it was ensured to keep the answers as pure and unadulterated as possible with very little or preferably no persuasion or influence. The questions asked were just as versatile as the people targeted for questioning. Also, to see that neither sex dominated the poll, an equal proportion was allotted to both the sexes while choosing people who were questioned. Besides that, people from different backgroundsincluding immigrants residing in the United Kingdom were also asked to fill in the forums. The questions asked did not require any preceding knowledge but focused more on the personal opinion of the questioned. This was done so as to not create any hurdle for any member when it came to filling the form. As expected, the resultsassured the assumption and the importance of the project. Almost 93% of the people questioned, believed that the Millennium Wheel was indeed to London what the Eiffel Tower was to Paris. Almost 86% believed that the money spent on the monument was definitely worth it. This showed that not many had been disappointed by the Wheel’s late opening and had still decided to term it as a Millennium asset. While 64% believed that the fare of 15 pounds should be reduced to make the ride more accessible and affordable, some 88% refused to choose any other monument in London over the Wheel.Nearly 67% of the interviewees were happy over the introduction of the 4D movie and admitted that it had been one of the reasons for their visits. Lastly, when asked if given a choice to seek a replacement for the monument, almost 72% agreed that this was not necessary. They argued that the wheel had become rather sacred to the Image of London, something that represented it and acted as an ambassador to the city ergo they chose not to replace it and instead treasure it for what it was. Little controversies surround the project. One that is notable to mention is how South Bank Center, which owns a part of the land on which the wheel stands, demanded an increase in its rent. The matter had to be taken to the court. The company, however, finally ended up accepting a 25 year leasing deal with BritishAirways and won the right to earn upto 500,000 pounds a year till the end of the lease. Another controversy was sparked by a squabble between the London Mayor and the owner of the London Eye, Lord Hollick over the issue of selling the Eye to Paris. Rumors had it that Paris was interested in buying the monument and evicting it out of London so that the wheel would be taken to the city of Eiffel Tower. This was supposedly so as to embellish its Olympic 2012 bid so that it could be chosen instead of London to hold the prestigious event. However, this was proved to be a rumor for both sides of the argument. The South Bank Center as well as the representative of Paris completely denied the accusations. Although the wheel has met with its share of criticism, it is indeed a landmark that would stand against time. As mentioned earlier, it was initially meant to be here for some five years but its popularity brought the organizers to establish it as a permanent spectacle so that the future generations could also take advantage of it.The wheel is an architectural wonder with a meaning and message that is far deeper than what many would think. Thewheel portrays the country’s emergence into the new Millennium. Itacts as a symbol of advancements and stability in the lives of its men and women. It promises innovation and sustainability, and advancement and flexibility. The wheel is, in its own term, a marvel of engineering and mechanics. Just the idea of maintaining speed that is neither too slow to bore the passengers yet not too fast for the old 25 passengers to get out and new 25 ones to get on board simultaneously, is least to say, ecstatic. The literature about the project is basically positive and rarely targets the monument as the Millennium Bridge and the Millennium Dome were targeted.The profitability of the project, in contrast to the other millennium projects, has done wonders for the investors. Not only has the cost been covered but it has become a constant source of income for the individuals. The literature about the project even argues that ‘British Airlines, a major shareholder in the project was going to earn more through it than the Airlines’ (Jones, 2005)’. Just as mentioned above, ‘the literature also argues that the Eye is not a temporary entity but is expected to stay there as a permanent addition to the London Skyline’ (Steves, 2008). Described by many science and architecture books as a marvel of architecture, the London Eye has found its way into many course books. ‘Its cultural effect has also not been ignored by the literature world for it has been termed as have had contributed to the ‘cultural renaissance’ of London in general’ (Bold, 2009). ‘However, the late opening has not been forgotten and it is this reason alone why it has come under criticism for being not much of a millennium mile-stone’ (Gilbert, 2002). References White, D. S. (2000), Let’s take the kids to London. United States of America: iUniverse, Inc. Garrison, P. (2005), Basic Structures for Engineers and Architects. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Hanford, T. (2006), The Undercover Economist: Exposing why the rich are rich, the poor are poor—and why you can never buy a decent car. United States of America: Oxford. Humphreys, R. and Bamber, J.(2003),The Rough Guide to London. Rough Guides Publishing Mayor's 'prat' jibe over Eye row (2005) retrieved fromhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4581033.stm A New Eye on London (2009) retrieved from http://www.londoneye.com/NewsAndEvents/News/New_Eye_London/default.aspx Jones, N.R. (2005), This Money Will Make More Money than any of (their) Aeroplanes: Architecture of England, Scotland and Wales. United States of America: Greenwood press Steves, R. (2008), Rick Steves’ Best of Europe 2008. Avalon Travel Publishing Bold, J. and Hinchcliffe, T. (2009),Discovering London’s buildings with Twelve. Singapore: Frances Lincoln Limited Gilbert, P.K (2002),Imagined London. The National Geographic Read More