Eleanor Harris: An Eye On British Airways i360

Withstanding Wind

We have reached another milestone as the first pieces of the glass viewing pod arrived in Brighton. Storm Barney has slowed down construction of the pod, but one question we are often asked is how will wind affect the i360?
The i360 has been designed for a windy seaside location and like all new British structures the i360 has been designed to withstand the worst three second gust of wind in the worst storm, which occurs on average every 50 years. This means the i360 would have withstood the worst storm in recent history, the Great Hurricane of 1987, when wind speeds reached 122 mph.
How does a slender tower do this? The tower is protected by a perforated aluminium cladding, which is designed to ‘break up’ and disrupt the pattern of the wind. It is so effective that on a windy day our construction team have stood behind the cladding and barely felt the wind! The cladding also provides another layer of protection in the harsh marine environment.

We also have approximately 50 liquid sloshing dampers installed in the tower to stop it vibrating (dampers were installed on the Millennium Bridge in London to stop it wobbling). When the wind hits the tower the liquid inside the dampers sloshes to produce a force in the opposite direction to the force of the wind, limiting the vibrations. We worked with the world’s leading expert on dampers for tall towers; engineer Professor Max Irvine who is based in Sydney, so we have Australian rain water in our dampers (with anti-freeze added so they work in the coldest weather)!
The ride is designed to operate when it’s windy and also has dampers installed to ensure that in even windy conditions, the ride is smooth. In a force 8 storm like all UK rides and attractions, the i360 vertical cable car would close, or else the glass pod would glide up to a lower height where it is less windy. Luckily we have tea rooms, a brasserie, exhibition and kids indoor play to keep our visitors entertained until the wind dies down.
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YouTube channel: Brighton i360