British Airways i360: His Royal Highness Prince Philip’s official opening celebrates British design & engineering

On Friday 28th October, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh officially opened British Airways i360. His Royal Highness took a flight on the observation pod before unveiling a plaque in our beach building and signing the Visitors’ Book to commemorate the occasion.

The construction of the BAi360 has been a great example of British design and engineering, which is something that Prince Phillip has always championed. His Royal Highness is officially involved in more than 25 engineering institutions worldwide, including the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Structural Engineers. He chaired the judging panel for The Prince Philip Designers Prize for over 50 years, which rewarded the innovation and creativity of designers and engineers shaping daily life.

We are hoping to inspire the next generation of engineers

With an overall height of 162m and an observation pod that rises from ground level to 138m above Brighton beach, British Airways i360 is a feat of engineering, which already holds the Guinness World Record for the World’s Most Slender Tower, with a diameter of just 3.9 meters at its widest point. It is the world’s first vertical cable car and world’s tallest moving observation tower.

Our chief engineer John Roberts was President of the Institution of Structural Engineers 1999-2000 and awarded the Gold Medal 2005. John has given talks to engineering students at Brighton University. We are hoping to inspire the next generation of engineers and will be launching schools curriculum material later on this school term focused on maths, science and technology.

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