Brighton's i360 tower: Futuristic 'vertical pier' or modernist beanpole?
Monument's sparse, unavoidable presence in the city has prompted criticism as well as praise
![gettyimages-585140622.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7eVwgTrLPeQyaHmKinnUoF-415-80.jpg)
Brighton's British Airways i360 tower, which opens this week, stands at more than 500ft and has divided locals and critics with its uncompromising design.
Located on the seafront by the remains of the old West Pier, the i360 is a giant glass-and-steel doughnut that moves up and down a thin 531ft pole. On a clear day, the view from the pod stretches 40 miles to the Isle of Wight.
But the tower's sparse, unavoidable presence has prompted criticism as well as praise. From the outset there were plenty of objectors to the project, says Richard Morrison in The Times: "After all, this modernist beanpole was to be plonked right in front of the aptly named Regency Square."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Those objections have not gone away. The saveHove campaign's Valerie Paynter told the Daily Express the tower was a "total monster, like something springing horribly out of the earth in a horror movie".
Others have dismissed the monument as a doughnut on a stick or "a middle finger gesturing towards the West Pier's rusted carcass", writes former Brighton resident Kashmira Gander in The Independent. An old school friend, who has also left the city, reportedly told her: "When I think of Brighton, I see colour and vibrancy, not a grey pole."
"There is a consciously hi-tech feel to the whole affair which doesn't sit so comfortably with the seaside setting," says Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian's architecture critic. That opposition is most jarring at ground level, he adds, "where the big metal shaft emerges from a rather clumsy glass and steel box on the beach".
But the pod's shiny, reflective base makes it fun to watch as it glides up and down, says Teresa Machan of the Daily Telegraph. "Compensation, perhaps, for its total domination of the seascape. A gloomy grey, the industrial aluminium-clad pole is not an easy thing to love."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The UK's love-hate relationship with seagulls
Under The Radar 'Beachfront bandits' are reportedly 'terrorising towns' but are we to blame for the summer showdown?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Douglas Is Cancelled: Hugh Bonneville plays a shamed news presenter
The Week Recommends Cancel culture drama is mostly 'clever and sharp'
By The Week UK Published
-
A Quiet Place: Day One – the 'pleasant surprise of the summer'
The Week Recommends Silence is golden in this prequel to the popular 2018 apocalyptic thriller
By The Week UK Published
-
The Bikeriders: Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy star in high-octane drama
The Week Recommends Film inspired by 1968 book about notorious biker gang in Chicago
By The Week UK Published
-
Raffles London at The OWO review: a quintessentially British stay
The Week Recommends This heritage building has been given a twist as a luxury hotel in the nation's capital
By Leaf Arbuthnot, The Week UK Published
-
The Young Woman and the Sea: Daisy Ridley stars as 'tenacious' heroine
The Week Recommends The film explores the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the Channel
By The Week UK Published
-
Has Bridgerton lost the plot?
Talking Point Return of the hit Regency series has divided both fans and critics
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Michelangelo – the last decades review: an 'absorbing' exploration of art
The Week Recommends New exhibition focuses on works from the final 30 years of the artist's long career
By The Week UK Published