The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 115 metres (377 ft) high observation tower in the Olympic Park in Stratford, London. The steel sculpture is Britain's largest piece of public art, and is a permanent, lasting legacy of London's hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics, assisting in the post-Olympics regeneration of the Stratford area. Sited between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre, allows visitors to view the whole Olympic Park from two observation platforms.
Orbit was designed by Anish Kapoor in collaboration with engineer Cecil Balmond. Announced on 31 March 2010, the tower is expected to be completed by December 2011 at the latest. The project came about after Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell decided in 2008 that the Olympic Park needed "something extra". Designers were asked for ideas for an "Olympic tower" of at least 100 metres (330 ft), and Orbit was the unanimous choice from various proposals considered by a nine person advisory panel.
The project is expected to cost £19.1m, with £16m of that coming from the involvement of Britain's richest man, the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of the ArcelorMittal steel company, with the balance of £3.1m coming from the London Development Agency. The official name of the sculpture, "ArcelorMittal Orbit", combines the name of Mittal's company, as chief sponsor, with Orbit, the original working title of Kapoor and Balmond's design.