As the official electricity supplier of the Games, EDF Energy was measuring the nation’s reactions to London 2012 – the highs, lows, triumphs and glories – via Twitter and turning the sentiments into a dazzling lightshow every night at 9pm on the EDF Energy London Eye. This was the world’s first social-media-driven lightshow, showcasing the nation’s excitement towards London 2012 in lights.
The Vision
Ignite wanted to create a “Mission Control” building for EDF’s “Energy for the Nation”. The building needed to be appropriately sized to meet strict planning controls, and large enough to channel in excess of 16,000 visitors over the duration of the event. The building was to sit directly beneath the London Eye, on the Thames.
The System
Both our system and our building team needed to be extremely flexible. The building was sited in a challenging space beneath the London Eye, and with height restrictions in place on site, the build needed to take place on two separate sites. The sub structure was built in dry dock and floated by barge to its position. The walling and roof system were constructed on a floating platform on the Thames. A 6m x 12m single storey flat roofed structure was delivered, using architectural glass walling and solid opaque panels. Vinyl “contravision” graphics were also applied. In addition, we built ramps to ensure the visitors, in excess of 16,000 over the duration of the event, could access it easily and safely.
Worldwide Structures Ltd Delivered
- A floating barge in an inaccessible location was made fully functioning and accessible to thousands of visitors delivering the Client’s vision and message with true wow factor.
- A fully functioning “mission control” delivered to a tight deadline, in challenging circumstances, showcased flexibility within any project.
- A temporary structure with the design and build quality of a permanent building. Ignite said “… with a difficult brief at short notice, the team were detailed and flexible in their approach … quick and highly professional to install and the end result was exceptional.”