The Cloud London

A world-class team of engineers, designers and architects have outlined plans to build 'The Cloud', a huge 'digital cloud' tower based in London's Olympic Village.

The new attraction, called 'The Cloud', will be a 400 foot tall tower with interconnected bubbles that will be able to display data and images on a series of LCD screens set into its bubbles, as well as being a structure for visitors to ascend into the bubble capsules.

The Cloud will be London's newest landmark if it is approved for construction by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. Although the project was initially designed for London's 2012 Olympic Park, other areas in London are being explored to site The Cloud.

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The head of MIT SENSEable Cities Laboratory Carlo Ratti, commented that the tower will be "a new form of collective expression and experience, and an updated symbol of our dawning age: code rather than carbon".

Although The Cloud has been planned to stand 400 foot tall, the height will evolve based on the amount of funding the project receives. Funding will be sources from online platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google's own advertising service.

Visitors to The Cloud will be able to ascend the giant structure using various means - construction plans show three different methods of ascention to the top of the tower, including a ramp, stairs or elevators, which use the latest regenerative breaking technologies to ensure that The Tower is environmentally friendly and carbon neutral.

LED screens which will be viewable from across London, will be able to show real-time information and data, fed by Google, and are likely to show:

• Weather forecasts
• Traffic and transport information
• Timetables
• Archive footage
• Statistical internet data
• Events taking place

Once inside The Cloud, visitors will be able to move around the 3-dimensional spheres, built using the same material used to construct the Beijing Aquatic Centre, Ethylene Traffluoroethylene (ETFE).

No public funding will be required to finance the massive structure, with finance being generated from online sources and collaborative partnerships with major websites. The Cloud Team Member Walter Nicolino said, "The flexibility of the structural system will allow us to tune the size of The Cloud to the level of funding that is reached", which will be a relief to the millions of Londoners who are having to contribute to finance The Olympics in 2012.

Full specifications, plans and further photographs can be found at The Cloud's new website, raisethecloud.org.

The Cloud London on YouTube

BritEvents.com Says:

The Cloud is an extremely ambitious project which will add a brand new tourist attraction to our capital city. The project will be funded entirely by private sources, meaning that hard-pushed Londoner's won't have to stump up a penny for this proposed attraction. This will be good news for those who live in London, and the sight of a new tower on its skyline will attract further tourists to the capital and boost revenue further. We can't wait to see The Cloud!