Sany Putzmeister Takes Part in British Airways i360 Tower Construction

The world’s first vertical cable car British Airways i360 was recently opened to the public on the Brighton seafront in South East England. Four Putzmeister concrete pumps were used on the ambitious construction of what is now considered the world’s most slender tower.

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British Airways i360 is a 162-meter (531 ft) moving observation tower that gives groups of up to 200 people incredible 360-degree panoramic views of Brighton, the South Downs, and the English Channel, through a hand-crafted Italian glass viewing pod.

With a 40:1 height-to-width ratio, British Airways i360 has been named “The World’s Most Slender Tower” by Guinness World Records. The tower was designed and engineered by Marks Barfield Architects — the same team that designed the famous London Eye.

Four Putzmeister truck-mounted concrete pumps (M47-5, M38-5 and M36-4 models) were used for the project’s foundation work, laying the tower's 24 x 24 x 3 meter concrete base. The trucks delivered highly efficient performance and helped ensure that pouring work was completed within project timelines.

Sany acquired Putzmeister in 2012 at a value of over €360 million ($402 million). The Germany-based company is the world’s largest concrete pump manufacturer, and its concrete pumping machinery ranks No. 1 globally. After four years of working together, Sany-Putzmeister has proven to be a successful model of win-win international cooperation.

Putzmeister machinery has been used on a number of other high-profile international projects, including Los Angeles’ Wilshire Grand project and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum construction at the World Trade Center in the US.