Tower Bridge To Get Olympic Decoration
Plans to put Tower Bridge at the heart of 2012 celebrations have been revealed, with the inclusion of a temporary installation of giant Olympic Rings and the Paralympic Agitos during the Games period.
The news follows a deal announced recently by the Mayor of London between City Hall, City of London Corporation and London 2012 sustainability partners, EDF and GE to install a state-of-the-art energy-efficient lighting system on Tower Bridge.
As well as helping to cut carbon and reduce energy costs, the project will enhance the icon’s architectural features at night, providing a permanent lighting legacy and also enable Tower Bridge, which is owned by the City’s Bridge House Estates, to play a unique role in London 2012’s Olympic and Paralympic celebrations.
Proposals included Tower Bridge to feature Olympic rings and Paralympic Agitos during the 45 days of the Games, in a similar way to those already installed at St Pancras station.
The new flexible lighting system would enable beautiful evening lighting displays during Games time, for example, the use of gold, silver and bronze lighting effects to mark sporting medal successes.
The project is now seeking to obtain the necessary planning consents and work could start by September and be completed by spring 2012, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It is also hoped the new look will be ready in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘I want London to sparkle with special moments during the Olympic and Paralympic Games and thanks to this funding deal, Tower Bridge is set to play a starring role in these once-in-a-lifetime celebrations’.
Mark Elborne, president and CEO of GE in the UK, added: ‘As a sponsor and sustainability partner for London 2012, we are delighted about the prospect of being involved in this project to apply our lighting technology to create a sustainable and flexible legacy for Tower Bridge.’
EDF Energy, the leading electricity supplier in London, will also become the lighting electricity supplier for Tower Bridge and will match every unit of electricity that it supplies to Tower Bridge with power generated from low carbon sources.
