The London Eye or Millennium Wheel is visited by over 3.5 million people a year, an average of 10,000 a day! The total weight of steel in this huge London attraction is 1,700 tonnes and its passenger capsules incorporate an entirely new design for observation wheels.

The engineering and design of the London Eye are admired around the world. It uses 2 different types of cable that are similar to bicycle spokes and stretch across the wheel. The compression foundation is formed by 2,200 tonnes of concrete and 44 concrete piles that are 33 metres deep. The tension foundation used another 1,200 tonnes of concrete.

The London wheel was constructed in sections which were floating on the river Thames and then assembled lying flat on pontoons. Once the construction was finished the giant eye was raised into an upright position by powerful cranes.