The London Eye

In the lead up to the turn of the millennium, a near-impossible project was commissioned: the construction of the London Eye, the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world. If successfully executed, the 135m tall feat of engineering—one of the most complex in modern history—was poised to provide the public and visitors with an urban icon on par with the Eiffel Tower. Using an innovative and unprecedented approach to assembly and delivery, Mace made the seemingly impossible possible, delivering a high-profile addition to the London skyline that has become one of the world's most recognised structures.

Situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, the 1,200-tonne wheel was built to a demanding and complex schedule. Mace coordinated the many work packages involved in the £74m project and developed a unique and innovative solution that created significant savings in time and cost. Among these was the assembly of the wheel on support platforms and barges in the Thames before being pulled into vertical position during a 17-hour, two-stage lift. Off-site manufacturing for the 32 passenger capsules, which were designed and fabricated in France and transported by road and river to the site, created significant efficiencies to the assembly process. In 2000, the Eye opened to much fanfare; it has since won more than 75 awards, and remains a symbol of Mace's commitment to innovation on complex, high-profile projects.