The eastern side of Helsinki’s South Harbour will be the site of the wheel from this spring for a period of 2.5 years.
It will occupy the site of a former passenger terminal and is due to open for the May Day celebrations on 1 May 2013.
The City of Helsinki Real Estate Board approved the 2.5-year lease of the site to the operator, United International Leisure, at its meeting last week. Before the lease can be formally granted, the operator applies for a construction permit and produces a plan on site use with the city. The plan will include an assessment of the site’s suitability for the wheel structures and weight, and the City will assess the soil quality. The wheel will take only a short period to erect. The lease expires in October 2015.
The wheel will be 16 metres taller than the observation wheel in the city’s Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki. The 36 heated gondolas will each carry up to 8 people, so total capacity will be close to 300. The wheel will operate throughout the year.
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