Aspire towers above all other buildings in the area
Aspire is a type of hyperboloid structure, designed by Ken Shuttleworth and Make Architects.[5] It consists of an 8 m (26 ft) high concrete foundation and 52 m (171 ft) high red and orange steel tower. The sculpture weighs 854 tonnes, and cost £800,000,[6] which was donated by an anonymous benefactor.[7] The sculpture is lit during the hours of darkness.[4]
Fabrication of the sculpture took 23 weeks and was completed by Watson Steel Structures Ltd in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It was then transported to Widnes, Cheshire, where Merseyside Coatings Ltd applied the distinctive red and orange colour scheme.[4] The structure was fabricated in three parts and lifted onto the concrete foundation by cranes on-site.[4]