London ( CNN ) -- It may look more amusement park than Olympic Park , but the twisting red metal tower at the heart of the London 2012 Games site is no helter-skelter -- it 's a massive piece of contemporary art named the Orbit . The sculpture , created by artist Anish Kapoor and designer Cecil Balmond , has become a common sight on televisions across the globe in recent days , snaking up through the sky alongside the Olympic Stadium . But while many visitors to the park have been happy to study the swirling structure from the ground , or to ride to the top and enjoy the sweeping views it offers across London , others are n't so sure . `` I think it 's amazing , it looks like a roller coaster , '' Raven , an 11-year-old local schoolgirl , told CNN on her first visit to the tower . `` It 's so ugly it becomes interesting , '' another Olympics fan said this week after visiting the sculpture . Earlier this year when the Orbit was first unveiled , London 's mayor claimed it was better than the Eiffel Tower . Boris Johnson said the artwork , which rises up next to the Olympic Stadium at Stratford in the city 's East End was `` a masterpiece of design and engineering . '' `` It endlessly repays the viewer , it is a very rewarding thing to look at . The Eiffel Tower is very simple , the Shard , behind me , is a piece of cake -- any child of two could do that -- this is much more elaborate , more sophisticated , more intriguing and complex , '' he told CNN . The tower stands 114.5 meters ( 375 feet ) tall , making it Britain 's biggest sculpture , more than twice the height of Nelson 's Column , almost six times the height of the Angel of the North , and 22 meters taller than the Statue of Liberty . Visitors climb 455 steps -- or ride one of two elevators -- to two observation decks offering expansive vistas across London . Johnson and Lakshmi Mittal , CEO of steelmaker ArcelorMittal , joined forces to champion the creation of a large-scale sculpture at the Olympic Park -- after meeting in a cloakroom at Davos . `` It started as a small project , a casual discussion . '' Mittal told CNN in May . `` It was just a scribble on a piece of paper . But it expanded and expanded into this exciting project . '' Mittal 's company stumped up more than £19 million ( $ 30 million ) of the £24 million cost of the structure , providing steel from their plants across the globe . `` The Olympics are a global games -- the whole world participates , 202 countries . ArcelorMittal has businesses in so many countries around the world and so I wanted every one to participate , '' he said . Kapoor and Balmond won a competition to design the piece , and have watched it rise from the one-time wasteland , as the Olympic venues around it have also taken shape . Kapoor said the initial brief called for a tower on the Olympic site , `` 100 meters tall , or more , and we 've done more , '' explaining that the work `` questions the concept of what towers can be . '' `` As you walk up , around and through it , it 's as if the object is happening around you , '' he said when the sculpture was completed , adding that the Orbit `` demands , requires , needs public participation . '' `` It 's all about being here , being involved , '' he told CNN . The artist conceded that the £15 entry fee ( £7 for children ) was high , but said it had been an expensive project , and that he hoped it would eventually be free , allowing more people to visit . Designer Balmond said the pair intended the sculpture to last far longer than the few weeks of the Olympic Games . `` We hope it will be a monument for London , that will stand for 50 years -- though it might need a paint job by then -- and that it will be a beacon , drawing people to the area . '' Kapoor said he was ready for criticism : `` When you add such a big edifice to London 's skyline , necessarily , people will scrutinize it , and some will be critical , and that 's part of the process . We will see ... ''
Tower , designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Taylor , at heart of Olympic Park . Tower stands 114.5 metres tall , making it Britain 's tallest sculpture . Structure is built from 2,000 tons of steel and covered in four layers of red paint . Flight of 455 steps lead to viewing platform with views across London .