The AQ-Y is Coming to Bath

Bath boasts a wonderful mixture of English countryside, city buzz and unforgettable history. Now you’ll be able to see and absorb it all from the sky. With a new piece of architecture set to grace the Georgian city, visitors will be able to get a real birds eye view.

A beautiful and architecturally unique attraction has been revealed in Bath that will offer visitors and residents unrivalled aerial views across the UNESCO World Heritage city.

Nicholas Stubbs award-winning architect has been the designer on the project. AQ-Y is a revolving glass observation pod suspended between two slim, carbon fibre masts that rises from a horizontal position to a height of 65m, offering 360 degree views over the city's historic Georgian rooftops.

Built on Pulteney Weir Island, just below Bath's famous 18th century Pulteney Bridge, AQ-Y's contemporary glass capsule will be able to accommodate up to 25 passengers who will embark from Parade Gardens' riverside lawn. Swinging out over the river, the capsule will lift passengers up above the roof tops to AQ-Y’s full height of 65m, revealing stunning views over the Georgian city, including famous landmarks such as; Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, the Bath Rugby stadium and the seven hills surrounding the city. The full AQ-Y experience will take 20 minutes and could potentially be experienced by over 250,000 guests a year.

Subject to planning permission, AQ-Y will begin operation in spring/summer 2017. AQ-Y is a founding member of the Percent Club (www.thepercentclub.com) and will donate 10% of profits to charity.

Speaking about the project, Nicholas Stubbs said “AQ-Y will be a global first for Bath and its hi-tech, low-profile design has been created specifically for heritage locations. Having worked as an architect in Bath for over 25 years I well understand the sensitivities of this World Heritage city. Although brilliant, I could not see the London Eye working here, so I wanted to develop something that would offer a similar breath-taking aerial experience, but in a way which was both elegant and unobtrusive. AQ-Y will lift people high enough to enjoy and interpret the city from above, but will be low profile enough to preserve Bath's traditional views, as AQ-Y's resting position is down and so doesn't interrupt the city skyline. It's also a dynamic work of art in its own right; the future celebrating the past of this wonderful, beautifully innovative city.”

The plans for AQ-Y have already been well received, with David James, Head of Bath Tourism Plus, saying “AQ-Y is a world first. It's beautifully inventive and will be a fantastic addition to Bath. It will bring extra visitors to the city, create jobs and further boost the local economy. It's a very exciting project and we're really looking forward to it."

This November a crowdfunding campaign will be set up to support the full planning and development of AQ-Y. Supporters of the concept will be able to donate to the campaign in exchange for AQ-Y gifts and experiences.

The designs for the AQ-Y's are already in the advanced stages, and the AQ-Y team has been working closely with a wide range of leading research and engineering companies, including Magma Structures - designers and makers of the world’s tallest free-standing carbon fibre masts, such as the Maltese Falcon superyacht; the University of Bath; the Wolfson Unit at Southampton University; and the National Composites Centre in Bristol, which develops carbon fibre technology for Airbus and Rolls Royce.

For those who would like to know more about AQ-Y, you can now visit the Little Southgate Shopping Centre in Bath on Saturday from 11am to 5pm, where they will be able to view a video of the project, see a 1:50 scale model, download the AQ-Y augmented reality app to create a large 'holographic' image of AQ-Y in action, and go into a prize draw to win a pair of AQ-Y tickets to be one of the first in the world to fly AQ-Y before it opens to the public.  For further information visit www.AQ-Y.co.uk.