The Eye

Is This Proposed High-Tech Thrill Ride New York’s Version of the Eiffel Tower?

AE Superlab

Answering the state of New York’s call for proposals to transform New York City’s Penn Station, Brooklyn-based designer and developer AE Superlab has proposed the Halo, a “kinetic monument for public use and enjoyment” that would hover over the unloved transit hub.

Describing it as “New York’s high-tech version of the Eiffel Tower,” the designers said in a project description that the proposed 1,200-foot-high, 460-foot-wide, $637 million amusement park–style ride was conceived as “an extremely transparent, lightweight and iconic structure” constructed from 17,000 tons of steel.

AE Superlab

They claim that it would serve as “a new beacon and landmark along the city’s skyline, celebrating and demarking the location of the station below at street level, bringing enjoyment to millions of visitors, and generating potentially over $1 billion of value for the public sector through private-sector ticket sales.”

AE Superlab

AE Superlab said that the Halo is a futuristic alternative to your standard Ferris wheel such as the London Eye or the world’s largest currently being constructed on Staten Island.

AE Superlab

If built, the Halo promises to offer 11 different ride experiences to cater to everyone from sightseers wanting views of the skyline to thrill-seekers who get off on free-falling at more than 100 mph.

AE Superlab

And with its five rings representing each of NYC’s boroughs, the Halo has also been conceived as a giant interactive display that could broadcast information such as weather data or sports results from games at Madison Square Garden below.