B of the Bang, Manchester

The B of the Bang is a competition winning sculpture for the City of Manchester Stadium, where the 2002 Commonwealth Games were hosted, now the home of Manchester City Football Club. Unveiled in January 2005 it is the tallest sculpture in the UK, inclining at an angle of thirty degrees from the vertical and represented a major challenge in both construction and engineering.

Designer Thomas Heatherwick drew his inspiration from the quote by the British sprinter Christie, who had said that when kneeling at the starting blocks before a race, he would always listen for the "B of the bang".

The spikes are hollow and as light as possible, while the five supporting legs are made from thick heavy steel, although visually identical to the other spikes.

At the centre of the sculpture is a complex core from which all of the spikes radiate. It is made of a special type of steel that will weather to varying degrees over the surface of the sculpture.

The B of the Bang is taller than the Angel of the North and leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. These days, it seems every British city wants an audacious modern landmark to put it on the map. From the London Eye to Edinburgh's exotic, Catalan-inspired Scottish Parliament, planners have been physically stamping their mark on the country's urban landscape.

With the huge spikes emanating from a central core, the work resembles a sea urchin, a porcupine or, perhaps, a Sid Vicious haircut. However, the £1.42m sculpture is more than an arty exclamation mark. Weighing 165 tonnes, and leaning at 30 degrees, it is also said to be a tremendous engineering feat.