A roller coaster as tall as the Flatiron: the amusement park becomes monumental architecture

Imagine standing on the roof of Big Ben or at the top of the Statue of Liberty and then plunging vertically at 140 kilometers per hour. In the United States, they are building a roller coaster that promises exactly this: standing almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty complete with its pedestal, it will rise in Arlington, Texas, at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park, the historic first park of the Six Flags group, opened in 1961 and now one of the longest-standing symbols of American amusement park culture.

It is called Tormenta: Rampaging Run and, even before completion, it is already being considered one of the most extreme attractions ever designed. Planned for 2026, it was developed by the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, the firm that for decades has been creating some of the world’s most spectacular roller coasters, and it is destined to inaugurate a completely new category: the first “giga dive coaster” ever built. When roller coasters become monumental infrastructure

In industry jargon, “giga coasters” are roller coasters that exceed 91 meters in height, while “dive coasters” are those characterized by a suspended pause at the top before the vertical drop. Tormenta will combine both technologies for the first time—a very rare event in the coaster world—blending a monumental structure with a 95-degree descent designed to give the sensation of plunging into the void.

The figures also look more like those of an architectural landmark than an amusement ride: 309 feet—approximately 94 meters—tall, a 285-foot drop, a speed close to 140 kilometers per hour, and a track over 1.2 kilometers long. Added to this are two already announced world records: the world’s tallest vertical loop, at 179 feet, and the highest Immelmann inversion ever built, at 218 feet.
 

  An entire themed environment called Rancho de la Tormenta will then rise around the attraction, inspired by the Spanish tradition of the running of the bulls. At the entrance to the plaza, visitors will pass under a canopy of colorful flags accompanied by Spanish music, while the coaster’s trains will be designed as open-air vehicles inspired by the costumes of the runners in the Running of the Bulls, the famous bull run of San Fermín that takes place every year in Pamplona.

The result is a piece of scenic and immersive architecture, with the vertical loop alone reaching the height of a nearly twenty-story building, which will likely transform the coaster into the dominant element of the park’s skyline.

Enthusiasts already consider it a new icon of the industry, while the official hashtags #sfot2026, #dropthegate, and #Tormenta are starting to circulate on social media. In short, it is a contemporary monument of amusement parks, to be looked at from below just as one does with the Flatiron Building or Big Ben.

Opening image: Courtesy Six Flags Over Texas