RIBA reveals pylon competition finalists
Read our summary of the six designs and vote for your favourite
The six finalists of the RIBA’s competition to redesign the Britain’s standard electricity pylon have been announced. These are my thoughts. Have a read and vote for your favourite.
Silhouetteby Ian Ritchie Architects & Jane Wernick Associates
The most severe of all the entries, these monolithic spikes resemble menacing steel daggers poking out of the ground. There is however a simplicity about the proposal and its mirrored surfaces would impose an array of distorted reflections across the landscape.
Plexus by Amanda Levete Architects & Arup
This elegant design, arguably the star of the crop, features curved and steel double-sails configured to embody tension, resilience and grace - an ode to the organic quality of landscape and the sculpted precision of engineering.
T-Pylon by Bystrup
A utilitarian design features a corten, galvanised or stainless steel column with cables suspended from two arms. Functional rather than visionary.
Y-Pylon by Knight Architects, Roughan & O’Donovan, ESB International & MEGA
This carbon steel structure with splayed fibre reinforced polymer arms offers another strikingly sculptural solution. The twin arms are inclined to decrease the pylon’s height and reduce “visual clutter” on the landscape.
Flower Tower by Gustafson Porter, Atelier One & Pfisterer
This giant steel stem is essentially a sliced section of the current ‘Christmas Tree’ pylon turned on its head. Its curious form however is perhaps a result of taking the metaphor of nature perhaps a little too far.
Totem by New Town Studio Structure Workshop
The oddest entry perhaps, these cylindrical latticework towers bear a resemblance to Rafal Vinoly’s entry for the New York World Trade Centre redesign competition. Like Silhouette and T-Pylon, it struggles to resolve a vertical shaft with the requirement of horizontal support for the cables.
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Readers' comments (13)
Jeremy Green | 14 Sep 11 11:46 am
Wow! what a fascinating project with some really interesting designs, however the comments/views by Ike Ijeh are largely superfluous
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handyali | 14 Sep 11 12:00 pm
yes, it's great....hmm although I can't help thinking how most of them look remarkably like, well, pylons. I'll go for Amanda Levete's.
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Paul Delamont | 14 Sep 11 12:15 pm
Wonderful, would you like them in your back garden, We are on the proposed purple route north for the mid Wales Wind farm connection 150ft 400kv monsters crossing in front of our property, reducing the value of homes, crackling day & night in the UK's weather, ruining the countryside, not to mention the Health hazards.
Pity the competition wasn't about PUTTING UNSIGHTLY high voltage cables UNDERGROUND!
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Paul Mantripp | 14 Sep 11 1:04 pm
As has been noted, a facinating project. Amanda Levete's design is inspired,
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Leni Schwendinger | 14 Sep 11 1:23 pm
I am one of the few with a love affair for electric pylons. They demonstrate an essential service that was invented to serve us all - providing light, among other amenities. Their physicality is impressive and muscular - and with the cables create a dance of connectedness in the landscape. Yes, I will be happy when localized photovoltaics become viable - fields of glittering forms. But for now, the least expensive way to get the energy out to all communities is the electrical pylon. Here, I share the Schwendinger-Alsop-Arup Landmark Wales competition submission, a pylon inspired observation tower, meant to be set at a train station in amongst a chain of working pylons. http://www.skyscrapernews.com/imagesall.php?self=nse&ref=5209&idi=Dragon+Mist+Transfer&selfidi=5209DragonMistTransfer_pic1.jpg&no=1
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Leni Schwendinger | 14 Sep 11 1:24 pm
I share the Schwendinger-Alsop-Arup Landmark Wales competition submission, a pylon inspired observation tower, meant to be set at a train station in amongst a chain of working pylons. Try this link - http://ow.ly/6u0pm
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ASH MISTRY | 14 Sep 11 3:48 pm
The first 'dagger' like design is excellent. Almost disappears into the atmosphere. Will make the earth look like a curled up hedgehog from orbit. The second design will be costly to produce and maintain even though it's a sweet concept. The rest have not pushed the boundaries here.
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Matthew Hardy | 14 Sep 11 5:09 pm
I like the simplicity of Silhouette (the first one) and the T-Pylon. The others hark back to the 'look at me' madness of the icon era, now thankfully behind us. The last thing we want in Britain is icons marching across the countryside! What we need is a simple, elegant and unobtrusive design that blends in.
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Colin O'Donoghue | 14 Sep 11 6:39 pm
I was delighted to be informed by RIBA that my Rebel-Relic Pylosaur pylon was the runner up to the six finalists. I was also at the presentation at the V&A. My vote goes to the T pylon, it is as minimal as can be, half the price of a regular pylon and is the only pylon created by specialist pylon designers. They are Danish (I was commissioned to do a clock for Lego so I love Denmark) and great fun guys, they deserve to win. I don’t think any of the others stand a chance of going into production on costs alone, in my view all are style over content and most seem to me to be incapable of mass-production, which is something I know about. If you want a quick idea of what the brief was all about go to my site, it’s all there, easily explained.
I'm not an architect but a product designer who has worked extensively with Disney, Warners, Hasbro and Mattel character merchandise. Whatever else they are Pylosaurs are the only killer pylons in the contest - check them out.
Who knows what will actually be produced but pray that Pylosaurs aren’t unleashed to roam the Earth, they are far too dangerous and despite what you may actually think they encourage alien invasion. However they are cheap as chips, assemble faster than an Ikea wardrobe without a telescopic crane and are portable. You can't buy them in B&Q yet but be warned pet Pilosaurs are not just for Christmas.
http://www.pylosaur.com/
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Chris Ward | 16 Sep 11 3:52 pm
I can’t help thinking these competitions should have a bit of a point. Existing pylons work well and are cheap, no one is actually proposing a change of pylon design (and if they were, we know that these designs would not be the ones selected). Its a bit of fun but if it could be fun with a purpose, that would be even better.
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