Pylons in procession, Romney Marsh, Kent
In the UK we have a love/hate
relationship with very tall structures, yet they have been with us for hundreds
of years. At 123 metres our tallest
historic spire, on Salisbury Cathedral, was completed in 1333 and has long
ceased to attract controversy, though when it was built there were probably
local sceptics who disparaged it as a ludicrous and unnecessary French folly. It is probably about time we came to terms
with the fact that all environments are likely to feature something man-made
which is a lot taller than we are, be they TV masts, wind turbines,
cathedral spires or tower blocks. Today most of us live happily with trees and church towers, but for some reason, not with phone masts and especially not with pylons. In Ancient Egypt, the Pylon was a giant gateway into a temple, consisting of two monolithic structures joined by a smaller bridge beneath which worshippers passed to enter the temple. The symbolic idea was they passed between two hills, into the valley where the sun rose.
I first fell for pylons in my teens, when visiting Romney Marsh. There, the pylons process in orderly lines from the bulk of Dungeness Nuclear power station. They disperse in many directions across the flat, green landscape, providing a fascinating spectacle to this budding photographer.
These Romney Marsh pylons are babies compared to the country’s tallest pylons, which stand 190 metres tall alongside the Queen Elizabeth Bridge spanning the Thames between Dartford and Thurrock. The bridge itself, though spectacular, does not count as the UK’s tallest, that honour goes to the Humber Bridge, at 162 m, though even this will soon be beaten by the needs of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor. This project requires a new bridge across the River Weir. Designed by architect Stephen Spence with structural engineers at Techniker, the bridge’s supports are two curved vertical spines standing 180 metres tall. Bridges are more popular than pylons, perhaps the reason being that we can interact with bridges, crossing them repeatedly throughout our daily life.
In May 2011 a design competition was announced by the RIBA, asking for new designs for the standard electricity pylon. This was for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the National Grid, not merely a high minded folly. Chris Huhne, the department secretary, said; “The equivalent of twenty new power stations is needed by 2020, much more beyond that, and they’ll all need connecting to the grid. It’s crucial that we seek the most acceptable ways of accommodating infrastructure in our natural and urban landscapes.”
National Grid’s Executive Director UK, Nick Winser agreed and provided some details: “Much of the new low-carbon generation is planned for remote or coastal areas, which means new infrastructure will be needed to get the electricity we need to our homes, businesses and vehicles. While underground connection will be a viable solution in some sensitive locations, new and replacement pylons will be needed… The pylon as we know it has served the nation well, but new technologies and materials mean there may now be opportunities for new designs. National Grid is excited to be part of opening up this design challenge. We will give serious consideration to developing the winning design for use in future projects.”
Ruth Reed, President of the (RIBA), reminded us that : “The current pylon design was chosen by Sir Reginald Blomfield, a leading architect of his day back in 1927, but the familiar steel lattice tower design has barely changed since then… Architects, designers and engineers strive to improve the quality of our environments and our lives. This is a technically challenging but exciting competition, with the potential to improve our landscapes for decades to come.”
None thought to actually defend pylons by explaining the fallacy that burying electricity cables is less environmentally harmful. Obsolete pylons can be disconnected and removed, while the motorway width trenches necessary for this hugely expensive exercise would carve up our landscape almost as irreparably as a real motorway.
On the 14th September, the RIBA released the six finalists in their competition. Most of the designs shortlisted are simpler than current pylons and have a variety of interesting silhouettes, from the leafless tree of Flower Tower by Gustafson Porter, Atelier One & Pfisterer to the abstract double curve of Plexus by Amanda Levete Architects & Arup, which is reminiscent of certain football stadia.
My personal favorite is the sky piercing stiletto of Silhouette by Ian Ritchie Architects & Jane Wernick Associates. The three others are the utilitarian T-Pylon by Bystrup, which is, I believe the cheapest, the splayed polymer Y-Pylon by Knight Architects, Roughan & O’Donovan, ESB International & MEGA and the lattice cylinder of Totem by New Town Studio Structure Workshop. You can vote for the design you prefer at:
http://www.building.co.uk/buildings/architecture-news/riba-reveals-pylon-competition-finalists/5024448.article
The competition winner will be announced in October.
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