Beautiful Electricity Pylons That Look Like Metallic Nomads

By Kirsten Howard

Electricity pylons have long been thought of as nothing except functional eyesores, but what if we could completely reshape them to complement our landscape instead?

Well, that was the challenge given by an Icelandic energy company in 2008, and Massachusetts-based architecture firm Choi+Shine responded with a beautiful and unforgettable design proposal submission called "The Land of Giants."

The design team proposed that pylons could become a series of metallic humanoid figures striding across Iceland’s volcanic land, twisted into various postures and shapes, bending and stretching, climbing and crouching, adapting to their environment. According to Choi+Shine’s plans, the pylons would stand around 150 feet tall and be constructed from steel, glass, and concrete. They assured Landsnet—the company that runs Iceland’s electricity network—that the cost of developing the new pylons would be relatively low due to their identical production and simple construction.

"Making only minor alterations to well-established steel-framed tower design, we have created a series of towers that are powerful, solemn and variable," the company wrote of their scheme.

"These iconic pylon-figures will become monuments in the landscape. Seeing the pylon-figures will become an unforgettable experience, elevating the towers to something more than merely a functional design of necessity."

Sadly, despite the project being recognized for its originality during Iceland’s High-Voltage Electrical Pylon International Design Competition in 2008, Landsnet never built the designs. "The Land of Giants" has since received numerous awards.

Images courtesy of Choi+Shine

This post originally appeared on our UK site.