They Might Be Giants - High-Voltage Pylon Competition in Iceland.

I stumbled across one of these images on Flickr last night and wanted to share their story. Oh how I would love to see these in around here!

Landsnet, a public company that owns and runs the electrical transmission system in Iceland where 80% of the electricity is from green sustainable sources such as geothermal power, was working with the Association of Icelandic Architects to obtain new ideas for the appearances of the towers and lines. The competition was announced worldwide and the entrants could design completely new looks or they could alter the appearance of existing towers. American firm Choi + Shine Architects sought to create a series of towers that would become monuments in the landscape, something more than just a necessity. The pylons would require only slight alterations to the existing towers. The pylons could also be in configured in different positions, depending on the terrain and environment. If the power lines ascended a hill, the pylons could imitate a climber.

Says Choi + Shine:

Like the statues of Easter Island, it is envisioned that these one hundred and fifty foot tall, modern caryatids will take on a quiet authority, belonging to their landscape yet serving the people, silently transporting electricity across all terrain, day and night, sunshine or snow.

The concept won honorable mention in the competition, and it were one of four winners at the 2010 Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture competition.


{ All images by Choi + Shine }
To read more about these incredible designs, please visit Land of the Giants™.