Last week Krabbenhøft & Ingolfsson went to Paris for the 2016 Cigré conference to present a paper on our project 220 kV pylon for Landsnet. The paper is written by A.B. Jonasson – ARA Engineering, Th. Bjarnason & N. Gustavsson – Landsnet, E. Th. Ingolfsson – Krabbenhøft & Ingolfsson and O. Skarphedinsson & A.N. Andresson – Hornsteinar Architects.
From the 2016 Cigré paper:
“In Iceland, as in many other countries, the visual appearance of transmission towers has been subject to considerable debate. Not only near populated areas but also where the transmission line has environmental and tourism affects. As a result, Landsnet has put considerable effort into the development of new tower types, utilising new materials and technologies that provide aesthetic value whilst fulfilling technical and economical requirements. This process has been performed with valuable consultation and input from architects.”
“The pole is an elegant, attenuated cone, tapering up to the sky from a broader base. The arms – also tapered, and subtly curved – create an aesthetic that is light and understated. Great care has been taken to balance form with colour, the seamless gradation – in the prototype – from olive-green at the base to pale blue at the top reflecting the natural colour balance above and below the horizon. This effect is achieved by means of graded 1m colour bands, optically creating the illusion of fusion and continuity.”
The two posters were a brief summary of the paper. Everything from motivation and aesthetics to casting methods, analysis and assembly is described. During the Cigré poster session director Einar Ingolfsson and partner Jørgen Krabbenhøft stood ready to answer questions about the project. If you wish to read more about the project, see our own description here.
The conference was both enlightening and interesting, and we hope to return in the future with new and exciting projects to display.