domingo, 15 de agosto de 2010

choi + shine architects: the land of giants

choi + shine architects: the land of giants: "

'the land of giants' by choi + shine architects

all images courtesy choi + shine architects






american firm choi + shine architects recently received the 2010 boston society of architects

award for unbuilt architecture for their project 'the land of giants', which they originally

designed for the icelandic high voltage electrical pylon competition back in 2008.











making only minor alterations to well established steel-framed pylon
design, the architects

created a series of towers that are powerful, solemn
and variable. these iconic pylon-figures

will become monuments in the
landscape.











the pylon-figures can be configured to respond to their environment
with appropriate gestures.

as the carried electrical lines ascend a
hill, the pylon-figures change posture, imitating a climbing

person.
over long spans, the pylon-figure stretches to gain increased height,
crouches for

increased strength or strains under the weight of the
wires.











the pylon-figures can also be arranged to create a sense of place
through deliberate expression.

subtle alterations in the hands and head
combined with repositioning of the main body parts in

the x, y and
z-axis, allow for a rich variety of expressions. the pylon-figures can
be placed in pairs,

walking in the same direction or opposite
directions, glancing at each other as they pass by

or kneeling
respectively, head bowed at a town.







the various configurations of the pylons





despite the large number of possible forms, each pylon-figure is made
from the same major

assembled parts (torso, fore arm, upper leg, hand
etc.) and uses a library of pre-assembled

joints between these parts to
create the pylon-figures’ appearance. this design allows for many

variations in form and height while the pylon-figures’ cost is kept low
through identical production,

simple assembly and construction.







sketch of the pylon design
"