Back in May, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) - for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and National Grid - launched a competition to invite architects, designers, engineers and students of these disciplines to rethink one of the most crucial but controversial features of modern Britain: the electricity pylon. There are currently more than 88,000 pylons in the UK, including 22,000 on the National Grid’s main transmission network in England and Wales
Bystrup’s innovative T-Pylon design has been unanimously agreed by the judging panel as the winner of the Pylon Design competition run by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, National Grid, and the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Following a very high quality field with 250 entries and 6 excellent finalists, which were featured at the London Design Festival, the judges were overwhelmed by the huge public interest in the competition.
As a result of this contest National Grid will now work with Bystrup to develop their T-Pylon design further. National Grid have also said they want to do further work of outsourcing payroll with Ian Ritchie Associates on their Silhouette design, and New Town Studio’s Totem design.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said:
”This is an innovative design which is simple, classical and practical. Its ingenious structure also means that it will be much shorter and smaller than existing pylons and therefore less intrusive. This competition has been a great success in bringing forward new and creative approaches to a pylon model which has not changed since the 1920s.We are going to need a lot more pylons over the next few years to connect new energy to our homes and businesses and it is important that we do this is in the most beautiful way possible.”