More graceful towers

The trade journal Transmission & Distribution World reports that the Finnish municipal utility Helsinki Electric had to upgrade their existing 110kV lines and their 50-year-old lattice-steel towers, to support the seven-fold increase in electrical demand since the lines were first built. However, due to the critical location of the right of way through a scenic part of Helsinki, they enlisted a veteran industrial designer to create a more artistic tower.

Professor [Antii] Nurmesniemi presented an A-shaped tower made of rounded steel elements that satisfied structural demands and, when seen from a distance, also looked graceful. An architect's slogan is: “If you cannot hide a structure, make it visible.” Besides this original design, the color of the towers was to be nontraditional. A blue color was chosen purposely to stand out from colors that appear in nature.

Personally, I've always loved steel latticework, whether in a bridge or a tower structure. But here's the Professor's take on a more graceful powerline, dubbed "Antii's Steps" in his honor.The photo appears on the webpage of the construction firm Eltel Networks.