This series of towers by American architecture practice Choi+Shine Architects are set to transform mundane electrical pylons into giant statues on the Icelandic landscape.
January 12th, 2016
Choi+Shine Architects have transformed the traditional electricity pylon in their latest project “Land of Giants”. Devising a way to make pylons less of an eyesore while also creating an “unforgettable experience”, Choi+Shine have elevated towers to something more than merely a functional design of necessity with postures imitating a friendly BFG (aka Big Friendly Giant).
Making only minor alterations to well established steel-framed tower design, each pylon-figure is made from the same major assembled parts (torso, forearm, upper leg, hand) and uses a library of pre-assembled joints to create the pylon-figures’ appearance. According to Choi+Shine this design allows for many variations in form and height, and the cost is kept inexpensive through identical production and simple construction.
Inspired by the statues on Easter Island, the pylon-figures can be configured to respond to their environment and sense of place with appropriate gestures and deliberate expression. Choi+Shine explain that subtle alterations in the hands and head combined with repositioning of the main body parts in the x, y and z-axis can allow for a variety of expressions; “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”.
Set to come to life in Iceland in 2017, these iconic pylon-figures will soon become monuments in the landscape.
Choi+Shine Architects
choishine.com
Images via Choi+Shine Architects

INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The undeniable thread connecting Herman Miller and Knoll’s design legacies across the decades now finds its profound physical embodiment at MillerKnoll’s new Design Yard Archives.
Welcomed to the Australian design scene in 2024, Kokuyo is set to redefine collaboration, bringing its unique blend of colour and function to individuals and corporations, designed to be used Any Way!
Designed by artist Abdul Abdullah, the porcelain façade for this Melbourne train station has been executed with custom-printed Fiandre DYS panels.
In this comment piece, Mike Day, partner at Hatch, draws on his three decades as an urban design leader to offer insights into how Australian cities could become fit for the future.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Poised at the intersection of design and service, King Trade has launched a new dedicated hub in Bondi Junction, which offers tailored product, service and pricing for architects and interior designers.
At the World Design Congress in London, a simple idea threaded through two dense days: design is not an island. It moves inside wider systems of economics, policy, finance and ecology.