20111021

You know those huge electrical transmission towers?

(c) Bidgee, Wikipedia
I did a study about their structural design for my master's thesis. Anyways, there was this contest in the UK for the best modern replacement shape for the almost-one-century-old tapered steel lattice/truss form. There were plenty of submissions, most of them very interesting. The first concern I had in mind, having my structural engineer's goggles on, is that it has to be very efficient structurally, meaning it should use the least amount of material possible and yet it has satisfactory strength to withstand the elements and nature, along with its high uncertainties.