Let’s hear it for the out-of-the-box thinkers, transforming an urban eyesore into a work of art!

Who says that transmission towers need to be ugly? One of the biggest downsides of having easy access to energy has long been the unsightly way it’s carried from place to place, but one US design firm hopes to revolutionize all that — by giving electricity pylons a human touch. In a project entitled “The Land of Giants” those normally stark, utilitarian structures are transformed into more aesthetically pleasing sculptures that folks might not mind having in their backyards.

The artful pylons were designed by the Massachusetes based firm Choi+Shine for submission in a recent competition hosted by Iceland’s national power transmission company who sought designs that had a low environmental impact. Although the project ultimately received only an honorable mention, it has gone on to win praise closer to home, taking home an award from the 2010 Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture.

In the spirit of Easter Island’s iconic rock sculptures, “The Land of Giants” is intended to express “quiet authority, belonging to their landscape yet serving the people,” say the designers. But much like the architecturally appealing aqueducts of Ancient Rome, which transported another type of resource that made urban life possible, these artful towers breathe life into a structure that is otherwise quite stark.

Source: Treehugger.com