MANTIS TOWER
The Mantis is a minimal structural design for a three-wire transmission tower unitizing a tensegrity structure. The design is a nod to the symbol of 1951 Festival of Britain, Skylon, an unusual cigar-shaped aluminum-clad steel tower supported by cables.
By using wires in tension rather than a rigid steel lattice, the Mantis is both structurally efficient and visually slight, as the high-tension lines seemingly hover above the ground.
Top views showing triangular arrangement of members
A view of the South Bank Exhibition from the north bank of the Thames, showing the Skylon and the Dome of Discovery.
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition held throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951 and the Skylon was the “Vertical Feature” that was an abiding symbol of the Festival of Britain.
Inspired by the simple form and structural system of the Skylon, Mantis Tower aspired to the lightness of the structure, seemingly hovering on the ground.
