RAYS Tower Rendering during Schematic Design Phase, NEOM City, Saudi Arabia

RAYS TOWER

NEOM City, Saudi Arabia, 2023 - ongoing

NEOM selected Choi+Shine Architects to develop six

iconic, high voltage towers to express its vision for the

future and its environmentally and socially sensitive

energy masterplan.

Each design was developed as a family of towers,

conforming to NEOM's guidelines while closely working

with NEOM’s engineering and management teams.

Each design was analyzed for structural and electrical

performance and studied installation, fabrication,

maintenance methods and cost feasibility, to ensure constructibility.

NEW LIGHT, NEW ENERGY

Rays are natural phenomena which inspired worship, rituals and religion in many different cultures. It is a metaphor for a moral guidance or intellectual light; truth; divinity; life; enlightenment and discovery.

Rays are the beams of radiant energy.

The Rays Tower will be a symbol of future of new energy

in NEOM.

The Tomb of Zomorrod Khatun showing muqarnas, honeycomb structure representing celestial body at the entry portal of Islamic architecture.

Early Sketches & Study Image showing the properties of light;: multiplicity and angularity

NEOM LANDSCAPE TYPOLOGY

Dynamic form and layered composition found in the landscape in NEOM City inspired the project. The linearity and angularity in distinctive land formation are incorporated into the design.

INCORPORATING THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF LANDSCAPE

The design blurs the boundary between landscape and

infrastructure, so as to minimise its physical impact on the landscape and reduce its visibility, while adapting its unique landscape and locality.

Above right and below: Photo and sketch from the site visit

INNOVATION: INTEGRATED INSULATORS

Taking a departure from a conventional approach which considers the transmission towers as a separate entity to merely support the conductors and insulators overhead, MOON tower incorporates insulators as an integral part within the tower.

This innovative and comprehensive approach allows for the

simple and elegant design and engineering solutions. It enhances the sculptural quality of the tower, reducing the visual clutter from the functional components for the electrical transmission.

INNOVATION:

INDIVIDUALIZATION, SEGMENTATION & REPETITION

RAYS tower individualise the structure to support each line separately, and effectively minimise the visual impact of conventional monopole transmission towers. Structurally, the composition of slender individual structures become more elastic than the single shaft.

COMPACT DESIGN

Rays Tower reduces visual clutter by integrating the insulators within each shaft. The slenderness ratio of the shaft contributes to the visual lightness.

SCULPTURAL FORM:

Dynamic and angular, each linear shaft expresses extreme verticality and defies gravity.

CAMOUFLAGE:

Visually slight tower could be further reduced in its visual impact with reflective or smart materials mimicking the colors of the immediate vicinity. Alternatively, the chromatic finish of the design could be an expressive medium, highlighting the presence of light as a creative element and identity.

STRUCTURAL AND DESIGN ADVANTAGES:

One shaft per line reduces the height, creating visually minimal tower and variable overall tower and line composition.

Rays tower allows for variable position and angle of the shafts and variable spacing among the shaft.

Rays tower is orientation agnostic: strategic and selectable orientation can make the design site specific, cost effective and visually expressive.

DETAIL:

Applying texture to create visually appealing, reflective surfaces.

BREAKING THE GRID:

Efficiency in layout: Each insulator is supported individually, allowing for a small footprint for the structure and footing, and the overall configuration.

Adaptive to different site conditions: Multiplicity in design allows for the flexibility in locating each conductor corresponding to the specific site conditions.

Rays Tower integrates spectrally selective lighting within the shaft, reducing night-time bird collisions