behind
design
reBuiLDiNg AN iCoN
“skylon was ahead of its time. It was
a feat of magic using maths and physics,
which stretched the skills and knowledge
Reach
of everyone involved,” says Hayden Nuttall,
design director at Atkins, which is backing
a project to rebuild London’s iconic tower.
“Built at a time when Britain was
f oR the
rediscovering its greatness – in architecture,
engineering and commerce – Skylon
fascinated and inspired a whole generation
sky
of engineers,” he says. By reconstructing
Built in 1951 as a
the Skylon tower, Atkins hopes to
highlight what is possible through centrepiece of the
engineering excellence, and to once again
Festival of Britain and
attract new lifeblood to the industry.
Despite its popularity, the original tower
a symbol of the nation’s
was never intended to last more than two post-war resurgence,
or three years. When the post-war Churchill
the inspirational Skylon
government deemed it too expensive to
dismantle and re-erect elsewhere, it was
tower may rise again.
toppled in what some branded
 “architectural vandalism”. The scrap metal
was allegedly melted down and turned into
ashtrays, a function the then prime minister
would no doubt have approved of.
While the rebuilt Skylon would be as
faithful as possible to the appearance and
structure of the original, the hope is that it
would still be standing 50-100 years from
now. “Skylon drew people in and got
them talking,” says Nuttall. “We hope the
new tower will do the same, for many
years to come.”
As well as the difficulties in repeating
this feat of engineering, Atkins will have
to cope with challenges not faced by
original architects Powell and Moya.
“We must reinvent it for the modern
world, and enable it to stand up to
the elements: high winds, lightning,
corrosion and wilful damage,” says
Nuttall. For example, if the new tower
were to use the same materials as the
original, it would have needed repainting
every 10-20 years. New, more durable
materials mean it will require minimum
maintenance. This time, Skylon will be
built to last.
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