Austrian Power Giants

Austrian Power Giants aim to boost public acceptance of grid expansion by introducing animal-inspired pylons that harmonise with nature. Each of Austria's nine states will be represented by an animal — a stork for Burgenland's annual stock migration and a stag for the Alps in Lower Austria. Ensuring feasibility, the two prototypes have been pre-tested for structural stability and high-voltage performance. Traditional pylon designs have not achieved the desired positive impact on public acceptance. The Austrian Power Giants project combines innovative electricity pylon designs with elements of nature, creating pylons shaped like animals to harmonise electricity infrastructure with the natural environment. The idea behind the project is that each of Austria's nine federal states will have an Austrian Power Giant designed in the form of an animal symbolic of that state. For example, the stork has been chosen as the symbolic animal for Burgenland due to the annual visits of storks to the region, while the stag represents the wooded foothills of the Alps in Lower Austria. The stork and stag pylon designs have already been developed and pre-tested for structural stability and high-voltage performance to ensure technical feasibility. These nature-inspired designs are expected to increase public acceptance of grid expansion projects in their respective regions and become symbols of nature-themed infrastructure. Red Dot Award: Design Concept | Concept | Electrification and Decarbonisation