Our design for a revolutionary new overhead line structure

In 2014, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) launched an Aesthetic Overhead Line Structures competition to generate new ideas to improve the design of gantry and cantilever structures.

Steer organised a team from across the company – including product designers, architects and railway engineers – in order to develop our design submission named ‘Helo’.

Our objective was to design a functional, modern, aesthetically pleasing overhead line structure that remains visually appealing and sympathetic to the landscape in which it will sit.

Drawing inspiration from the British countryside, we were struck by the beauty and free flowing forms. By focusing only on the shapes created by the landscape and leaving out texture and colour, we discovered simple, aesthetically appealing forms that conveyed the sense of strength and structure seen in plants, a basic requirement of a OLE mast.

Our design breaks with the traditional industrial forms, introducing a softness that is more pleasing to the eye. Our design combines the aesthetic and the functional, a delicate balance between form and function that we embraced to contribute to Britain’s future world-class transport system.