The Mersey Wave
Liverpool
2010
Art2Architecture
A composition of slanted lighting columns flank each side of the approach road to Speke Airport, Liverpool. Each mast is over 30 meters high divided into lower stem sections of steel tube clad in steel enamel panelling and upper segments formed as lattices of stainless steel bars.
The aerodynamics of the triangular sections are complicated and were studied by wind tunnel testing. Effects such as vortex shedding and galloping were found to be critical and the proposals were modified several times to find a stable solution. Special fatigue resistant joints were designed for the fabrication to prevent vibration damage.
The masts were assembled, clad and wired for lighting at ground level adjacent to the site before being raised into final position by mobile crane in one night-time operation.
