“Man made volcano.” That is how artist Sir Antony Gormley admiringly described cooling towers. Today we are at the Howell Building.
The Howell Building might not seem related to cooling towers at first. But stick with me. I will tell you about the link between the Howell Building and these towers.
Let’s talk about British cooling towers and their sculptural beauty. An exhibition was held at 34 Wigmore Street, London W1 from June 3 to June 18, 2023. It was in association with the Twentieth Century Society and part of the London Festival of Architecture. The exhibition chronicled the silent sculptural beauty of cooling towers. It examined their lasting impact on the British landscape. It also considered what the immediate future of the last remaining towers could hold.
Cooling towers are higher than the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. Yet some concrete hyperbolic structures are only seven inches thick. Cooling towers are unlike any other structure in the British landscape. They have become a familiar presence over the last 60 years.
The origin of cooling towers dates back more than a century. Two Dutch engineers pioneered the use of a hyperboloid tower at Limburg, Netherlands, in 1918. The engineers were Professor Frederick K. van Iterson and Gerard Kuypers. Cooling towers derive their name from their function. They were designed to cool the high-temperature steam that drives turbines in power stations. The first examples in the UK were built at Liverpool’s Lister Drive Power Station in 1924.
Now you might be asking yourself what this has to do with the Howell Building. Well, the Howell Building is part of a university. Universities often explore various architectural and engineering marvels. The British cooling towers are such marvels. It is not a stretch to imagine students in the Howell Building discussing these structures. They might be studying their design, their impact or their history. The Howell Building, as a place of learning, indirectly connects to these giant structures.
Think about the students here. They could be the future architects and engineers. Perhaps they will design the next generation of cooling towers. Or maybe they will find new sustainable solutions for our energy needs. This building is more than just bricks and mortar. It is a place where ideas are born. It is where the future is shaped. Remember the silent giants of the British landscape. They stand as a testament to human innovation. They also remind us of the importance of thinking about our impact on the world around us.