Shukhov Tower on the Oka River

The Shukhov Tower on the Oka River (also Dzerzhinsk High-Voltage Mast, Shukhov Oka Tower) is the world’s only diagrid hyperboloid transmission tower. It is located in Russia, in the western suburbs of Nizhny Novgorod, on the left bank of the Oka River near Dzerzhinsk (about 12 km away from the city center, near Dachny village). The tower is one of several structures designed by Russian engineer and scientist Vladimir Shukhov; its power lines, however, were decommissioned in 1989.

History
The Shukhov Tower was a part of a 110kV three-phase AC transmission line crossing the Oka River commissioned between 1927 and 1929. For the Oka River crossing, six hyperboloid pylons (three for each power-line) were built: a 20 m tall anchor pylon, a 68 m tall crossing pylon on the hillier south shore, and a 128 m tall crossing pylon on the lower terrain of the north shore.

In 1989, the power line was rerouted and the 20 and 68 metre pylons were dismantled. The 128 metre pylons were left intact as a monument. Today, only one of the 128-metre pylons stands as the other was illegally demolished for steel scrap in May 2005.

Structure
The Shukhov Tower consists of five 25 m steel lattice hyperboloid sections, stacked on top of each other. The sections are made of straight profiles, the ends of which rest against circular foundations. The tower's circular concrete foundation has a diameter of 30 m. The construction of the individual sections is an example of a doubly-ruled surface.

Present condition
RAO UES, Russia's electricity company, used Shukhov's unique constructions for 70 years. The existing pylon currently requires maintenance and FGC UES is scheduled to repair it.

Partially-hyperboloid pylons of similar design can be seen near Cádiz, Spain.

General

 * Elizabeth C. English, “Arkhitektura i mnimosti”: The origins of Soviet avant-garde rationalist architecture in the Russian mystical-philosophical and mathematical intellectual tradition”, a dissertation in architecture, 264 p., University of Pennsylvania, 2000.
 * "Vladimir G. Suchov 1853-1939. Die Kunst der sparsamen Konstruktion.", Rainer Graefe und andere, 192 S., Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, 1990, ISBN 3-421-02984-9.
 * Jesberg, Paulgerd  Die Geschichte der Bauingenieurkunst, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart (Germany), ISBN 3-421-03078-2, 1996; pp. 198–9.