The Shabolovka
Tower Model
31 May — 12 june 2014
Located in Moscow and designed over 90 years ago by the engineer Vladimir Shukhov,
the Shabolovka Radio Tower remains an iconic feature of the city’s skyline. Henry
Milner’s scale model of the original structure was commissioned by the Shukhov Tower
Foundation for the Science Museum's new Information Age gallery, which will open in
London this autumn. It is on display at GRAD in six sections, as a model in progress, for
a limited preview period.
After its completion in 1922, the 150-meter-high Shabolovka Tower was hailed as a
landmark in architectural history, drawing comparisons to the work of Gustave Eiffel
and attracting the interest of Aleksandr Rodchenko, who photographed it multiple times.
Shukhov was the inventor of the diagrid hyperboloid structure, which he first used in
1896 for a water tower in Polibino. For the Shabolovka Tower, he stacked six steel-lattice
hyperboloids, each of which was built on the ground inside the others and then raised
into place. Milner’s six-part scale model allows a rare chance to appreciate first-hand
the remarkable geometry, intricate latticework and inherent beauty of the structure’s
design. Complementing the display are digital prints illustrating the workings of the
modelmaking process, Milner’s own photographs of the original structure, as well as
a selection of historical images.
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Shukhov’s original design was for a 350-metre-tall structure that would dwarf
the Eiffel Tower but would have only a third of its mass thanks to its innovative
engineering. The use of the hyperboloid structure would give it an elegant, slim
appearance, while guaranteeing strength and wind-resistance. The shortage of steel
in the post-Revolutionary period did not allow Shukhov to fulfil his full ambition, but
the Shabolovka Radio Tower became that rare thing: a revolutionary vision realised,
unlike many idealistic Constructivist projects. It has since provided inspiration for
countless architects, from Le Corbusier and Gaudi, to Niemeyer and Pei, and its influence
continues in the digital age.
Despite its iconic status the tower currently faces demolition and an appeal to save
it is supported by an array of prominent architects, engineers and arts professionals
including Rem Koolhaas, Sir Nicholas Serota and Lord Norman Foster. The preview of
the Shabolovka Tower model at GRAD aims to emphasise not just the importance of the
tower to Russian culture but also Shukhov’s invaluable contribution to the history of
design on an international level.
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www.grad-london.com Twitter: @GRAD_london Facebook: GRAD Instagram: grad_london