The structural challenge of the project was to deliver a tower capable of supporting the 6.5 tonnes of glass, four thousand bottles of wine and four flying performers known as 'wine angels'. Adding to the already stunning complexity of the project the air-handling system had to deliver chilled and warm air to individual wine cases throughout the tower, maintaining ambient working temperatures for the Wine Angels and ensuring that there is no condensation on the glass.
To make this complicated system work, every element of the tower had to be perfect with the largest engineering tolerance on any one section less than 0.25mm.The Wine Angels fly using four computer-controlled winches, specifically designed to fly performers. These highly sophisticated winches can be controlled by the Wine Angels themselves and each winch has a dedicated remote controller, allowing the angels to reach any bottle on any face of the tower.
There is also a unique lighting system for the wine racks. This lighting had to be specially developed, as ESS needed a lighting system that would not generate any heat. The result was achieved with electro-luminescent film panels made specifically to fit wine cases. The wine tower is now the largest installation in Europe of this new lighting technology.
ESS engaged designer Jeremy Thom to be responsible for the overall finished look of the tower. This project required a designer with the right credentials to deliver this very demanding multi-disciplinary design project. Structural, mechanical and electrical engineering was handled by Buro Happold in Bath.
Tim Norman, ESS managing director, said: "Designing and installing a bespoke structure that could facilitate a flying element required an innovative solution. We had to deliver a tailor made solution within exact measurements while working within a short time frame. This played to ESS's core strengths, providing flexible and imaginative design solutions."
(Jane Cockburn)
