Airport hotel Photo

Photographer’s Note

Keeping a close eye on anything that moves is the job of the traffic controllers. To do that they have to be lifted up where they can see anything that moves. This has given room for a special brand of architecture - control towers. The usual way to get up there with something stiff enough to give a platform that stands reasonable still in high winds is by using a concrete box section column that in its void houses lifts and elevators. The platform on top can then be a very elaborate design in steel or concrete or as here on Sturup Airport in Skåne, a scaffold type steel job clad in corrugated sheet metal. As the entire little complex of this airport was built in bright yellow sheet metal in the 1970´s the choice of color for the tower was obvious.

Seeing this airport today I wonder if the bright, now faded on southern sides, yellow color is just a nick of the 70´s or if it was chosen to make the airport visible from 20000 feet thus keeping down the radar budget.

Maybe Kajenn knows - this is after all his crows nest....

khmelins, Elise_d, Fixfocus, robiuk, pedros, kajenn has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

khmelins (960) 2005-01-29 5:33

A great note as always. I do like the way you manage to interest people in civil engeniering (at least it's working with me :).

Great and funny association between the sign and the tower. One thing I don't really like here is the frame; somehow it is unbalancing the great blue.

best,
anton

Fixfocus (9377) 2005-01-29 9:28

Very well composed,the tower together with tha airport-hotel-sign!
I like this amazing Blue very much!
Excellent capture in your typical style,Ebbe!

robiuk (10763) 2005-01-29 11:06

When it comes to your frame, IMO it's b/w works good in the combination with wast blue, thus giving just enough room for introducing the yellow colour of the metal used.
The road sign above gives a highly needed filling touch to the composition.
Fine presentation Ebbe,
Robi

pedros (328) 2005-01-30 1:56

Great compsition.
I lked the only airport hotel words from the the sugn were included in this pictures.
The colors are very and the sky is perfect.
Good Job
Pedro

markoci (3917) 2005-01-30 4:53

looking at the thumb i first thought it was a diving platform. excellent sharpness beautiful blue sky, love the framing. is that a tree i see up on the top level?

Stepan (27175) 2005-01-30 18:01

You had a good eye to see this ! The result is very funny and makes a good composition.
Well done !
Stéphane

kajenn (2325) 2005-01-30 19:12

This was most certainly a surprise, Ebbe, and a nice one - although I'm a bit embarrassed by my colleagues. Of course it's the Christmas tree still standing in the NW corner - shame on them. I've taken many shots of this building, but I've never thought of this angle. It's a stroke of geniality to include a part of the sign [also meaning I'm able to include it to both my themes]. I've always preferred it a bit more saturated, underlining the yellow color against the deep blue sky. But I've been able to choose the time of day to shot and the angle most suited for the shadows. You've managed a very good composition, with a great DOF and sharpness - I feel honored by your presentation. Very well done!

1)The color emanates from the 70s. The airport was well visible - until the rapeseed fields were flowering... ;o)

2)From the beginning the tower was a perfect octant, but moving the stairs to one side meant adding 'a portion' tower. This is seen as a multi-faceted part at the right side (covering 2/8). Construction of that part, and the stairs, was a challenge - due to the many angles - made off-site and lifted into possition.

3)Some 15 years ago the yellow metal parts were blasted and repainted. This meant scaffolding the two lower stories of the tower. For this purpose supports were welded to the uppermost floor; seen in the corners and three on each side of the balcony. From these 16 supports the whole scaffold was hanging!!