The iconic 25-meter circular billboard crowning Wandsworth roundabout, immortalized in Kubrick's film, faces its end. The company Wildstone Estates, which leases it from Transport for London, proposes replacing it with a wooden tree-shaped structure to boost its advertising revenue. The measure has sparked opposition from 86 residents, who consider it an aesthetic affront and a waste of money. The final decision rests with the municipal council, leaving the fate of the local symbol in the hands of bureaucracy.
The engineering behind the replacement: laminated timber and parametric design 🌳
The proposal is not a simple ornament. Sources close to the project detail that the structure would use cross-laminated timber (CLT), a material with high structural strength and a lower carbon footprint than steel. The design, generated by parametric algorithms, would mimic the branching of an oak tree to withstand wind loads of up to 120 km/h. Additionally, it would incorporate solar panels in the leaves to power the nighttime LED lighting. However, the annual maintenance cost would exceed 40,000 euros, a figure that residents question against the visual benefit.
Residents up in arms: they prefer the ugly billboard over a fairground tree ⚔️
The 86 protesters are not mincing words. They argue that the current billboard, although worn, has the charisma of a movie star, while the wooden tree looks like it came from a low-budget theme park. Ironic aside, the protest has sparked a curious debate: no one defended the billboard until they wanted to change it. Now, residents are demanding a referendum, but the municipal council, with its usual haste, has requested a visual impact study that will take six months. Meanwhile, the tree remains in the rendering phase and the billboard, with its fame intact, stoically endures the London rain.