inspiration – magnus volk’s electric sea railway

March 17th, 2011 | Richard Almond

A problem I’ve been struggling with recently is in how to allow the various sections of my building to move, without allowing them to be entirely free-floating. Movement should be flexible yet defined. I entertained the idea of running railway style tracks along the sea bed and fixing runners to the base of the supporting legs of each element, and discovered the Brighton Electric Sea Railway. Local, slightly loopy entrepreneur Magnus Volk had intended to extend his successful Brighton Electric Railway in the late 1890s to nearby Rottingdean, but faced costly construction problems due to difficult terrain. His brainwave was to run an alternative through the sea.

2.8 miles of railway track were laid along the coastline at a distance of 60-100 yards from the shore, visible at low tide, they were completely submerged at high tide.