Octo sculpture and reflecting pool is a Grade II listed building in the Milton Keynes local planning authority area, England. First listed on 19 January 2016. Sculpture. 1 related planning application.
Octo sculpture and reflecting pool
- WRENN ID
- distant-barrel-claret
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Milton Keynes
- Constituency
- Milton Keynes Central MP: Emily Darlington (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 19 January 2016
- Type
- Sculpture
- Address
- Octo sculpture and reflecting pool, MK9 2LD
- OS grid reference
- SP 849 389
- Coordinates
- 52.04249, -0.76258
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
'Octo' is a stainless steel sculpture created by Wendy Taylor between 1979 and 1980, positioned on a reflecting pool. The sculpture, which stands approximately 4 meters tall, features a figure-of-eight shape that is twisted into a Möbius strip with a double twist. It is situated in the center of a square reflective pool, appearing to float without any visible support. The pool consists of a dark slate-like platform that is bordered by a water channel and a granite surround. The polished surface of the sculpture interacts with the reflections in the pool and the mirror glass of nearby buildings, creating a dynamic play of shifting reflections. The landscaping around the sculpture was redesigned in the early 1990s by Quartet Design.
Local climate
Octo sculpture and reflecting pool sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 80% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 84% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 55% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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