|
When I think of the exterior of a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant, I’m usually picturing a very industrial setting: a large concrete building, a smokestack and several pipes and tanks. While these are structurally sound facilities that took years to design, engineer and build, they probably aren’t going to show up in the next issue of Architectural Digest.
But that is about to change. On March 4, a groundbreaking took place on a project just outside of Copenhagen that will break the mold of the traditional waste-to-energy plant. The Amagerforbrændingen Waste-to-Energy Plant designed by Denmark-based Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is designed not only to produce energy, but also to be an architectural landmark.
The top of the WTE plant won’t be made of typical roofing material, it will be a public ski resort with a ski slope. The smokestack also won’t be emitting smoke in a traditional way. This plant will emit a 30-meter wide smoke ring made from each metric ton of carbon dioxide produced. The smoke rings are designed to raise awareness about waste to energy production and will be lit up with heat tracking lights in the night sky.
The plant will be located where the cities of Amager and Copenhagen come together and will separate a residential community from an industrial area. The $650 million facility, expected to be completed in 2016, will replace a 40-year-old WTE plant.
The design team was quoted on www.worldarchitecturenews.com as saying, “The ambition of creating added value in terms of added functionality does not stand in contrast to the ambition to create beauty. We propose a new breed of waste-to-energy plant, one that is economically, environmentally and socially profitable.”Perhaps the architects at BIG are on to something with their new breed of WTE plant. After all, if those advocating waste to energy in their communities could propose a project that involved the community, it might be easier to win support for that project. Perhaps if a park or recreational facility was tied to a project, it would be less controversial. Maybe if the look of a WTE facility was more aesthetically pleasing, then it would be an acceptable neighbor to a residential community. It could offer up one more good reason for a WTE project to offset some of the opposition that may arise.
I recall Ray Schauer, director of engineering for the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County, Fla., telling attendees at a recent conference that it wasn’t difficult to win public support for a WTE plant expansion in his county once residents learned that the alternative was to open another landfill. Perhaps that argument is not enough in some communities.
It will be interesting to see how things develop in Amagerforbrændingen and whether it can be an example of how a WTE plant can be a community asset in more ways than perhaps anyone before ever envisioned.
|