Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has been contracted by the Dutch Board of Waste and energy supplier KARA/Noveren to design a new waste-to-power incineration line in Roskilde, Denmark. The contract was won by van Egeraat in a competition in 2008, where he proposed a design that embraces both the historic and industrial heritage of the region. The new incinerator plant features a striking punctured façade and it is expected to be finished in 2013, when it will start to process large amounts of local waste to produce electricity and heating for the region.
The plant will use the latest and most efficient techniques to process 260,000 to 350,000 tons of waste per year. In turn, this will generate enough electricity for 60,000 households each year. Speaking of his design, Erick van Egeraat said, “It is a contemporary cathedral, close to the ground we shaped the building to reflect the angular factory roofs of the immediate surroundings. We then let the building culminate in a 100 meter tall spire, which is an articulation of a fascinating and sustainable process in creating energy.”
Van Egeraat’s design of the plant makes the incinerator not just a power station, but also an icon on the horizon. Circular openings in the building’s aluminum facade serve to transform the station into a beacon at night, when light from the facility shines through the exterior.
Not just that, but the design allows the light to start as a spark before growing into a ‘flame’ that covers the entire building, before transforming into ’embers’. Quite a design feat for an incinerator.
+ Erick Van Egeraat
Via Bustler
