industrial buildings special report
providing power, metal which survives the intense heat of the process is recycled. The resulting “ash” or bottom waste is used as a building aggregate. Finally, heat from the energy-generation process could be
used to turn Suffolk into one of the UK's most important tomato-growing regions. All this is a win for the county, as residual waste would previously have ended up in landfill.
Finding a balance
They asked multi-award-winning architect, GRIMSHAW, to create a balance between “industry, nature and community.” The team followed two main principles when designing
the plant to reduce volume and to hide what was left in plain site. So they created larger, distinct volumes in order to reduce the overall scale of the plant and to improve architectural appearance. Secondly, the bulk of the building was hidden more
traditionally by the use of both landscaping and – radically – helping the vast boiler hall structure disappear into the countryside and its sky. A dual-layer cladding system with a semi translucent
inner skin softens its appearance against the sky, and a bespoke horizontal louvre system on the outside alters the appearance of the building depending on angle of view and time of day. The design also draws upon the architectural- industrial heritage of the area and the image from Paper Mill Lane shows how the structure glimmers in the sky. When the plant is seen in all its glory, those approaching
find a mass set back from the entry point and taking advantage of the new landscaping. Immediately visible is the glimmering boiler hall and the glazed office accommodation, projected and suspended, above the forecourt to provide safe segregation of pedestrians and vehicles. These elements are arranged to create an open front
and a closed back, hiding the less-desirable parts of the energy facility. Office workers have stupendous views over the Gipping
Valley, while workers inside the boiler room are also treated to more of the outside with large ETFE pillows sitting in the roof to let in as much of the light as possible.
Up in flames
But enough about humans, what is the journey of a piece of rubbish to its fiery (useful) end. Suffolk operates a three-level system whereby recyclable, organic and residual waste are separated. It is the latter which arrives in large trucks which are immediately weighed on a special bridge. The lorries come into the “tipping hall,” and reverse-tip their truckloads into a hopper 37x15x26m. The trucks continue around the one-way system back to the bridge to compare their before and after weight. The bridge method allows factors like fuel-weight to be overcome. Meanwhile, the trash in the pit is mixed around by a vast
grabber, just like the one featured in Toy Story 3. The claw moves the future fuel around so that it is sufficiently aerated to reach the required 850-1,000° C as it is burnt on a grate. Continued overleaf...
BUILDING PROJECTS
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