INDUSTRY. An interesting concept has been proposed for a new waste-to-energy power station on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. A company called Amagerforbraeding is looking to address the image problem that power stations face with a bold plan that involves adding recreation to the scheme: it is planning to place a ski slope on top of its power plant. The slope will begin at the top of the smoke stack and will descend downwards 1,500 meters to the bottom. It will include three levels of gradient that will accommodate skiers with a broad range of skiing experience and skills, from novices to advanced. Included in the concept is a terrain park that will offer karting, sailing, and rock climbing to its visitors. The outer facade of the 95,000 square meter building will feature green planting boxes to give a distant green mountain appearance, which will of course be topped by a white "snow" covering.

Access to the ski slopes will be from an elevator that is adjacent to the smokestack. The elevator will have a glass wall facing the interior of the plant, allowing visitors to have a glimpse into the internal workings of the plant.

This concept was created by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), known for its radical designs and futuristic visions. The BIG group stated that it "aims to redefine the simple, box-shaped power plant where the purpose of the outer walls is simply to hide the operations within." The designers are looking to give form and functionality to the structure.

Since sustainable energy has become increasingly important, the designers have modified the smoke stack to help address this problem. For every ton of carbon dioxide that is produced, a smoke ring will be released from the smokestack. The smoke rings will serve as a gentle reminder of the impact of consumption. Also, it allows everyone to see what a ton of CO2 emissions actually looks like as it floats into the atmosphere. At night there will be lasers lighting up the smoke rings when they come out of the stack which will create a dazzling effect for the visitors.

Contributed by Clean Technica
FIS news
14/09/2011

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