Urban Design

WTE-Plant . Donetsk

photos: Urban Design

CONCEPT 
The functional boxes of the power plant are
enfolded in a semi transparent skin of light
aluminium, metal mesh and glass. Solar panels
are mounted on upper parts of the eastern,
western and southern facade. Like a giant
shimmering beetle or a bright soap bubble, it
sits on the surrounding fields and ponds. The
overall impression is clean, friendly and slightly
futuristic.

The fertile top soil of the plot is moved to the
side, creating distinct grass-covered earthworks,
that separates the plant area from
the surrounding green land. The earth-works
also separates the “messy” areas around the
plant from the neighbouring fields and roads.
Functions such as restaurant, gate-house and
staff rooms are also accommodated in the
sloping embankments.

THE LANDSCAPE
Finding inspiration in the traditional Ukraine
farming land, we suggest that the immediate
surrounding is landscaped with elongated
ponds and stripes of energy forests. The
earth-works that separates the lay-down and
transport areas from the landscape should be
sown with grass and planted with scallions,
tulips and other sorts of wild flowers, that
in the spring time will create an unexpected
wealth of colours. The inside is more plain
and simple with asphalt on the road-ways and
reinforced grass for the lay-down areas, but
the grass of the sloping walls surrounding it
will add greenery to the workspace.


THE PLANT/LAYOUT
We have kept the general layout of the
competition brief, adding workshops and
storage rooms on the ground floor and
control room, lab and offices on top of these.
Steam turbine and switch gear are mirrored
to the south side of the building, to keep the
workplaces at distance from the magnetic
fields they generate. The elevated situation
of the offices gives them a nice view of the
surrounding landscape. From the adjacent
control room the staff can easily monitor the
tipping area and also handle the waste drive.
A small auditorium placed near the offices and
control room, will open the plant up for visiting
school classes and groups from other cities that
are interested in the “Eco Energy solution”.

FLOW/LOGISTICS
The square, functional boxes of the power
plant is covered with a light, shimmering “skin”
of sheet aluminium, - mesh and glass. The
smooth “skin” gives the plant a contemporary
/look/attitude/ that goes well with its main task
– to produce environmentally friendly energy
for the city of Donetsk and its surrounding
suburbs.

IDENTITY / CHARACTER
The Eco Energy Plant will have a high recognition
factor. The shimmering bug-like plant will look
like no other. The light, triangularized aluminiumand
glass façade communicates cleanliness
and efficiency. The facade also offers great
possibilities to use the aluminium panels and
–mesh for graphic communication printed
directly on the surface. The landscape around
the plant is also an important recognition factor.
Our aim is to link the heat and power production
to nature, that is the mother of all goods. By
using earth-works instead of traditional fences,
the fertile soil is saved for later purposes, the
extensive lay-down areas are shielded off from
the surrounding green land. The by-passer
will get the impression that the plant sits on
a green field of grass, rather than on a wide
asphalt desert.

CONSTRUCTION
The construction consists of an inner core of a
prefab panel system wall taking care of climate
and noise issues. Around this, an outer shell
of light and sheet-aluminium, semi-transparent
expanded aluminium mesh and glass is
mounted. The expanded aluminium will have
a variation of gradings witch gives the facade a
shifting transparency from different angles.
The outer shell consists of a triangular
steelframe structure (secondary load-bearing
frame), attaching to a primary load-bearing
steel structure of pillars and beams. On these
frames a less sparce grid (third structure)
supports the cover of aluminium and glass
panels. The primary system is also connected
to the inner core, to stabilize the outer facade.
The space between the core and the outer shell
can be used for silos, tubing, sound baffels
and gratings serving as easy-access lay-down
areas. The double facade system will make
sure that all this everyday “mess” of the plant
is covered by the smooth outer skin.
The solution gives all the advantages of an
easy light-weight prefab system (inner core),
while outside of this (outer shell) creating an
attractive, contemporary architecture that
signal the clean energy and transparency of
the Eco Energy Plant. The beetle-like design
easy “mutates” into a more elongated or
a more compact form, to follow different
alterations of the process layout. Since the
space between the process core and the outer
shell is “outdoor”, ventilation grids, filters etc
can be added without changing the outlook.
The core building and big scale process parts,
are painted in green, making itself partly visible
through the more transparent panels of the
shell.