Our architectural design for the new Electrabel power plants in Rotterdam (NL) and Wilhelmshaven (D) meets the requirements of the most modern power plant in its kind. On the one hand because of the precise and careful design achievements in which the immense diversity of different parts is matched together, and on the other because the architectural design keeps in consideration the urban context and the human scale.
The spatial quality of the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam is determined by large-scale industrial buildings and a skyline dominated by enormous tanks, hoisting cranes and chimneys. The main volume of the new power plant will be 110 meters in height, with a chimney extending to 120 meters.
We chose for an expressive blue color scheme in these facades to give expression to this particular industrial object in stead of letting it fade away in grey. For Wilhelmshaven purity symbolizes the white color patterns of the power plant. This purity as an expression of the modern technical performance of the power plant fits also well into the wide landscape of Wilhelmshaven. In terms of sustainability we developed proposals for reduction of light during nighttime (In cooperation with Har Hollands, lighting architect) and the design of a low-energy (50% reduction) service building.