One of the oldest Danish bureaus is known not only for its attention to environmental issues and sustainable development, but also for its unexpected, artistic approach to the design of engineering structures (for example, an SF6 gas station). The CHP building is located at the very base of the Greenwich Peninsula and should meet the heat and electricity needs of the entire reconstructed area. Thus, the architects had to turn the almost 50-meter pipes of the boiler house into a "gate", even a symbol of modern urban education.
The brick base of the building echoes the adjacent historic building and contains ancillary facilities. The main, elongated volume of the station has a regular rectangular shape, accentuated by finishing of silver-colored panels. The total building area is 3000 m2. The flexible interior accommodates the most modern equipment: the CHP plant can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20,000 tons per year (this is the largest new construction of such a facility in Europe). Moreover, as a large-scale reconstruction project develops, its capacity can be easily increased: everything necessary is provided for this.
Part of the equipment is placed on the roof and hidden from view with the help of the sides, while the overall height of the turbine hall also takes into account the dimensions of the neighboring brick building. The more actively the thin high-rise structure hiding the pipes is knocked out of this general line. British artist Konrad Shawcross, known for his kinetic work, came up with an intricate shape, assembled from hundreds of triangular plates. Constant origami-style fractures lend sculpturality to the volume, and perforated metal creates a moiré, vibrating pattern. Shawcross's work, which he dubs The Optic Cloak, uses the main building as a parapet and is visible from almost all important points, especially in the evening, when specially installed interior lighting breaks through the mesh surface.
But the architects did not find artistic value enough, and they added an educational function. On the south side, a visitor center with a small office section on the ground floor and a tour desk on the second floor adjoins the volume of the computer room. As a result, an exclusively utilitarian building becomes not only a landmark of the area, but also an attractive educational center, introducing everyone to green energy technologies.
