Resource and Energy Centre / 2018

At Gottlieb Paludan Architects I have been a key member of the winning team in an international competition for the exterior of a new resource and energy centre in Hamburg. The plant is set to become the city’s new green energy landmark, symbolizing the shift from traditional waste incineration to more integrated utilization of the energy resources found in waste.

The name of Gottlieb Paludan Architects’ design, ‘Grüne Laterne’ (Green Lantern), refers to the lit green rooms that define the exterior of the structure and symbolize the sustainability of the project. Parts of the centre will have public access and there will be a visitors’ centre at the highest point of the building, affording a magnificent view of Hamburg. A so-called sky walk will direct visitors around the plant and up to the visitors’ centre at the top. External, glazed rooms, rich with plants, will appear as lit green lanterns and work as ‘punctuation marks’ on the sky walk, where visitors will be able to experience the technical processes close up through openings in the façade.

The building volumes are covered with bands of light metal sheets which create a coherent functional background, visually bringing together the various technical plants on the site. Entrances and doors are kept in shades of red and will therefore stand out on the light-coloured background.

The resource and energy centre constitutes an important step in Hamburg’s green transition. The plant includes, for example, an innovative waste sorting system with biogas production from household waste and separately collected bio-waste, a biomass plant and a new-generation renewable fuel CHP plant.

Additional project information can be found here.