erick van egeraat: beacon roskilde incineration line
 
 
the board of danish waste to energy supplier KARA/noveren collaborated with dutch architect erick van egeraatto realize their new incineration line in roskilde, denmark. van egeraat won a design competition in 2008 with his proposal which seeks to embrace both the historic and industrial heritage of the site. the project aims to give insight in the mostly hidden processes of transforming waste into energy. laser-cut circular openings cover the raw umber-coloured aluminium façade of the building.
 
 
erick van egeraat: beacon roskilde incineration line
rendering of the patterning seen in the façade
 
 
 
the edifice is composed of two layers: a inner layer that ensures daylight entry and air circulation, which ‘liberates’ the outer layer to be more  flexible in its patterning.
 
 
erick van egeraat states about his design, ‘at night the back-light perforated facade transforms the incinerator into a gently glowing beacon – a symbol of the plant’s energy production. every hour a spark of light will gradually grow into a burning flame that lights up the entire building. When the metaphorical fire ceases, the building falls back into a state of burning embers.
 
 
 
see the video of that symbolic moment in the realisation of the erick van egeraat’s new incinerator:
 
video courtesy of erick van egeraat
 
 
 
erick van egeraat’s incinerator in roskilde is created specifically to add value to an otherwise purely industrial complex. enriching the skyline of the small danish city, the silhouette of the structure also provides an historic comment; the lower part of the building resembles angular roofs of surrounding factories, but the impressive 100-meter spire and its materialisation is the modern counterpart of the city’s prime historical monument, the roskilde cathedral. with its twin towers and warmly coloured stone and brick, the cathedral and the iconic glowing incinerator also have become the new guardians of the city’s otherwise modest presence in the skagerrag landscape. the plant will incinerate waste from nine municipalities and produce electricity and heat power for the whole region of roskilde.
 
 
project info:

project address: håndværkervej 70, DK-4000 roskilde client: KARA/noverenprograms: reception hall, waste bunker, control room gross floor area: approx. 7,400 m2 (façade: 29,500 m2) volume: N/A storeys: N/A height: 99 m

start competition design: 03-2008 start design: 03-2008 design phase: 2009-2012 development time: 2007-2013 construction time: 2011-2013 realization: 2013