Big Vortex - power plant pollution visualisation

Now this is more like it;

Big Vortex is a permanent installation planned for a new Waste-to-Energy plant to be constructed in Copenhagen. The piece is designed to visualise the main side-effect of waste-to-energy conversion, namely the creation of Co2 which is then released back into the atmosphere. The installation aims to highlight this by forming giant smoke rings from the expelled gas, each to be 30m in diameter and "constituting one ton of fossil carbon dioxide". This will act as a visual reminder of both the function of the facility and the negative environmental impact of energy consumption.

I really admire the conviction of the designers in putting this idea forward, as well as the bravery of the client for choosing to go ahead with a scheme that could well be perceived as highlighting a "flaw" in their process of making energy. I'm incredibly glad that the piece is going ahead, as alongside providing a visual cue to the price of energy consumption it will also transform the rather monolithic physical structure into a living entity. This is an important decision (one that should perhaps be considered in more new buildings) as I think that sometimes unveiling the inner workings of an environment helps to formulate a relationship, an understanding if you like, between viewer and space.

I come from a small town very close to the Sizewell nuclear power stations. The two stations that currently exist are horrendous slabs of steel and concrete that have been unceremoniously dumped onto the skyline, making no attempt to either explain or justify their presence onto an other wise empty coastal area. There are plans for a further two stations to be built at the same location and I really do hope that the design team are approaching the design of these unfortunate focal points with a similar ethos as those responsible for this scheme.