Scottish Bio-mass Plant : Information + Images

gm+ad - Prototype Bio - mass Plant Submitted for Planning 23 May 2007 gm+ad architects have been commissioned by ScottishPower to develop prototype designs for a Biomass Power Station to be located on a brown-field site adjacent to its existing Longannet Coal-Fired Power Station in Fife. The Longannet site was chosen following a study of over 150 possible locations throughout Central Scotland. The Biomass Power Station will be fed with biomass fuel in the form of biosolids and mixed waste wood, diverting these materials from landfill and using them to produce 20-25MW of renewable electrical power for export to the grid. This means that biomass will play an ever-increasing role in ScottishPower's target to provide ten per cent of its electricity production from renewable sources by 2010. The design is based on the principle of layering the building to break down its mass and visual impact-each layer lightening in the visual weight of material as it meets the skyline, whilst celebrating the unique nature of the process and the scale of machinery involved. The base is robust concrete, the mid-section coloured metal cladding and the upper-sections to the boiler plant clad in translucent glass. The Turbine Hall and Offices are clad in large scale vertical timber mullions over a slatted timber façade. The eastern end of the building is a 30m high glazed wall which echoes the massive 70m high glass walls of the existing Longannet Coal-Fired Power Station. The designs were presented to Architecture and Design Scotland during development. Their report commends the proposals: "We welcome this pioneering and exciting project, which represents a significant change in the use and promotion of renewable energy sources. As the first of its kind in Scotland, there is an opportunity for the new power station to celebrate its sustainable credentials, and to set high standards for future buildings of this type. We commend ScottishPower for their aspirations in this respect, and for having commissioned architects with a reputation for designing bold and iconic buildings." The prototype designs will be further developed as part of a Design and Build contract with Generator Suppliers for the construction of the station, currently being tendered across Europe. The specific design shown forms part of the Planning Submission now lodged with Fife Council. Gordon Murray added: "With all the debate concerning sources of power for Scotland's future, this commission is of great importance. As architects, this type of project is a real challenge but also an opportunity for us to create a building of some scale which still relates to a human being and sits well in its surroundings." Power Station Buildings Scottish Architecture Sustainable Architecture