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Dow Jones Architects and Arup were commissioned by the Greater London Authority to prepare concept design solutions for locating and integrating alternative waste technologies, such as anaerobic digestion and advanced thermal treatment technologies, within dense urban cities such as London.
Intelligent design is used to provide combined cooling, heat and power to residential, commercial and industrial developments, whilst mitigating the impacts of scale, aesthetics and perceived nuisances such as traffic, noise and odour.
Arup undertook a comprehensive review, and prepared a database, of available alternative waste treatment providers for anaerobic digestion, gasification, pyrolysis and plasma gasification technologies in UK, Europe and globally.
The final Rubbish In - Resources Out report was launched to an audience of land developers, local authority planners, architects and investors at London's City Hall. The project itself has since won a commendation in the RIBA President’s Awards for Research 2009, the aim of which is to reward and encourage outstanding practice-located research in architecture.
It is estimated that 60% of all waste generated in Greater London is currently exported for treatment or disposal outside of the area. This is contrary to a key objective set out by the UK Government’s Waste Strategy for England 2007, which states that waste should be managed as close as possible to the point of production.
To this end, London has set a target to achieve 85% self-sufficiency in the management of its waste. This presents a major challenge in allocating suitable and preferred waste management sites within a densely populated urban environment.
The ‘Rubbish In - Resources Out’ report demonstrates how new and emerging waste treatment technologies can be appropriately designed to provide combined heat and power to residential, commercial and industrial developments, whilst minimising the aesthetic, environmental and associated health impacts.
Four design scenarios, ranging from a large-scale, multi-borough facility on the fringe of London to a small-scale local facility on a restricted inner-city site are showcased as concept design solutions for integrating new and emerging waste treatment technologies into new and existing mixed-use developments.
