Lagan Construction and French engineering company CNIM have completed this £185m energy-from-waste facility in Great Blakenham, near Ipswich in Suffolk. Designed by architect Grimshaw, the 9,900 sq m facility has been built as part of Suez Environment’s (formerly SITA UK) 25-year, £1bn private finance initiative (PFI) waste management contract with Suffolk County Council.
The combined heat and power (CHP) plant was completed on time and within budget after 1.6 million hours worked over nearly four years of construction. Inside the facility two burners, with the capacity to burn up to 269,000 tonnes of residual waste a year, heat water into steam which drives the single turbine to generate 23MW of electricity. 3MW a year will be used to power the plant with the remainder, enough electricity for 30,000 homes, fed into the National Grid.
To reduce costs the building’s overall volume is kept to a minimum, with its form taken directly from the internal process taking place within. The building is wrapped in a dual-layer cladding system with a semi-translucent inner skin that diffuses light and softens its appearance. A bespoke louvre system on the exterior alters the building’s appearance depending on angle of view and time of day.
A dual-layer cladding system encloses the machinery within the building
Along with the CHP plant, the building contains management and maintenance offices as well as a visitor centre that provides information about the plant and tours of the facility.
Considerate specification, and integration into the landscape, has allowed the building to achieve a BREEAM “excellent” rating, making it one of the greenest industrial buildings in the country.
Along with suppling power to the grid the plant has the capability to provide heat to nearby businesses. A £30m tomato-growing centre that will cover 50 acres and has the capacity to grow around 7,000 tonnes of tomatoes a year, is awaiting planning permission.
Paul Leighton, plant manager from Suez, said: “The Suffolk energy-from-waste facility shows that an industrial building can complement its surroundings through innovative and sensitive design.”
A bespoke louvre system alters the appearance of the building depending on the angle and time of day
