Power Plant

Power Plant(s)! is a closed loop waste-to-energy system designed and built for the Oslo Architecture Triennale. The circular wooden micro power plant and accompanying heated bench was created in collaboration with the Oslo School of Architecture as part of a wider body of research into natural technology and plant-powered infrastructures.

Since 2015, we have been developing prototypes that transform waste into heat and biogas. Primarily focused on anaerobic digestion technology and the production of biogas via food waste, this research has been undertaken in partnership with LEAP AD and Quantum Waste.

For the 2019 Oslo Architecture Triennale public works was invited to create an installation that explored the theme of degrowth—an economic strategy for the downscaling of production and consumption, and raise awareness about the unsustainable amount of waste produced by humans.

Working with Oslo School of Architecture ‘Being Tectonic’ students and Flakk/Dalziel Arkitektur, Power Plant(s)! used a system developed in the 1970s by Swiss-born inventor Jean Pain to generate heat from compost. This reaction can maintain a temperature of 60-70 ° C for up to 18-months, straddling two Nordic winters.

The hay insulated cylindrical plant was designed to contain a waste heap with the highest mass to lowest surface ratio possible. A coil of tubing ran from inside the 3m diameter composter to the public bench adjacent. This tubing inlay heated the seat by carrying water warmed by the composter to the bench. While maintaining a constant source of heat for the public seat, Power Plant(s) creates approximately 15m3 of nutrient rich compost by the end of its 18-month cycle. The compost heater can then be refilled with new organic waste and will continue to run.

Power Plant(s)! is the first prototype that tests the reliability of heat generated through this process. It demonstrates one viable alternative to fossil fuels, while being an educational tool to raise awareness about the amount of waste we produce in the first place. The next stage is to integrate the compost heating system into domestic underfloor heating: if you can heat a bench, you can heat a house.

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