DECARBONISING THE GRID: LEE VALLEY HYDROPOWER
Year 2, Semester 2; 2021
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As we enter into a new era of the Anthropocene, one must consider the relationship between human conditions and energy typologies.
In the context of the site, an urban area such as Three Mills relies on gas and electricity transmission. The scheme proposes a triptych of activities centred around its main function of providing a renewable source of energy; an interactive hydropower facility, an educational centre that provides governance for clients and shareholders, as well as a storage facility for large pieces of machinery to be showcased.
Sitting on the water level, the architecture of the hydropower facility and visitor centres allows for the public to safely circulate throughout the plant, and allows users to gain an direct experience of the inner workings and operations of a hydropower facility. The industrial nature of the scheme is amplified by the materiality, and pays a homage to the existing infrastructure of the neighbouring area, notably the monolithic Victorian gasholder collection in Bromley-by-Bow.
Site mapping; power networks + scale of operations.
Machinery Catalogue 1:200; constituents of the proposed hydropower station.
Tidal apparatus 1 (Low-tide); water reserve storage tanker.
Tidal apparatus 2 (High-tide); penstock diversion channel.
Core activities triptych; collage denoting three main programmes within development.
Isometric of the machinery warehouse and adjacent piers/jetties.
Composite section of the warehouse facilities.
Isometric of the hydropower level and floor make-up.
Detail 1 - Hydropower floor-to-wall construction.
Detail 2 - Sawtooth roof of the warehouse facility.
Long elevation 1:100
Final public render; courtyard space within the educational facility.