International architecture firm BDP have added a pair of large polycarbonate-clad shells to a biomass power plant in the Don Valley on the outskirts of Sheffield, concealing vital power producing equipment.
Two semi-translucent orange structures house boilers at the Blackburn Meadows plant, and stand proudly above a landscape of black profiled geometric forms that accommodate ancillary processes.
Glowing orange at night, the boiler house resembles a cube of molten steel – a nod to the industrial steel-making heritage of Sheffield.
Previously, a coal-powered plant existed on the Blackburn Meadows site until it was decommissioned and demolished in the 1980s. A pair of 250 foot high cooling towers was all that remained of the original power station – their proximity to the M1 motorway made them too difficult to dismantle.
The two chimneys served as a beacon for passing travellers, however in 2008 the towers were controversially destroyed in a controlled explosion in order to make way for the new E.ON biomass power plant.
Across the Don Valley, traditional black-clad, industrial steel mill buildings are common. BDP’s award winning scheme at Blackburn Meadows references these historic precedents, with a complex network of conveyors, pipework and storage facilities all clad with black profiled sheeting.
A water meadow has also been created on vacant land close to the plant, and a visitors centre provides an educational resource for school parties.
With practices in cities including Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow, BDP have a strong presence across the region. Last year, they won the RIBA North West Building of the Year award for the Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, and the firm recently submitted a planning application for a £300 million pound leisure development at Sheffield’s Meadowhall Centre.
Photography by Paul Karalius.