False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility

Location

Vancouver, BC 

Client

City of Vancouver

The Neighbourhood Energy Utility centre recovers thermal energy from sewage to provide hot water and space heating primarily to the Southeast False Creek neighborhood, including other adjoining areas of Mount Pleasant, False Creek Flats, and Northeast False Creek.

The integration of a sewage pump station and heat recovery plant required an intensive public engagement process to respond to resident concerns, and an approach to architectural design that transformed the public perception from an undesirable utility to a significant neighbourhood amenity.

The project sought to provide a tangible expression for sustainable energy and resource recovery through our collaboration with Stephanie Robb to integrate public art. The result is a transformation of the five exhaust stacks into an evocative sculptural element, with each stack crowned by a fingernail-like LED light fixture which is programmable to respond to the operating level or heating output of the facility. In addition to an evocative form, generous glazing provides transparency and focused views to reveal the technology used in heat recovery.