DiCom Concept Plant
Type: Equipment - Recycling, waste processing, power plant
Commissioned Research Project: 2008
Client: AnaeCo Limited
DiCom is a new technology developed by Perth based company, AnaeCo, which enables household organic waste to be recycled into renewable energy, high grade compost and recyclables. mb-studio undertook a body of research to explore the possibilities for integrating this technology and related infrastructure into a variety of urban contexts, leading to a conceptual architectural vision for this new building type which will be used to support proposals for future DiCom facilities. The intention is to develop this initial research into a system which could be adapted to a range of future sites.
The concept begins with an idea of ‘positive infrastructure’ – seeing the project as a way of celebrating a new sustainable technology, shifting the negative connotation associated with waste processing. The re-orientation and wrapping of the original building components and manipulation of the site’s topography, shield the surrounding context from the traffic noise and inner workings of the facility. The tanks, which are central to the system, are sheathed in a translucent planted skin, acting as iconic markers in the urban fabric. The introduction of a public education centre and transparency of the plants’ facades, are proposed as ways of exposing and engaging the public with the process which, traditionally, would be marginalised to the urban periphery.
